Browsing by Subject "ADA"
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Item Accessibility Laws: Section 504, IDEA, and ADA(2019) National Deaf Center on Postsecondary OutcomesItem An Assessment of University Infrastructure Impact on the Safety of Individuals with Physical Disabilities at the University of Texas at Austin - Poster(2017) Weston, Natalie; Sonnenberg, Stephen; Faust, KaseyItem An Assessment of University Infrastructure Impact on the Safety of Individuals with Physical Disabilities at the University of Texas at Austin(2017) Weston, Natalie; Faust, KaseyPersonal safety at the University of Texas is an increasingly popular topic of conversation between students, staff, faculty, and University administration. Concerns stemming from the recently passed “Campus Carry” legislation and the on-campus murder of an undergraduate student that occurred in the spring of 2016 spark debate over the utility of various safety resources currently available on-campus. However, the accessibility of said resources is hardly addressed. Per the 2010 U.S. Census, over 15% of U.S. adults identify as having any physical functioning difficulty. As the University of Texas campus hosts tens of thousands of adults each day, this thesis was conducted to address the flowing overarching question: How does the physical infrastructure of current safety resources on the University of Texas at Austin campus impact the safety of students, faculty, and staff with physical disabilities? To address this question, a survey was developed based on 2 semi-structured interviews gauging safety concerns with individuals from the disabled community, news articles documenting the use of campus safety resources, and University published documents. The survey underwent content review by 4 subject matter experts in areas such as civil engineering, campus diversity and community engagement, and the Americans with Disabilities act of 1990. Social media platforms such as Facebook and email list serves for various groups at the University of Texas were used to distribute the survey. It is expected that the results of the survey will indicate the perceptions of current and former students, faculty, and staff will underestimate the prevalence and use and overestimate the accessibility of certain safety resources mentioned in the survey. This thesis highlights the motivation for this work, survey development, deployment, and results, and intended future work.Item Effective Communication(2019) National Deaf Center on Postsecondary OutcomesItem Equitable Access Guide: Understanding Legal Responsibilities for Institutions (Second Edition)(2017) National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes; Axelrod, Jamie; Bowen, Irene; Kinast, Lauren; Lissner, L. Scott; Stein, Michael; Vargas, Mary; Caringer, LisaItem Footing the bill : evaluating local government funding mechanisms for sidewalk infrastructure in Austin, Texas(2019-08-30) McGrath, Nicole Erin; Sciara, Gian-ClaudiaThe City of Austin is missing almost half of its sidewalk network and 80% of existing sidewalks are in poor condition. Expanding the city’s sidewalk network has repeatedly been recognized as an important component of Austin’s larger mobility goals, but how the city will fund this effort is unclear. The city’s Sidewalk Master Plan estimates that building out and repairing the entire network will take almost 200 years at current funding levels. Austin’s sidewalk investments are primarily being funded by bond money, but is depending solely on bond funding for sidewalk infrastructure advisable? Bonds are a form of borrowing not a revenue generating mechanism. Having a revenue generating mechanism dedicated to active transportation investments can help achieve multimodal transportation goals sooner. However, local governments are often constrained in their ability to implement such mechanisms due to state authorization laws. Given that sidewalks are primarily a local responsibility, the inability to generate revenue at the local level for transportation projects can severely hamper walkability goals. This report highlights examples of local governments that are using revenue generating mechanisms to fund pedestrian infrastructure and evaluates the potential implementation of such mechanisms in Austin, TX. Using a qualitative case study design, this study investigates the different approaches used in the following locations: Ithaca, NY; Fort Wayne, IN; Seattle, WA; and San Antonio, TX. Funding mechanisms used in these case study cities include special assessment districts, local income taxes, property tax assessments, and sales taxes. The report finds that each city has had varying degrees of success with their funding mechanism, with three of the four case study cities generating more sidewalk funding per capita than bond funding alone in Austin, TX. Of the different mechanisms evaluated, dedicated property tax assessments and special assessment districts are the best options for addressing Austin’s sidewalk needs. However, state preemption laws in Texas make implementing these mechanisms difficult. Examples of best practices highlighted in this report should be used by local officials to lobby for more autonomy when it comes to funding local transportation needs.Item Managing Mental Illness in the Workplace: A Practical Guide for Supervisors(Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, 2000) Handrich, Rita R.Item Policy-driven cost containment strategies for ADA mandated paratransit service : a case study of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority(2010-12) Ballentine, Christopher Chadwick; Zhang, Ming, 1963 Apr. 22-; Evans, Inez P.This paper outlines five major policy change recommendations for Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (Capital Metro) paratransit department called MetroAccess. These policy changes are recommended in response to Capital Metro’s April 2010 audit from the Texas State Legislature’s Sunset Advisory Commission. Overall these policy changes must achieve a mandated 10% cost reduction in the program.Item Together But Apart: How University Accessibility Standards Fail To Deliver Full Inclusion And Why It Matters(2019-05-01) Strickland, Kate; Evans, RhondaThe Americans with Disabilities Act and the 1973 Rehabilitation Act serve as the primary laws permitting students with disabilities access to postsecondary education free from discrimination. However, the reality of campus accessibility falls far short of the legislation’s apparent promise of universal access. This failure derives from philosophical foundations upon which current legislation rests: current laws promote formal equality as opposed to full inclusion. To be fully inclusive, students with disabilities must have equal access to classrooms, buildings, pathways of travel, and the social framework of universities. I argue that even universities that comply fully with the ADA nevertheless discriminate against students with disabilities. Focusing on the University of Texas at Austin (UT), this study first determines whether UT, an ADA-compliant campus, is fully inclusive. Second, the experiences of students with disabilities are gathered to determine the effect of the lack of full inclusion on the experiences of students. I argue that UT possesses a twofold pr problem: the physical environment of many classrooms, buildings, and general pathways of travel were not fully inclusive, but, perhaps even more significant, there was a definite attitudinal barrier preventing students with disabilities from being fully included within the social framework. As a result, this study provides recommendations to improve the physical environment and, more importantly, the social environment through mandatory disability awareness trainings for staff, faculty, and students in order to promote a more inclusive university environment.