During the week of June 16, 2025, I had the pleasure of attending the National ADA Symposium along with other members of the RMADAC team. This year, the symposium was held in Atlanta, Georgia, bringing together people from all over the country to focus on furthering the implementation of the ADA.
The Great Plains ADA Center hosts a yearly Symposium that allows professionals to discuss implementation and any “hot topics” surrounding the ADA. The sessions offered spanned from Artificial Intelligence to Web Accessibility, Health Care Accessibility for Individuals with Disabilities, and Peace of Mind Preparation for Mobility-Accessible Air Travel.
An interesting session that I went to was Women in the Workplace with Disabilities. This session was led by Jana Burke and provided detailed information on women with disabilities in the workforce. A few interesting facts shared during the session were that women with disabilities experience higher levels of unemployment rates, less access to training, education, and professional development, an increased risk of workplace discrimination, and lower pay. Jana Burke also mentioned that women with disabilities often feel overlooked and undervalued in the workplace. Title I of the ADA prohibits employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities with 15 or more employees. It is important that if you are an individual with a disability experiencing discrimination, you know your rights under the ADA. For a good place to start, check out our post “Who Enforces the ADA and How Do I File a Complaint?”
Another session that I attended was Accessibility of the Built Environment and Visitor Programming at Georgia’s National Parks. This session was led by Erin Vinoski Thomas, a Research Associate Professor & Director at Georgia State University. She has been working on collecting information on the accessibility of the National Parks in Georgia. Working with fellow researchers and individuals with disabilities, she has taken trips to four of the parks in Georgia and evaluated their accessibility. Through these visits, she worked with park rangers to highlight some of the ways that trails, signs, rest areas, and visitor centers can be made more accessible and welcoming to people with disabilities. This session was very informative and brought to my attention that outdoor spaces need to be accessible to all people. If you are interested in some Accessible Outdoor Activities in the Rocky Mountain Region, make sure to check out this post!
The National ADA Symposium was very informative and gave me more insight into all the work that is being done to continue the implementation of the ADA across the country. It was a great experience to be surrounded by other people who are working to make the world a more accessible place for everyone. If you are interested in furthering your understanding of the ADA, check out our course training catalog!