Great Plains ADA Center

Women's History Month Weekly Insight graphic on a pink and white background featuring watercolor butterflies in the upper left and lower right corners. Featured this week is a photo of Judy Heumann, a middle aged woman in a bright blue top with flowers holding two books she authored while sitting in her wheelchair. Includes the quote "Some people say that what I did changed the world. But really, I simply refused to accept what I was told about who I could be. And I was willing to make a fuss about it." - Judy Heumann, Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist. The Great Plains ADA Center logo is in the lower left corner.

Honoring the life and legacy of Judy Heumann with our first #WomensHistoryMonth Weekly Insight as she reminds us - we can all make a difference in the fight for ADA compliance and disability civil rights

An old photo album captures a history of Black disabled activism. For Anita Cameron, it’s personal Many of the photographs in a family album tell a story that Cameron said has been erased from the conversation about the history of the disability rights movement in the U.S.: Black people also built ...

Disability rights activist Anita Cameron has an ongoing and upcoming storytelling project ‘We Were There Too: Blacks in the Disability Movement’
www.wxxinews.org/local-news/2...
#DisabilityHistory #WomensHistoryMonth

‘Fast-Paced, Fit, Agile’: Ableist Words in Job Ads Decrease Applicants Led by Dr. Melissa Walker as part of her PhD, new study says that more neutral language might be key to drawing in more applicants of all ability levels.

"Researchers believe ableist language sends negative signals to all applicants about the inclusivity of the workplace, even to those without disabilities."

news.uoguelph.ca/2026/02/fast...
#DisabilityEmployment

Brain Injury Awareness Month | Join the My Brain Injury Journey Campaign During Brain Injury Awareness Month, help the 5.3 million people in the U.S. who are living with a permanent brain injury-related disability.

Brain Injury Awareness Month kicked off yesterday! Find ways you can help raise awareness and participate in national and local events by visiting the Brain Injury Association online hub!

biausa.org/public-affai...

NFL Prospect KC Concepcion Defends His Speech Impediment After He’s Mocked for Stuttering: ‘I Cannot Control This’ KC Concepcion shared a strong message for those making fun of his speech impediment after his participation in the 2026 NFL Combine. 'I just wanna say something, if you have a speech impediment there ...

We love to see self advocates like NFL prospect K.C. Concepcion educate the media and the public about stuttering and other speech differences. Thanks for using your platform in a positive way, K.C.!

people.com/kc-concepcio...

Senior manager sues Walmart over alleged retaliation for disability accommodation His supervisor allegedly called him "brittle" — then came the bad reviews and a PIP

New lawsuit out of FL alleges Walmart discriminated against an 11-year senior manager because of his disability

www.hcamag.com/us/specializ...

Self-advocacy opportunity happening TOMORROW, 2/25 - join a free webinar on recent court activity regarding community integration of people with disabilities. Note - Kansas and Missouri are part of the suit, Texas v. Kennedy (2026)

Meet Pim, the Girl Scout whose internet fame catapulted her cookie sales Pim, a 6-year-old Girl Scout, hopes to eclipse the all-time career sales record of 180,000 boxes. She's getting close.

A feel-good story out of Pennsylvania for your evening - meet Pim, the Girl Scout/Daisy who's breaking records with her cookie sales. First told by a local troop that her disability would "hold the troop back", Pim has racked up over 100K boxes in sales so far!

www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/ar...

Graphic for the 2026 National ADA Symposium in red, white, and blue featuring an arial photo of the JW Marriott in Scottsdale, Az. Includes the text "2026 Registration Now Open. Visit https://gpadacenter.org/national-ada-symposium/ for more information. #ADASymposium2026. 2 Events! Virtual Event May 4-6, 2026 and In-Person Event July 19-22, 2026. Co-hosted by Great Plains ADA Center & Pacific ADA Center. An initiative of the ADA National Network."

Registration is now open for #ADASymposium2026! We are hosting two events this year - one virtual conference and an in-person event in Phoenix. For more information, visit gpadacenter.org/national-ada...

Ed Department Dismissed 90% Of Civil Rights Complaints Alarming Disability Advocates The Education Department dismissed nearly every discrimination complaint — likely including many based on disability — all while spending millions to fire staff charged with investigating such cases.

The #EducationDepartment dismissed nearly every #discrimination complaint — likely including many based on disability — all while spending millions to fire staff charged with investigating such cases. #disabilities #CivilRights

National Caregivers Day. Thank you for all you do! Photo of a smiling young man in a wheelchair and a woman holding a bowl and spoon smiling back at him.

Today, on National Caregivers Day, we honor the compassion and dedication of caregivers everywhere. 💙
Your care, strength, and selflessness make a difference every single day. Thank you for all that you do! #NationaCaregiversDay

Can’t I Just “WFH”? Best ADA Practices for Evaluating Remote Work Requests In light of the recent uptick in return-to-work policies requiring physical presence in the workplace, accommodation requests under the Americans…

Helpful case study from Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP outlines the important steps of the interactive process to determine reasonableness of work from home accommodation requests from employees with disabilities

www.lexology.com/library/deta...

