Viewpoint. You are calling your campaign end the awkward focus on the person not the disability. Talk about the the reasons you chose that disability. The campaign was born out of the idea that many people are unfamiliar with disability issues and that some people dont know many people with disabilities. A lot of these people are intimidated out of making a mistake or in a social interaction with a person with a disability. So the campaign is really focused on making sure that people are more comfortable in these social interactions. People dont avoid these social interactions because they have malice towards people with disabilities or because theyre bad people in any way. It really is the idea that its important to reduce the fear around interacting with people with disabilities so that we can have more of these social interactions and really promote social inclusion for people with disabilities. So part of our ongoing education and awareness effort. Absolutely. In the office of disability rights, we have a video on ending the awkward actually that talks about different social interactions and how you can decrease the amount of uneasiness for the person with a disability as well as the person without a disability. So thats a part of our ongoing efforts. Our agency does a lot of training with disability sensitivity as well as employers being compliant with the act. Dana how far do you think weve come . Thats a great question. Weve come a really long way. Im part of what is the a can da generation. Young people arewith disabilities who have come of age since the passage of the ada. And we live in a different world than those that came before us. It doesnt mean were it up. We have a really long way to go. The fight looks different now. We have the letter of the law and now were working on implementing and seeing the spirit of the law going forward. So youre saying your generation is seeing the progress and living the progress. And the older generation, they are certainly benefiting from it. Absolutely. I never had to fight to have the very basic inclusion. I had to fight for beyond that. I was included in a School System for example but maybe not included in the Extracurricular Activities or the field trips that come with it. And those are all part of the ada and what should be included. Tell us about the one day event. This is on july 15 and youre asking people to take pins and take pledges. Absolutely. Given that many people with disabilities do feel socially excluded from the Larger Community at times, the idea is that were asking members of the public and also the Business Community to wear these anend the awkward ask me how pins. And we will provide useful tip so is that when people see their pip and someone asks them how to end awkward, they have these continues on how to interact with people with disabilities and can quickly recite that helps people learn how to interact with people with disabilities and hopefully reduce some of the fear i mentioned around these interactions so that more conversations happen. So the idea with the pin is to prompt people to ask you a question. If youre wearing the pin. Thats exactly right. And well have hundreds of people maybe even thousands throughout the district wearing this pin. We have over 30 businesses participating. And their employees. So we really see the potential to reach a lot of people with messages of inclusion these practical tips that really help people understand and reduce that fear away interacting with people with disabilities. And what are some of the practical tips . Thats a good question. We provide about 20 practical tips when people register. And some are around people who are deaf or hard of hearing. One thing we mention is that American Sign Language is very fun to watch but if youre communicating with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing, be sure to watch the person youre talking with and not the interpreter. Another one is just around advising people that Service Animals can be very cute, but you should not be petting Service Animals who are actually doing a very important job. Another thing that is very basic but a lot of people are not exactly sure how to deal with is if you see a person with disabilities who looks like they need assistance, you really just need to ask them if they need assistance and if they say yes, awesome. Go help them. And if they dont need assistance, dont take that the wrong way. You did the right thing by asking. And dont assume that they need or want assistance. Thats exactly right. Alexis, the mayor as part of her Emergency Preparedness preparations or policies, rather, has set some priorities. Tell us about how youre working with the Mayors Office and with the department of Homeland Security right now. Were working with the Mayors Office to look at the infrastructure of the city and that is through the department of transportation and that were looking at through the vision zero program, looking at the ways to decrease the amount of accidents that occur in a city. And that includes making sidewalks as well as intersections safer for individuals, persons with and without disabilities. In terms of Emergency Preparedness, were working with Homeland Security for the strict as well as other agencies including the department of health in doing outreach to all of the wards. Were making certain we hit wards 1 through 8 and doing a lot of Emergency Preparedness training for seniors as well as individuals where disabilities. Okay. Id like to pick up on that point right after we take this break. Were talking about our campaign coming up on the 15th the americans with disabilities act celebrating 25 years, 25th anniversary coming up later this honesty. And what d. C. Is doing to make us all more aware. Were talking about the campaign to end the awkward. And our guests are from the d. C. Office of human rights. Alexis taylor, you were telling us about what the city is doing as part of its own initiatives going ward to ward conducting training. Tell us a little more about how that is working. There is nothing more important than having that face to face interaction with individuals