ADA And Phsyical Barriers to Accessible Buildings

The ADA requires companies providing goods and services to the public to take certain limited steps to improve access to existing places of business. This mandate includes the obligation to remove barriers from existing buildings when it is readily achievable to do so. Readily achievable means easily accomplishable and able to be carried out without much difficulty or expense.

Many building features that are common in older facilities such as narrow doors, a step or a round door knob at an entrance door, or a crowded check-out or store aisle are barriers to access by people with disabilities. Removing barriers by ramping a curb, widening an entrance door, installing visual alarms, or designating an accessible parking space is often essential to ensure equal opportunity for people with disabilities. Because removing these and other common barriers can be simple and inexpensive in some cases and difficult and costly in others, the regulations for the ADA provide a flexible approach to compliance. This practical approach requires that barriers be removed in existing facilities only when it is readily achievable to do so. The ADA does not require existing buildings to meet the ADA's standards for newly constructed facilities.

The ADA states that individuals with disabilities may not be denied the full and equal enjoyment of the ìgoods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodationsî that the business provides -- in other words, whatever type of good or service a business provides to its customers or clients. A business or other private entity that serves the public must ensure equal opportunity for people with disabilities.

http://www.ada.gov/adata1.htm

ADA Accessibility Guidelines

Access Board and ADA Standards

ADA Accessibility Quick Links

ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) (As amended through September 2002). This document contains scoping and technical requirements for accessibility to buildings and facilities by individuals with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. These scoping and technical requirements are to be applied during the design, construction, and alteration of buildings and facilities covered by titles II and III of the ADA to the extent required by regulations issued by Federal agencies, including the Department of Justice and the Department of Transportation, under the ADA.
Using ADAAG (Technical Bulletin - US Access Board)
ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (July 2004)
Editorial Corrections (Aug 2005)
Supplement on ADA and ABA Standards (March 2007)
When will the updated ADAAG take effect?
Mastering the New ADAAG Guidelines (Article - April 2007)
Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) (1984)
Common ADA Errors and Omissions in New Construction and Alterations

ADA Standards

Department of Justice ADA Standards
ADA Regulation for Title III. The Department of Justice regulation implementing title III of the ADA, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in "places of public accommodation" (businesses and non-profit agencies that serve the public) and "commercial facilities" (other businesses). The regulation includes Appendix A to Part 36 - Standards for Accessible Design establishing minimum standards for ensuring accessibility when designing and constructing a new facility or altering an existing facility.
Department of Transportation ADA Standards for Transportation Facilities
Title 49: Transportation. Part 37—Transportation Services for Individuals with Disabilities (ADA). 49 CFR part 37. Appendix A to Part 37—Modifications to Standards for Accessible Transportation Facilities. The Department of Transportation, in §37.9 of this part, adopts as its regulatory standards for accessible transportation facilities the revised Americans with Disabilities Act Guidelines (ADAGG) issued by the Access Board on July 23, 2004.