Celebrate the ADA!

30 years of Community Access, Independent Living, Employment and Action

Americans with Disabilities Act: Celebrate the ADA! July 26, 2020

Idahoans are celebrating 30 Years of Community Access, Independent Living, Employment and Activism through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The COVID-19 pandemic means we’re adapting plans for “Hands Around the Capitol 2020” to create a series of online events, beginning in July and continuing until the end of October. We welcome your involvement!

The ADA means people with disabilities are treated the same way as others. We’ll use social media to share stories of how the ADA empowers us to live the lives we want, and to celebrate the people who made it all possible.

The law expanded opportunities for 304,000 Idahoans with disabilities by reducing barriers, changing perceptions, and increasing full participation in community life. The ADA’s promise can only be reached through shared to fully implement the ADA through education and outreach.

To help celebrate, follow activities on social media:

Instagram ada30idaho
Twitter @ADA30Idaho
YouTube @ADA30Idaho
Facebook handsaroundthecapitol

#ThanksToTheADA #ADA30Idaho #WhatTheADAMeansToMe

For more information or to share your stories, contact

URGENT: Need Masks and PPE for People with Disabilities and Caregivers

During the COVID19 pandemic and mask shortage it’s amazing to see the army of seamstresses, quilters makers and businesses stepping up to help others. Support for front-line health care professionals—doctors and nurses caring for patients—makes everyone proud.

Other groups are in desperate need of masks and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and we need to keep them out of our hospitals at all costs. Persons with disability, seniors and anyone recovering from illness or injury—and their personal assistants—are at high risk for COVID19 and can’t compete for PPE.

In-home personal care professionals assist multiple individuals each day—and few if any have access to masks or other PPE right now.

They need your help—desperately.

How You Can Help

Contact Living Independence Network Corporation (LINC)

Phone: 208-336-3335 | email:

Donated masks will be distributed to high-risk individuals and providers. We need to flatten the curve among this population to support doctors and nurses. Some funds available for materials.

Spread the word! Downloadable flier: PPE4PWD

This project is coordinated among:

Idaho State Independent Living Council silc.id.gov
Centers for Independent Living (see silc.idaho.gov)
Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities icdd.idaho.gov

Thank you!

“Currently, I have three personal assistants coming in and out of my home who have no protective masks. Also, my friend picks up groceries and medical supplies for me and my other friends with disabilities who have compromised health conditions. He also has a comprised health condition. None of us can find masks”

—Dana Gover, Northwest ADA Center-Idaho

Poor Planning Creates Barriers

Beyond a focus on Fair Housing law, we all need to be aware of barriers to community mobility as well. During a 2019 access audit of a new subdivision in Boise’s Harris Ranch, planning and design barriers were evident throughout the ‘walk and roll’ event. From the absence of Greenbelt access indicators to steep connecting ramps, missing or misaligned curb cuts, and even surface materials, we encountered multiple opportunities for improved mobility and access.

Take the bridge decking in the photo at left. The openings are the perfect size to trap small front wheels on a manual chair or swallow the tip of a cane. It’s also a surface service dogs might perceive as unsafe. This is a perfect example of the need to include a range of voices in the planning process. Problems can be addressed before injury occurs.

Until you’ve tried to navigate your community without full vision, hearing or mobility, access is often an afterthought. And remember, construction can create life-threatening barriers and hazards, as in this 2018 story about ongoing problems with road construction in and around Boise.

Where the Sidewalk Ends: Boise construction zone tricky for people with disabilities

Highway signs in the path of travel can trip a pedestrian or force them into the roadway. This is not a mere incovenience; it can create a life-threatening situation. We all need to increase our access awareness and take an active role in creating barrier-free communities.

Navigating a maze of randomly placed construction barriers.

ACHD contractors place barricades and signs at random, creating seious hazards for pedestrians and cyclists.

June 13 Design and Construction Workshop in Boise

Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST

Idaho has been fortunate to host several workshops put on by the excellent trainers at Fair Housing Accessibility First! over the years.

We’re excited to announce another chance for those involved in design, construction, development or permitting for the residential environment.

This workshop provides invaluable information for engineers, architects, builders and developers, remodeling contractors and building officials. Learn the basics of design and construction requirements, take a deeper dive into disability rights law and and learn how to make hosing accessible through accommodations and modifications.

As our population ages, we’re all either seniors or seniors in training (if we’re lucky). We need to know how to build a future we and our friends and families can all live with.

Here’s a snapshot from today’s training with attorney Scott P. Moore; thanks to the City of Boise for use of their Council Chambers and for their support of webcasting.