ADA Accommodations for Executive Board and Membership Meetings

We will hold all meetings, both membership and Executive Board meetings, in-person with a virtual option available for those requiring accommodation.

In order to comply with the requirements of the Louisiana Open Meetings Law we are required to hold all our membership and Board meetings in-person. The amended law, Act 393 of 2023 does allow for virtual participation by anyone with an ADA-qualifying disability or a designated caregiver of such a person.

Virtual participation guidelines

The amended law allows for participation via electronic means on an individualized basis by people with disabilities and their caregivers. Guidance from the Division of Administration is as follows:

1. Agency is obligated to provide for participation via electronic means on an individualized basis by people with disabilities.
2. People with disabilities are defined as any of the following:
   1. A member of the public with a disability recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA);
   2. A designated caregiver of such a person; or
   3. A participant member of the agency with an ADA-qualifying disability.
3. Agency shall ensure that the written public notice for an open meeting, as required by R.S. 42:19, includes the name, telephone number and email address of the designated agency representative to whom a disability accommodation may be submitted.
4. Upon receipt of an accommodation request, the designated agency representative is only permitted to ask if the requestor has an ADA-qualifying disability or is a caregiver of such a person (yes or no). The requestor shall not be required to complete a medical inquiry form or disclose the actual impairment or medical condition to support a disability accommodation request.
5. The designated agency representative shall provide the requestor with the accommodation, including the teleconference and/or video conference link, for participation via electronic means as soon as possible following receipt of the request, but no later than the start of the scheduled meeting.
6. Participation via electronic means shall count for purposes of establishing quorum and voting.

Requesting Accommodations

 LOUIS will follow the established Board of Regents procedure for ADA accessibility requests for our meetings. Karlita Anderson, Assistant Commissioner for Human Capital Management with the Board of Regents, is the designated agency representative for accessibility requests.

The following language will be posted on the meeting notice sent to all members and will be posted on the LOUIS website.

ADA Accessibility Requests: If you have a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to fully participate in this meeting, please contact Karlita Anderson five (5) business days before the meeting date via email at Karlita.Anderson@laregents.edu or by telephone at (225) 219-7162 to discuss your accessibility needs.

Please note from the guidance above: Upon receipt of an accommodation request, the designated agency representative is only permitted to ask if the requestor has an ADA-qualifying disability or is a caregiver of such a person (yes or no). The requestor shall not be required to complete a medical inquiry form or disclose the actual impairment or medical condition to support a disability accommodation request.