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Training Emphasizes Real Benefits of ADA RequirementsPosted: Dec 29, 2020
Eck, a professor emeritus of civil engineering at West Virginia University with more than 40 years of engineering experience, provided a three-day training for more than 50 attendees in Bismarck. While the event could have been laboriously long and dry, Eck's presentation included many real-world examples and experiences to help the audience relate to the topic. Also, the class was given the opportunity to submit local examples of ADA implementation issues. The highlight of day two was the opportunity to experience what people with disabilities experience. NDLTAP director Dale Heglund constructed some real-life obstacles where students had the opportunity to sit in a wheel chair and propel themselves up and down a ramp, roll over a half-inch fault in the pavement surface, experience a side slope and different surfaces. Attendees also had an opportunity to partake in an exercise of being blindfolded and using a cane to maneuver through obstacles. The North Dakota League of Cities published a related article in the June Issue of its Cityscan Magazine (page 30) and published a reprint of a research review that Eck authored with assistance from NDLTAP. |
Teaching with real-life experience, pedestrian engineering expert Ron Eck brought home that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements are more than just federal bureaucracy, but bring real benefits to those with disabilities.