Executive Summary and Recommendations. Summary of findings for key issues, for example, those listed and described above. Recommendations and findings will address actions, including possible contingencies, that may be considered by LAFCO in its legally mandated review of the proposal. Issues, questions and the need for additional information will be prioritized and placed in the context of LAFCO’s mandate.
Executive Summary and Recommendations. Over 20 years ago, Congress enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was signed into law on July 26, 1990. 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101-12213. The ADA made it a violation of federal law to discriminate against a person with a disability in private sector and state and local government employment, in the provision of state and local government services, and in the provision of goods and services by places of public accommodation. The ADA is a mandate for equality for persons with disabilities, many of whom throughout our country’s history have been constrained by societal, cultural, and structural barriers that limited opportunities for them to achieve their potential, live independently, obtain gainful employment, and participate meaningfully in our shared American life. The ADA’s implementation has rendered much of our society more open and inclusive; considerations of accessibility feature more prominently today than in the past in the implementation of state and local government programs, as well as the provision of private sector services and facilities. These changes have empowered people with disabilities to participate in American society to an extent never before possible. In the federal sector, government agencies have long been subject to the accessible design requirements of the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, 42 U.S.C. §§ 4151-4156, and the employment nondiscrimination requirements of Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 791. In 1978, Congress amended Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) to extend the disability nondiscrimination obligations imposed on recipients of federal financial assistance to the programs and activities of federal agencies. 29 U.S.C. § 794. And, in 1998, Congress amended Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 508) to require federal agencies to ensure that the electronic and information technology (EIT) they procure, develop, maintain, and use is accessible to people with disabilities. 29 U.S.C. § 794d. Section 508 is designed to fulfill the promise inherent in information technology to enhance the lives of persons with and without disabilities. In April 2000 the Department of Justice issued its first report pursuant to Section 508, which described the state of accessibility of the federal government’s EIT for people with disabilities. The 2000 report included detailed findings of fact based on the results of a 1999 self-evaluation by federal agencies. The repo...
Executive Summary and Recommendations. 1.1. Summary Community Agreements (CA) are the more modern term for what have been called "Codes of Conduct" (CoC): documents where a community outlines expectations for how community members interact in supportive, respectful, ethical, safe, welcoming, and inclusive ways. CoC that apply within universities, laboratories, and other physics organizations often use the same language as that of state or federal judicial systems such as Title IX. At the same time, they often lack implementation mechanisms that are adequate for a physics community. The result can often seem dispirited, slow, or ineffective, lacking transparency and accountability, as in “performative” activism. The goal of a formal CA is to help maintain or achieve a good organizational climate, where every member of the organization perceives that ethical conduct will enhance their standing and reputation, leading to success to which all members have contributed and for which all can take credit. Conversely, in a bad or “toxic” organizational climate, members perceive that the only way to get or stay ahead is to disrespect their colleagues in small and large ways. Normal and salutary competition is replaced by a perceived need to flatter one’s superiors, bully one’s subordinates, and cover one’s backside. The spectrum of bad behavior ranges from minor incivilities that break no explicit rule to blatant violations of professional integrity, such as submitting a scientific paper containing results that one or more of the authors believe to be false or plagiarized, or blunt discrimination of the kind prohibited by Title IX and its modern extensions. To implement ethical procedures, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms by which discrimination and other kinds of unethical behavior occur. The most prevalent forms of discrimination are sexual harassment and retaliation. And since 2008, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has reported that retaliation is the most common discrimination finding in federal sector cases. Key findings of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the EEOC to improve workplace climate include:
