Skip to content

Goodwill offering help with changes to ADA

Goodwill offering help with changes to ADA

Posted: Monday, December 22, 2008 10:14 am

The Messenger 12.22.08

Area businesses are looking to Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee to guide them through upcoming changes to the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The Americans With Disabil-ities Act Amendment Act (ADAAA) was signed into law by President Bush and goes into effect Jan. 1.
Goodwill’s Career Solutions Consulting Services can help employers develop a plan of action in implementing the new law. Goodwill will provide employers customized tools needed to effectively manage and identify workplace accessibility.
The ADAAA overturns several Supreme Court decisions that had made it difficult for workers with disabilities to qualify for protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The new ADAAA will expand the definition of someone with a disability and will be more inclusive. This change means many businesses will likely have to modify company policies and practices to be in compliance.
The focus of the ADAAA emphasizes that employers must proactively develop reasonable accommodation(s). It also states they must demonstrate good faith effort(s) in conducting interactive discussions with the employee(s) in identifying reasonable accommodations, if any are necessary.
With more than 50 years of experience serving people with disabilities in Middle Tennessee and West Tennessee, Goodwill’s consultants can customize training and offer one-on-one advice to ensure compliance with the new law.
Goodwill’s consultants offer a robust program that includes:
• Overview of new disability categories;
• Recognizing and identifying when an employee makes a disability statement and the implication of the ADAAA;
• Job description reviews and suggestions for updates;
• Policy and procedure reviews;
• Tools to help managers navigate claims received;
• Reasonable accommodations employers may provide; and
• Technical assistance in identifying assistive technology and vendors.
For more information about Career Solutions Consulting Services and how its experts can help with the implementation of the ADAAA, contact Debbie Grant, C.R.C., CCM, development director for Career Solutions, by telephone at (615) 346-1237 or by e-mail at Debbie.grant@givegw.org.
About Goodwill Industries
For over 50 years, Goodwill has provided job training and job placement free of charge to people with disabilities or other barriers to employment through the sale of donated items.
Through October 2008, Goodwill has served 8,938 people and placed 2,292 in jobs in the community.
For more information on Goodwill’s Career Solutions, retail stores and donation centers, visit the organization’s Web site at www.giveit2goodwill.org or call Goodwill toll-free at 1-800-545-9231.

,