The Great Lakes ADA & Accessible IT Center also known as The Great Lakes Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC) provides information, materials, technical assistance and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Accessible Information Technology (IT). The ADA addresses all aspects of employment and the obligations of state and local governments and businesses to ensure that their programs and services are readily accessible to and useable by people with disabilities.
The Great Lakes ADA Center's AIT Initiative, encourages incorporation of accessible information technology in K-12 and post secondary school settings. Accessible Information Technology incorporates the principles of universal design so that people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities can access information disseminated electronically.
The Great Lakes ADA Center is a program of the Department of Disability and Human Development under the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Great Lakes ADA Center's service area is designated as Region 5 and is one of ten regional centers funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), a division of the U.S. Department of Education.
The six states, which comprise Region 5 are: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Each state has created an ADA Steering Committee representing the business community, government agencies, disability rights groups, and other interested parties. With the support of the Great Lakes ADA Center, statewide Steering Committees participate in, enhance, and utilize local resources, trainings, technical assistance, and conferences, to support voluntary compliance with the ADA.
