EEOC Adds New Section Clarifying When COVID-19 May Be a Disability, Updating Technical Assistance
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its COVID-19 technical assistancetoday adding a new section to clarify under what circumstances COVID-19 may be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act.
EEOC’s new questions and answers focus broadly on COVID-19 and the definition of disability under Title I of the ADA and Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act, which both address employment discrimination. The updates also provide examples illustrating how an individual diagnosed with COVID-19 or a post-COVID condition could be considered to have a disability under the laws the EEOC enforces.
Justice Department Finds State of Iowa Unnecessarily Segregates People with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities in State Resource Centers
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division announced today that it has concluded an investigation into whether the State of Iowa subjects residents of Glenwood and Woodward Resource Centers, two state-run institutions for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) in Glenwood and Woodward, Iowa, respectively, to unnecessary institutionalization in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Waterbury to Ensure that Polling Stations are Accessible to People with Mobility Disabilities
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that the government has reached a settlement agreement with the City of Waterbury to ensure that people with disabilities can physically access polling locations.
This settlement agreement resolves a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Justice stating that the City of Waterbury was using polling sites that were inaccessible to people with disabilities. After receiving the complaint, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Connecticut’s U.S. Attorney’s Office spoke with city officials and people with disabilities, surveyed polling locations, and reviewed information provided by the city.