Rather, equal access to all NIH-sponsored programs, services, activities and events is governed by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Many people don't feel comfortable that they know how to define disability-related circumstances or whom to turn to for assistance. They also feel adrift in knowing how to structure business practices that reinforce NIH objectives such as reasonable accommodation and nondiscrimination on the basis of handicap. In addition to an NIH resource directory, the site provides a helpful tool kit of federal sector disability law and guidelines, including the Architectural Barriers Act, Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards, and case law under the Rehabilitation Act. Also available are an online discussion forum and a questionnaire to help identify access barriers.
Additional material is planned for guests and visitors with disabilities.
There appears to be a real need for this kind of effort to put information out there that, until now, has been fragmented across different levels of management or not disseminated at all. Meanwhile, we hope people will bear with us. Phillips thanks the National Institute of Mental Health, especially Bill Fitzsimmons, Wayne Rasband and Kyle Christiansen, for providing server space to host the site, and the Center for Information Technology, especially Charles Mokotoff, for hosting the ECD web forum on disability, an online discussion area.