May 2011

By: James B. Sherman, Esq.

It has been over two years since Congress enacted sweeping changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which took effect January 1, 2009. The ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) commissioned the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to develop regulations and interpretive guidelines to implement the new law. After a time-consuming process that included a mandatory NPRM (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) and opportunity for public comment, the EEOC issued its final regulations on March 25, 2011.

The new regulations take effect on May 24, 2011: It is absolutely critical that employers familiarize themselves with these new requirements and expectations on federal disability law and BE READY before they take effect. Already, the ADAAA has resulted in several class action lawsuits brought by the EEOC. DON’T BE CAUGHT OFF-GUARD!

Wessels Sherman shareholder Jim Sherman already presented a webinar on what employers need to know to comply with these new EEOC regulations on the ADA and its amendments. Due to the large response, Wessels Sherman will be holding an additional webinar to be held May 12, 2011 at 8:30 a.m. Click here to register.

Mr. Sherman was lead trial counsel in the country’s very first ADA lawsuit with the EEOC, in Chicago in 1993. In the eighteen years since then, he has defended a vast array of ADA lawsuits and charges in numerous states. Mr. Sherman is also a frequent lecturer on ADA compliance issues and has done in-house training for managers and supervisors across much of the country dating back to when the ADA first became law. If you wish to discuss these new ADA Regulations or you want to evaluate your needs for in-house training, call Jim Sherman at (952) 746-1700, or email him at jasherman@wesselssherman.com.