ADA Knowledge Translation Center

National

The ADA Knowledge Translation Center, along with the 10 regional ADA Centers, celebrates the ADA anniversary each July. An analysis of our 2024 ADA Anniversary social media “mini-campaign” revealed many accounts did not use accessibility practices in their posts celebrating the ADA. This finding crystalized the need for social media accessibility education and prompted development of an educational mini-campaign.

We conducted our first-ever Social Media Accessibility Mini-Campaign in 2025, focusing on social media accessibility for people with hearing disabilities (May) and people with vision disabilities (June). We leveraged a collaboration with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association to amplify the mini-campaign’s impact. The multi-component mini-campaign included informational and community-building posts.

Social media users engaged with the mini-campaign, resulting in 50,144 impressions, 1,025 likes, 552 shares, and 22 comments. We compared the use of alt-text in posts tagging the ADA National Network in July 2024 and July 2025. The results revealed an emerging challenge in social media accessibility. More posts had alt-text in 2025 compared to 2024 (61% and 53%, respectively). However, in 2025 33% of the posts used autogenerated alt-text. Autogenerated alt-text is frequently not useful, because it often incorrectly identifies or poorly describes an image. This means that overall, 72% of posts tagging ADANN were inaccessible or not useful.

While the 2025 mini-campaign was well-received, future iterations of the mini-campaign will address autogenerated alt-text and adjust other aspects of the mini-campaign to better educate social media users.

New England ADA Center

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont

In 2025 the New England ADA Center became part of the Trainer Leadership Network (TLN). As part of this commitment, we implemented the curriculum developed by the TLN in a training for the Massachusetts Statewide Independent Living Council (MASILC). MASILC is a governor-appointed body working closely with the state’s Centers for Independent Living to develop the State Plan for Independent Living. The one-hour virtual training, Americans with Disabilities Act—A Primer, took place on December 18, 2025. The goal of the training was to give a brief introduction to the ADA. Fourteen people participated.

The training began with information on the purpose and history of the ADA and included multiple choice questions to help participants “warm up.” Next, we presented a general overview of the ADA Amendments Act. The final section of the training consisted of small group discussion about various scenarios. Participants responded individually in the chat before discussing as a group. This section tested participants’ knowledge with scenarios about whether or not the ADA applied (sometimes, it was another legal issue, such as the Fair Housing or the Air Carrier Access Act). Participants enjoyed discussing why certain titles applied and not others, and learning about the other disability-related laws. The chat became livelier with each scenario as the group became comfortable asking deeper questions and diving into the nuances with greater confidence and clarity. There were more questions than the trainers had time to answer, which left space to introduce the center’s technical assistance phone line and encourage participants to reach out in the future.

One participant called immediately after the training with a technical assistance question. She wanted to develop a greater understanding of the five titles of the ADA. She also asked questions contrasting the ADA and the Fair Housing Act, and the call concluded with a discussion of the ins and outs of requesting modifications in apartment buildings. One week after the training, the Assistant Director of Services from a Center for Independent Living reached out to express gratitude for a great and informative training, and asked the New England ADA Center to provide a training for her staff.

The New England ADA Center is looking forward to the opportunities the TLN curriculum’s use will provide in the coming years to drive participant engagement in trainings and to boost the number of technical assistance and training requests.

Northeast ADA Center

New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands

In February 2025, the Northeast ADA Center launched a refresh of the website, disabilitystatistics.org. This resource provides researchers, advocates, state and local governments, practitioners, policymakers, and people with disabilities accurate, understandable statistics about disability that can help them request funding, advocate for change, or perform their work. The Northeast ADA Center’s DisabilityStatistics.org now puts an easy user interface over data, allowing individuals to create and save maps, charts, and tables of national, state, and local disability statistics. Users are welcome to copy these maps, charts, and tables into their own reports and presentations. The data is based on the American Community Survey (ACS). The custom disability statistics estimates are calculated by Center researchers and estimates from tables generated by the US Census Bureau. Disabilitystatistics.org also has a dedicated researcher, William Erickson, to help answer technical assistance questions around statistics that users may have if they cannot locate an answer on the website.

The site is being used to inform real world business and policy issues across our region. For example a user contacted us seeking data on the number of people who use powered wheelchairs and the prevalence of moderate to severe arm weakness, to assist a new employee and to further inform her business about supporting individuals who use mobility aids. Another researcher used several longitudinal state comparative charts available on DisabilityStatistics.org in an analysis looking at the impact of the Medicaid buy-in program expansion and its impact on job growth in several states.

Disabilitystatistics.org is an easy-to-use and flexible tool that offers detailed statistics to highlight the number of people with disabilities working and living in communities across the country. The data it provides can support changes at the congressional district, county, state or national level. We hope it will serve as a lever in creating more accessible communities.

