|
Advocacy
& the Americans with Disabilities Act
Accessibility Assessments
Presentations
In
addition to services for people with disabilities, RAMP offers
services for our communities. It is imperative for our
communities to provide full and equal access to people of all
abilities in order to maximize the potential contribution of
its citizens.
Most
people with disabilities do not want pity or admiration for
adjusting to and living with a normal part of the human
condition. Disability
is an unavoidable fact of life, and in most cases, it does not
in itself prevent a person from exercising the unlimited
abilities they have that are not affected by the disability.
In fact, the greatest barriers faced by people with
disabilities stem from those placed upon them by society.
There are many barriers to people with disabilities trying to
lead productive, self-sufficient lives, including economic,
physical, communicative or attitudinal.
The first three barriers, which affect people with
disabilities in all aspects of their pursuit of independence,
are more easily identifiable and correctable although
sometimes costly. For
example, not being able to negotiate steps into a building
prevents one from applying for a job, taking a class or even
shopping. The inability
to hear a speaker or read printed material prevents one from
communicating. Attitudinal
barriers, however, defined as false assumptions and prejudices
based upon misinformation and ignorance, play the largest role
in limited opportunities and are much more difficult to
identify and eliminate.
Eliminating
attitudinal barriers entails the education of society to break
down negative and misguided beliefs and replace them with
positive, non-judgmental attitudes open to seeing people for
who they are.
We provide
the following services to public and private businesses,
organizations and agencies in order to work towards the
elimination of all barriers to independence that face people
with disabilities.
Disability only becomes a tragedy when society fails to
provide the access to the goods and services one may require.
Advocacy
& the ADA
RAMP
works with its local communities to facilitate compliance with
the Illinois Accessibility Codes and the
Americans with
Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines.
RAMP
works with local, state and national legislators to draft and
support regulations and laws that ensure the rights of people
with disabilities.
RAMP
provides educational materials and speakers on a wide variety
of disability and accessibility issues and regulations.
Accessibility
Assessments
RAMP
conducts accessibility assessments for businesses, schools,
municipal entities, private organizations and individuals.
With people with disabilities comprising approximately 20% of
our nation's population, accessibility is good business.
Accessibility
assessments are generally requested by businesses that wish to
improve the accessibility of their business for either their
employees or customers. Upon request, an assessor will visit
your site, conduct an inspection and suggest modifications
based on the Illinois Accessibility Code and the ADA
Accessibility Guidelines.
Presentations
RAMP
staff are available to speak to businesses, services
organizations, social services agencies, government
agencies and other groups on a wide variety of disability
issues.
Presentation examples include RAMP Services, Disability
Etiquette and Customer Service, Educational Rights of Students
with Disabilities, The
Americans with Disabilities Act, Accessibility
Standards and Regulations, Disability Awareness, personal
stories of staff and/or consumers who have disabilities,
self-determination training and more. RAMP can tailor
presentations to fit your needs.
Looking
for something different?
We realize
that not every situation calls for a speaker. RAMP can create
displays for an upcoming event you have, or be on hand at your
next fun fair to provide disability awareness activities for
the kids.
| 
