Bar Web site provides attorneys with resources needed to accommodate people with disabilities.

Extensive resources and information for law firms, lawyers, and law students on accommodating people with disabilities are now available on The Florida Bar Web site.

A project of the Member Outreach Committee, the Disability Resources page--posted within the Diversity section of Member Services--includes links to state and national sources and also includes an archive of Florida Bar Journal and News articles and the results of a 2006 survey of Florida lawyers with disabilities.

Also included is information on creating accessible electronic documents, court accessibility procedures, resources at Florida law schools, relevant legislation, and informational guides by the Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center, including the ADA Collection which consists of more than 7,400 documents in its primary portal.

Member Outreach Committee member and former Equal Opportunities Law Section Chair Matt Dietz of Miami assisted Bar staff in gathering relevant information and setting up the page.

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"There are many issues included which are informative, such as different methods in which to accommodate lawyers with disabilities, duties in providing interpreters or other methods of effective communication to persons with visual or hearing impairments, and the opportunity for law firms to benefit by earning tax credits for accommodating employees or clients," Dietz said.

Services provided by law schools for students with disabilities and contact information were gathered by the Member Outreach Committee and will be updated annually. The report provides links to disability service Web sites at each school.

Federal regulators now are requiring that electronic information--including court filings and other electronic documents--must be created in a way that complies with federal disability law. The links in the section "Creating Electronic Documents" provide detailed information about how the legal profession can comply with this federal legal duty. Keep in mind that the federal regulations and guidelines may change over time, as does the technology involved in making electronic documents comply. As with any legal issue, attorneys may need to conduct further research to ensure compliance with the law.

"The Florida Bar has done an exemplary job in accumulating information to allow members of The Florida Bar and the public to better serve persons with disabilities, including their colleagues, employees, clients, and other...