Mid-Atlantic ADA Center

Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia

In partnership with TechOwl, Pennsylvania’s Assistive Technology (AT) Act Program, the Mid-Atlantic ADA Center operates the Assistive Technology Champions (AT Champions) program. This six-month initiative is designed to empower young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities by helping them build connections and learn about a wide range of accessible technologies.

TechOwl provides overall program leadership and coordination, including support and guidance for Project Leads and AT Champions, as well as facilitation of the virtual workshop series. Workshops are held monthly, with additional mid-month virtual check-in meetings. Session topics include social media basics, assistive technology fundamentals, fabrication, disability history, and AT funding. Each AT Champion commits to participating in two meetings per month over the six-month period and completing monthly deliverables.

In October 2025, the AT Champions program entered its fourth year with 17 participants—more than double the number of participants when the program began in 2022. The program now includes AT Champions in all six states in Region 3. Outcome reports indicate that participants experienced notable growth in confidence, communication skills, and knowledge of assistive technology and related resources. The program also contributed to stronger collaboration and increased awareness of AT Act programs. Participating sites reported improvements in accessibility practices and identified opportunities to expand outreach and elevate the visibility of community resources.

Key successes of the program include increased participant confidence, creativity, and leadership; the development of high-quality, innovative content; and the establishment of meaningful professional relationships. AT Champion videos showcasing assistive technology devices were shared through multiple channels, including social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube), conference presentations, graduate-level coursework, and organizational websites.

Southeast ADA Center

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee

The Southeast ADA Center, in partnership with our affiliate, the Center for Leadership in Disability in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University, have developed a comprehensive, evidence-based training course introducing nursing students to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its applications in health care settings.

The three-module curriculum is competency-based and rooted in clinical competencies as outlined by the Alliance for Disability in Health Care Education. The curriculum provides nursing students with relevant and accurate information about the ADA and related strategies they will need to provide accessible, culturally competent care to patients with disabilities. The training is geared toward pre-licensure nursing students to embed disability competency early in their training. Content on disability competent care is rare in health professional training programs, so these modules give nursing students the opportunity to gain this knowledge—and translate the knowledge into practice before entering a professional clinical setting.

The Training Course: Nursing Guide to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is available online at the Southeast ADA Center’s training course website: Courses.MyADALearning.org.

Great Lakes ADA Center

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin

In 2025, the Great Lakes ADA Center continued expanding the Great Lakes ADA Trainer Leadership Network (TLN). The Great Lakes ADA Center hosted a TLN Train-the-Trainer in-person workshop in Chicago on August 26-27, 2025. We onboarded 23 new TLN members in the Great Lakes region, bringing the region’s total membership to 78.

Across the Great Lakes region, our TLN members used the TLN curriculum for 56 ADA-related trainings in 2025. This was over twice as many compared to 2024, when 21 trainings were logged.

Our TLN members noted impacts resulting from their TLN ADA training. They said:

• “This training sparked conversation about how we need to update our policy.”—Correctional staff
• “Staff agreed to change their practice and work with client to communicate in the ways she prefers.”—Psychosocial rehabilitation program staff
• “One asked us to review plans for an inclusive playground.”—Parks and rec staff

The Great Lakes ADA Center also launched a one-year pilot mentorship program in the region in 2025. Eleven new members were matched with six mentors. Mentors and mentees had to complete an application form to assist with the matching process. After we matched mentees with mentors, we delivered a virtual training for mentors and provided resources to mentees with suggestions for how to make the mentorship fruitful. A mid-year check-in with the mentors is scheduled for this spring to provide continued support and ensure things are proceeding well.

Southwest ADA Center

Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas

In 2025, the Southwest ADA Center’s Access to Justice programming initiative included a guide, trainings, and collaborations.

The Advancing Court Accessibility for Individuals with Disabilities—ADA Court Accessibility Guide highlights court accessibility and ADA implementation. The Southwest ADA Center uses the guide to train court and other Title II entity staff. The guide can function as an introduction to ADA obligations to people with disabilities within various court systems and proceedings, as well as a tool to maintain awareness and deepen understandings of how the law applies.

The guide has been cited by 13 other sources and had over 49,000 views/downloads since September 2025. The Southwest ADA Center’s affiliate Julie Ballinger was featured in a Pew Charitable Trust blog post, Courts Can Improve Access for People With Disabilities, where she shared the project’s background and practical implementation advice.