Updated resource alert! Think College just released their 2026 update to the guide for Scholarships for Students with Intellectual Disabilities. Access the guide now!

thinkcollege.net/resource/sch...

Employee Struggling Physically or Acting Strangely? Fitness-For-Duty Exams Are Defensible if You Follow the Legal Standard | JD Supra The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits employers from making disability inquiries or requiring employees to undergo medical examinations...

Recent court decision out of the 7th Circuit offers an important reminder about when employers can legally inquire with their employees about their medical condition and require fitness-for-duty exams under the ADA

www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/em...

Inclusive Dining Tech: The New Must Have for Foodservice - The Food Institute Inclusive dining technology is quickly shifting from optional to essential, as operators lean on accessible design to serve a wider range of guests with fewer friction points. The payoff is empowered ...

"When technology is designed with accessibility in mind, it opens the door to a wider audience than some may realize. And inclusive dining isn’t limited to physical accessibility"

foodinstitute.com/focus/inclus...

Helpful and FREE color contrast checker from @webaim.bsky.social - we love this tool and use it to make sure our graphics are easy to read!

The New Reality of Advertising Communications: Why Accessibility Is No Longer Optional The barriers that once made accessible advertising difficult have largely disappeared.

Recent article from PR News highlights the importance of including creatives/actors with disabilities in advertising while also spotlighting accessible products and services

www.prnewsonline.com/the-new-real...

Graphic for AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month - February featuring a clipart eyeball in a red circle, a pair of glasses in an aqua circle, and a hand holding a contact lens in a blue circle.

February is also Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Low Vision Awareness Month! These annual observances focus on education, prevention, and support for those living with vision loss.
To learn more, visit the National Eye Institute Low Vision Awareness Month page.
www.nei.nih.gov/.../low-visi...

How Designing with Disability in Mind Sparks Innovation Innovations created for users with accessibility needs can be amplified to unlock universal value. This process, “design amplification,” begins with products designed for people with physical disabili...

New Harvard Business Review article highlights the importance of accessible design and design amplification

hbr.org/2026/02/how-...
#Disability

Recent @motherjones.com article about the impact of winter weather on wheelchair users (and others with other disabilities)

On Bluesky and LinkedIn, the hashtag #accessibility allows you to find lots of accessibility-related resources. To find accessibility resources in Spanish, use the hashtag #accesibilidad. The hashtag #accessibilité helps you find resources in French.

ADA Meets FMLA- Where They Overlap and Where They Diverge An employee’s medical condition may implicate both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) at the same time, but the two laws use distinct eligibility fra...

Helpful article about the overlap between the ADA and FMLA

natlawreview.com/article/ada-...

CHADD is highlighting ADHD support groups created by and for Black/African Americans during Black History Month. Because connection, culture, and community matter—especially when navigating ADHD. ✨

chadd.org/finding-comm...

#ADHD #ADHDlife #BlackHistoryMonth

Meet the puppies with disabilities competing in the 2026 Puppy Bowl!
people.com/meet-the-dog...

Puerto Rican deaf interpreter primed to make history during Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show A Puerto Rican deaf interpreter will make history leading the signing program during Bad Bunny's Super Bowl LX halftime performance.

"Rivera Cosme will sign the high profile performance in LSPR, or Puerto Rican Sign Language, distinct from American Sign Language..." Learn more here: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/puerto-rican-deaf-interpreter-primed-make-history-bad-129852828 #Deaf #Disability #SuperBowlSunday

To access the Audio Described stream of the Olympics go to the link below for NBC Olympics & Paralympics

www.nbcolympics.com/replays/topi...

Digital accessibility working group encourages states to 'keep it simple' on policy | StateScoop A new publication from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers represents a year of research by its digital accessibility working group.

A new publication from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers represents a year of research by its digital accessibility working group and encourages states to "keep it simple" when complying with the new Title II requirements for website access
statescoop.com/digital-acce...

Resort Employee Can Proceed with Disability Suit Over Service Dog in Housing: What Hospitality Employers Should Know | JD Supra A recent federal court ruling presents a cautionary tale for employers when handling employee disability-related requests. The US District Court for...

"The ruling underscores that not all disability accommodations apply to job functions. It also highlights the importance of engaging in an interactive dialogue with employees who request disability-related accommodations."

www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/re...

Infographic for the 2026 National ADA Symposium featuring an aerial photo of the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort. Includes the text "The premiere conference on the Americans With Disabilities Act, July 19-22, 2026. Learn more at https://gpadacenter.org/national-ada-symposium/ and like on Facebook @NationalADASymposium. The graphics for the Great Plains ADA Center, Pacific ADA Center, and ADA National Network are lined up along the bottom.

Registration is open now for the 2026 National ADA Symposium: Phoenix! Join us and @pacificada.adata.org for the premiere conference on the ADA happening July 19-22!
Learn more - gpadacenter.org/national-ada...

7 Black Activists Who Shaped Disability Rights Throughout history, Black activists — many of them women — have been central to advancing disability rights.

Learn about 7 influential Black activists who helped shape the Disability Rights Movement
set-works.com/7-black-acti...