Most municipalities have implemented features required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but many of these features fall short of ADA compliance. One reason for this widespread failure in compliance is that, when specifying design standards, the ADA puts many decisions in the hands of local officials and design engineers, who may or may not have the knowledge necessary to understand the many complexities of the ADA. For example, officials are not always aware of the requirements to have a transition plan on file or that different variations of street maintenance programs can be considered alterations under ADA and therefore requires upgrading existing non-compliant curb ramps to ADA standards. While many design and construction professionals are aware of the issues surrounding ADA compliance, many municipalities are surprised to learn that their curb ramps are not meeting the requirements. Too often, this is a result of a lack of ADA ingenuity thus forcing a standard design to work in a space that requires a more customized approach. How can you be sure that the job gets done right the first time? For example, did you know? • ADA compliance (and curb ramp designs) requires features for the visually impaired as well as the physically challenged. • Simply installing curb ramps is not good enough. • The law defers to local officials to determine what makes a reasonable accommodation. This is open to many angles of interpretation. • If no one has raised issues with a community's ADA accessibility to date, the door is still open for future lawsuits. • Local advocacy groups can be an important partner in successful ADA compliance projects. • Trusted experts can help define "reasonable accommodations," assisting all parties in coming to a satisfactory resolution. This session will highlight common mistakes and challenges as well as keys for success with your ADA program.
Contributor/Source
Scott Swiderski
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