In 2025, the guide was used as part of training and collaborative partnerships:

• Training for the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility (June 2025).
• Joint training hosted by the Southwest ADA Center; the Arc of Louisiana, Baton Rouge; and the Louisiana Public Safety and Corrections Department (August 2025).
• Joint training programming partnership between the Southwest ADA Center and the Mid-Atlantic ADA Center in collaboration with the Delaware Administrative Office of the Courts, a three-part series focused on how the Judicial Branch can ensure equal access to court facilities and services for individuals with disabilities (January-March 2025).
• Joint training for Disability Rights Michigan: “High Risk Court Users: Tapping into the Value of a Support Person as a Critical ADA Accommodation,” by Southwest ADA Center and Great Lakes ADA Center, featuring Robin Jones and Southwest ADA Center affiliate Julie Ballinger.
• Joint training programming partnership between the Southwest ADA Center and the Mid-Atlantic ADA Center for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts in Harrisburg, PA (2024-2025).
• National ADA Symposium (2025).

The Southwest ADA Center plans to launch an on-demand version of the training in 2026, which can be used with the guide as a stand-alone training.

Great Plains ADA Center

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska

The National ADA Symposium is the nation’s premier conference on the Americans with Disabilities Act and disability-related policy, practice, and implementation. Hosted by the Great Plains ADA Center, the Symposium is held in a different ADA National Network region each year. The 2025 Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia (June 15-18) marked the 18th annual event and featured 80 educational sessions and a dedicated “Find Your Fun” adaptive recreation program, with approximately 700 attendees.

We measure success by impact—what participants learn and how they apply it in their work and communities. 2025 survey results demonstrate strong outcomes:

• 100% of respondents said they will use what they learned in their work, community, or both.
• 83% reported their improvement in skills as good to excellent.
• 88% rated their improvement in ADA knowledge as good or excellent.

Visit the National ADA Symposium website at www.adasymposium.org.

Rocky Mountain ADA Center

Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming

One of the Rocky Mountain ADA Center’s ongoing accomplishments is our sustained public media presence throughout the region. Our media efforts reached an estimated 1.9 million people between broadcast and social media. Below are some of our earned media coverage:

• FOX21 News fox21news.com
• K2Radio k2radio.com
• KSL TV Interview ksltv.com
• Denver Post denverpost.com

The Rocky Mountain ADA Center has established strong working relationships with many media outlets and has been featured in a number of live and pre-recorded segments, as well as in print publications. Through these feature pieces, the Rocky Mountain ADA Center has become the region’s go-to resource for ADA questions and guidance from media outlets.

Pacific ADA Center

Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the Pacific Basin Territories

The Pacific ADA Center trained more than 400 staff, both virtually and in person, at the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and service animals. The in-person training was held at the Clark County Library in Las Vegas, Nevada. Participants included a mix of general library staff and supervisors representing 27 library locations across Las Vegas and Clark County. The training covered the basics of the ADA, with a focus on service animals and Title II requirements. Content included general examples, knowledge checks, and library-specific case studies based on real scenarios shared by library staff.

Evaluation Highlights

The following highlights represent a subset of evaluation results.

• 96% of participants rated the training as Excellent, Very Good, or Good.
• 85% reported an increase in knowledge about the ADA and service animals.
• 95% would recommend this training.
• 44% of participants self-identified as non-white.
• 10% reported being a family member of someone with a disability.

Participant Feedback

• “I appreciate all Savannah and Jan have done to train our 400+ staff to better serve our customers.”—Library Operations Trainer
• “I feel the training was very informative.”—Library staff
• “Good overview of the ADA as well as more in-depth information.”—Library staff

Northwest ADA Center

Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington

The Northwest ADA Center provided in-person trainings for rural jail staff in Oregon on how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies in correctional settings. Each 90-minute training focused on Title II of the ADA, which covers state and local government services, including county jails. Sessions were held at multiple facilities across the state and included custody staff, supervisors, and administrative staff. The Center offered several sessions at each jail so staff who work different shifts could attend.

The training covered key Title II requirements, including reasonable modifications of policies, practices, and procedures; effective communication; and equal access to programs and services for people with disabilities. The training was developed with support from an experienced corrections professional to ensure the content was practical and relevant to daily jail operations. Staff shared real situations from their work, which were used as examples to show how ADA requirements apply in common correctional settings.

At one participating jail, the Northwest ADA Center also conducted an on-site accessibility review. The goal was to identify physical and policy barriers and to suggest low-cost improvements that could be made over time. The review looked at most areas of the facility, including housing units, medical spaces, recreation areas, parking lots, visitor areas, and public entrances. During the review, Center staff provided feedback to facility staff and answered their questions. Afterwards, the Center gave the jail a written report with findings and recommendations.

This project shows how the Northwest ADA Center works with rural communities to build practical knowledge of ADA requirements. The project reflects the Center’s commitment to helping local partners improve accessibility and strengthen long-term compliance through flexible training, a hands-on accessibility review, trusted relationships, and clear guidance.