that would be confronted with a disaster or just everyday life. So were going to different Wellness Centers as well as reblg Recreation Centers to do Emergency Training how to contact individuals if the Telecommunications Systems have gone down. But just sometimes very simple things. Making certain that they have lists of their medications and who to contact, their family members or a physician at the time of an emergency. So i think that many of the seniors as well as persons with disabilities certainly feel a little more secure if something should happen so thats what were trying to do. Give someone a sense of confidence that people will be ready just in case a small scale emergency occurs or something even bigger. Dana, you have worked for the center for workforce development. Tell us what some of the Biggest Challenges are in the workplace. I work for the institute for Educational Leadership working with young people with and without disabilities who are transitioning intoed adulthood. So whether that be Postsecondary Education or the world of work. Weve come a really long way. Title 1 of the ada prevents discrimination in employment settings as well as provides for reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities who are trying to, you know, be successful in the workplace. So that has made a huge difference. Were still seeing really low unemployment rates really low employment rates for people with disabilities both in the district and nationwide in every community that weve encountered. And why do you think that is . Its a lot of reasons. I think one of the major reasons is that young people arent as theyre trying to get into employment theyre not having the systems in place. Would he have been very successful in getting young people with disabilities through high school through high school in an inclusive setting and hopefully receiving a diploma. And then the supports wain off a little bit. Higher education is a new frontier and the system isnt quite set up for us yet and were working hard to make it that case. And the same thing with employment. Its young people with disagents not knowing their rights. Its employers not knowing their responsibilities. And i think Something Like this campaign can really go a long way in educating both sides of those parties to make a difference. Elliott, what would you say are some of the biggest changes and improvements that have been made by the city in other areas such as housing and education . Absolutely. Well, when comes to housing, one of the mayors big pushes has been to he said homeepdnd homelessness in the district. Thats incredibly ambitious. And advocates are incredibly excited about the possibility of ending homelessness in the district. Very optimistic. And the reality is that many Homeless People have disabilities, whether Mental Health issues or mobility issues. And theyre the the most vulnerable in our society. So working on that issue would do a lot to help some of the most vulnerable. Although, alexis, many believe that the goal and the mayor has set a goal i believe in the mid 2020s of eradicating homelessness. Many people dont think thats a goal that is achievable. I mean youre absolutely right with that. But just as you said the mayor is into taking on ambitious goals. And what i have seen as the office of disability right, weve been working more together to determine what the problems are with each individual person because many time it is include employment, many times it is a Mental Health. So im working with the department of Human Resources as well as the department of human services. So if we see that were working as a team so that each individual their issues are addressed as opposed to the final result of homelessness i believe that were very encouraged to see an end to it. The effort is entitled end the awkward, focus on the person and the disability. Well talk more right after this break. Were talking about the end of Awkward Campaign as the anniversary of the american s ws with disabilities act approaches later this month. Dana, d. C. Has the reputation as the most open city in the country . Definitely one of the most open cities. Its a big reason i live here feeling comfortable as a person with a disability. There is so much as far as physical access goes for example d. C. s metro system is one of the only ones in the country that is fully accessible to people with physical disabilities. Other areas of d. C. , as well, there is a really strong Disability Community here. And that embraces people with physical disabilities, people with invisible disabilities, as well. Learning disabilities, Mental Health conditions. And i found that to be really open here in d. C. And a very Strong Community that i feel empowered by. So weve covered parking meters a lot in local news. And they are a visible symbol of the citys efforts to make the city more accessible to those where with physical disabilities. But it goes a lot deeper. Are there other ways that you walk into the city and you can see that the city has really thought about it . Universal design is everywhere in d. C. And thats the concept of making it accessible to all people including people with disabilities. And you can see that kind of ripple effect. Because you put a curb cut somewhere and then its accessible to people with disabilities, its accessible to parenting pushing stroller, tourists with rolling suitcases. Everybody can benefit and i think d. C. Has really seen that happening and is taking that initiative. And as were building new infrastructure and beginning few programs and services as well, were really thinking about accessibility in the forefront and it makes it so much easier moving forward. On the other hand, alexis last year a coalition of advocates filed a federal Class Action Lawsuit against the city for failing to serve people with disabilities during disasters. Where does that stand . The lawsuit is still ongoing, so i cant talk in any great detail other than to say that there is plans on both sides to make certain that there is a plan in place for not only with persons with disabilities, but persons without disabilities if