Oklahoma City Human Rights Commission holds ADA education session; city coordinator details accessibility program

ADA education and municipal compliance dominated the Human Rights Commission's program session as attorneys from the Oklahoma Disability Law Center explained federal obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Scott Hodgdon, the city’s newly appointed ADA coordinator, described Oklahoma City’s accessibility planning and grievance procedure. The educational program brought the legal basics forward first. "The ADA is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities," said Brian Wilkerson, legal director at the Oklahoma Disability Law Center. Wilkerson and Joy Turner, director of investigation and monitoring at the center, walked commissioners through the ADA's basic structure (Titles I–V), the statutory definition of disability and the tests for who is a "qualified individual." The presenters emphasized three eligibility prongs under the ADA — a current substantial impairment, a record of such impairment, or being regarded as having an impairment — and noted the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 broadened coverage. "You…