Southeast ADA Center Launches Disability and COVID-19 Portal

The Southeast ADA Center (SEADA), a project of the Burton Blatt Institute and a member of the ADA National Network, has launched the Disability and COVID-19 Portal.

The portal, in development since mid-March, began as a way for the SEADA to provide timely and relevant information for people with disabilities about the COVID-19 pandemic and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Individuals can explore the portal through alerts, fast facts, virtual events and more than 400 resources from known national, federal, state and organizational sources. Some information is available in Spanish and American Sign Language.

“As the worldwide pandemic unfolded, it became clear that people with disabilities and older adults were most at risk of becoming ill and facing a life-threatening virus,” says Southeast ADA Center Director Barry Whaley. “It is our duty to provide accurate information and resources for people to access in the midst of food, housing and financial insecurities.”

The portal also invites people with disabilities, older adults, families, caregivers and direct support professionals to share their stories of how COVID-19 has changed their lives: by writing an essay or creating a poem or sending an art piece, photo, audio file or video that shows the impact of the pandemic.

For more information, visit the ADA, Disability and COVID-19 Portal.

About BBI

The Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University reaches around the globe in its efforts to advance the civic, economic and social participation of people with disabilities. Through program development, research and public policy guidance, BBI advances the full inclusion of people with disabilities. BBI builds on the legacy of Burton Blatt, a pioneering disability rights scholar. BBI has offices in Syracuse; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; New York City; and Lexington, Kentucky. Learn more at bbi.syr.edu.

About the Southeast ADA Center

The Southeast ADA Center is a leader in providing information, training and guidance on the Americans with Disabilities Act and disability access tailored to the needs of business, government and individuals at local, state and regional levels. The Southeast ADA Center also conducts research to reduce and eliminate barriers to employment and economic self-sufficiency and to increase the civic and social participation of people with disabilities. Located in Atlanta, the Southeast ADA Center is a project of the Burton Blatt Institute and one of 10 regional centers in the ADA National Network, funded since 1991 by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). Learn more at adasoutheast.org.