a mass disaster should occur. Elliott, just a few days ago we saw an Emergency Response at the Washington Navy yard. It brought to mind our Emergency Preparedness, not just for people who are on two legs and ambulatory but those who are physically disabled or may be using wheelchairs. And i thought back to the incident at lenfant plaza, the metro station, where we saw the physically disabled being taken out of the tunnels on special carriers. Are we prepared, as prepared as we need to be, for those kinds of disasters . I think there is always more preparation that can be done. And as the mayor said a few days ago, the reality is that every time we have sort of a practice run, we learn what went wrong and we make changes based on that. So i think that as the office of disability rights and all our other district agencies are working on this emergency plan, theyre thinking about accessibility for people with disabilities, but also Language Access issues making sure that people who do not speak english orss not their first language are also prepared in a disaster and know where to go. People definiteaf or hard of hearing will be aware. There are needed improvements, but i do think its to whichp of mind right how. And well see people all over region wearing those pins and taking pledges in preparation for an event that takes place on the 15th of july. You got it. When youll all be encouraging us to end the awkward moments. Well continue our discussion with this panel right after another quick break. Stay with us. The answer to treating your dogs fleas and ticks is staring you right in the face. Nexgard, from the makers of frontline® plus. Its the only soft beefflavored chew that kills both fleas and ticks. Vets recommend it. And dogs, well theyre begging for it. Nexgard is for dogs only. And hasnt been evaluated for use in pregnant, breeding or lactating dogs. Reported side effects include vomiting, dry flaky skin diarrhea, lethargy and lack of appetite. Use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures. Recommended by vets. Loved by dogs. From the makers of frontline plus. Welcome back. Dana, tell us how the schools are doing and what the schools still need to do to promote inclusiveness as well as treating students with disabilities with the attention that they need. Sure. We work with students with disabilities as theyre transitioning through school into Higher Education and employment. And weve Seen Technology and a lot of other areas be able to really make improvements for people with disabilities. You know, i believe anybody with a disability can work in an integrated setting for a competitive wage. And the schools need to be thinking along those lines and preparing students with disabilities like that, as well. We are seeing lots and lots more students with disabilities as Inclusive Education being their least restrictive environment under the ied a and were seeits a great start and now we have to focus in on individual Student Needs and how to get those students from what theyre doing in the school to what they will do afterwards as part of their career. And elliott, even though the ada is the law there are still people who feel that they have not been able to gain the kind of access or the kinds of services that they need. And they can still come to the city and complain cant they . Absolutely. And youre right to emphasize that ada is law. As we talk about feeling awkward around people with disabilities, it is the law and if people feel they have been discriminated against because of their disability, they can come to the office of human rights, file a complaint with our office. And we will mediate and investigate that complaint. And if we find that a violation of the ada or another discriminatory issue occurred the person that filed with us can actually receive monetary or other damages. So we really encourage people to file with our office when they believe they have been discriminated against. Alexis, do you see the number of complaints going up or down these days . In terms of the number of complaints that were filed at the office of human rights, i believe that disability was not the top protected category. But over the years because i worked at the office of human rights for ten years, many years it was the number one issue in terms of employers accommodating their employees when they asked for an accommodation in the work site or feeling as they are being treated differently. So it is a number one cause of action. So what would you say is the most important takeaway for us this morning somewhat is it that the average person needs to know that they dont know that they need do that theyre not doing . I think that this end the Awkward Campaign is a good start, to certainly work with individuals and not to feel uncomfortable, but at the same time, see the americans with disabilities act as the law so regardless of how uncomfortable you may feel it is the law and you must comply. And elliott tell us about registration. You still need people to volunteer and you still have more pins to give out and you want more people to participate. Absolutely. So so far weve had hundreds of people sign up to participate, members of the public. Weve had over 30 businesses sign up to participate. Everything from bus boys to poets to cafes and banks to lgbt sports bars like nellys, weve seen a lot of variety of businesses sign up. We want more businesses and more members of the public to sign up. Anyone that registers on our website before wednesday july 8 will receive an end the awkward participant package in the mail and that will include the pin and as well as information about the campaign and the talking points, the practical tips that i mentioned earlier. Lets all end the awkward. Thank you so much. Thank you for joining us. Thats viewpoint. Good morning. New details on news 4 today what d. C. Police just released about a mans murder at a metro station. And its a new ss handy. Were in for fun in the sun. And re7 toprepare to sit in traffic today. Looks clear now but takesit is a holiday weekend. Welcome into news 4 today. Were talking about some sunshine finally. Which is nice