At the request of two state senators, Attorney General Dana Nessel issued an opinion addressing open meeting requirements and attendance accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Last month, Senators Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) and Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City) requested an opinion on how Michigan’s Open Meetings Act (OMA) intersects with federal law when a person with a disability either serves on a body subject to OMA or desires to fully participate in the meetings of such a body and requests an accommodation for their disability.
The opinion states, “It is my opinion, therefore, that the Americans with Disabilities Act and Rehabilitation Act require state and local boards and commissions to provide reasonable accommodations, which could include an option to participate virtually, to qualified individuals with a disability who request an accommodation in order to fully participate as a board or commission member or as a member of the general public in meetings that are required by the Open Meetings Act to be held in a place available to the general public.”
To read the full opinion, please click here.
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