Brad Bartko, was born with Cerebral Palsy and has spent his entire life using a wheelchair.
Twelve years ago, he went to the washroom at a bar which he describes a “glorified storage closet.” Wet floor signs, tables, chair and mops all littered within what was supposed to be the restroom. At the back, hidden behind all the storage, was the toilet.
By Cindy Tran / 2024
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)—while a good framework—must be bolstered by our libraries.
In 2020, staff members at Irondequoit Public Library (IPL) in Rochester, New York, began rethinking our approach to accessibility and inclusion. With reduced hours and services during the COVID- 19 pandemic, we had an opportunity to reenvision how we wanted to welcome patrons back....
By Amy Holland
As an non-disabled woman, I often take my mobility for granted. Every building and every activity is accessible to me. My perspective shifts dramatically when I go out with my grandma, who is a wheelchair user. She needs to be reclined to be comfortable, which makes her wheelchair large and difficult to maneuver....
Pauli Voelkel from Penn Valley, Pa.
The Valuation Threshold for Alterations, Structural Repairs or Additions to Existing Building in accordance with the 2022 California Building Code Chapter 2 definition of VALUATION THRESHOLD has been updated. The 2024 valuation threshold is $200,399.00 and will be updated again in January 2025.....
Access Compliance Reference
The impetus for this new project was Girl Scout Mia Warren, who brought her Gold Award project to East Tennessee Historical Society and Knox County Public Library team members to develop a comprehensive gallery tour for visually impaired guests using interpretive text and written descriptions of key objects....
Full Article in "The Knoxville Focus" here
Seattle – The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington is investigating six hotels following complaints the facilities violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. In addition to the six active investigations, three area hotels have entered into settlement agreements after findings that they were not compliant with the ADA.....
More here
Press contact for the U.S. Attorney’s Office is Communications Director Emily Langlie at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@usdoj.gov.
Need to add a ramp or new step to your home?
Kettering offers homeowners free money for this: The city of Kettering offers Accessibility Modification Grants of up to $10,000 for homeowners....
More in Dayton Daily News
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court heard Acheson Hotels, LLC v. Laufer, a case that we have summarized in prior blog posts. Just months ago, there was doubt whether the Supreme Court would hear the case at all. While the Court granted Acheson Hotels’ petition for a writ of certiorari in March 2023, Laufer urged the Court to dismiss the case for mootness in July 2023 following the voluntary dismissal of her claims....
by: Melanie A. Conroy of Pierce Atwood LLP - First Class Defense
The Monterey County Commission on Disabilities reviews and advises the Monterey County Board of Supervisors regarding matters relating to equal access to employment, public services, communications and public accommodations for people with disabilities....
More in Monterey County Commission On Disabilities
You can apply for a grant from the City of San José to support your ongoing responsibility to comply with the federal Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and the California Building Code. Compliance is good for business! It ensures that people with disabilities can access your space....
More for this Article
Lego has announced that its braille bricks – already popular among services and schools serving visually impaired children – are now available for public purchase. Improving accessibility in children’s toys and games is an urgent and multifaceted issue. The diverse play access needs of children relate to a wide range of physical and sensory impairments, emotional and learning needs and neurodiversity...
More in Article by Fiona Scott
Lecturer in Digital Literacies, University of Sheffield
August 16, 2023
The U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) issued a final rule on Aug. 8 that provides guidelines for the accessibility of pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way—which, workplace experts say, could support the needs of employees with disabilities.
More in Article by By Matt Gonzales
August 16, 2023
On August 12, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) into law at his ranch in Stonewall, Texas, and remarked the next day “it is humane legislation—which had the unanimous support of both Houses of Congress. I am pleased and proud to sign it into law.” Tomorrow marks the 55th anniversary of the ABA, one of the earliest measures by Congress to address access to the built environment by requiring federal and federally leased facilities to be accessible for people with disabilities. ....
Compliance and Enforcement Section
Office of the General Counsel | U.S. Access Board
1331 F Street NW, Suite 1000 | Washington, DC 20004-1111
Federal officials are beefing up enforcement of a key U.S. Supreme Court decision that affirmed the rights of people with disabilities to be supported in the community whenever possible.....
Article by Michelle Diament | June 26, 2023
Today marks the 24th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., in which the Court ruled that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits the unnecessary segregation of people with disabilities. The Justice Department has enforced the ADA’s integration mandate in states across the country, securing remedies for people with disabilities who are not receiving services in the most integrated setting, including where they live, where they work, and where they go to school....
More on Justice Department website
A few years back, architects designed a public library in Queens that has been lauded as one of the most stunning public buildings produced in New York in a century. But it is also rife with obstacles for people with disabilities, according to city officials who are now suing the designers for the $10 million they say it will cost to fix...
Article by Lola Fadulu
More? Visit the The New York Times
Appoint Roger Miller to the Commission on Disabilities as a City of Pacific Grove Representative with a term ending on December 31, 2025.
(Nominated by Bill Peake, Mayor to the City of Pacific Grove)
Visit the County of Monterey Commission on Disabilities
The justices will decide whether accessibility "testers" can sue over a lack of information on hotel websites when they have no intention of staying at the hotels in question....
THE FULL ARTICLE HERE by:
Lawrence Hurley covers the Supreme Court for NBC News Digital.
The federal agency responsible for developing technical accessibility standards is seeking public comment on accessibility requirements for self-service kiosks. The U.S. Access Board on Sept. 21 issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking for Fixed Self-Service Transaction Machines, including electronic self-service kiosks. Specifically, the board intends to propose provisions for self-service kiosks based on both the ATM and fare machine technical requirements and Section 508 accessibility standards for federal agencies. The advanced notice requests public input on nine specific questions, including whether updates to ATM accessibility requirements are needed...
THE FULL ARTICLE HERE on NEWSBYTES
On September 21, 2022, the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) as the first step in a process toward establishing regulations that would create scoping and technical standards for a wide variety of touchscreen devices in commercial applications...
THE FULL ARTICLE HERE by David Raizman
Bill Subjects: Certified Access Specialist Inspection Grant Program.
View Latest Bill Text
Abstract
Existing law prohibits discrimination on the basis of various specified personal characteristics, including disability. Existing law establishes standards for making new construction and existing facilities accessible to persons with disabilities and provides for construction-related accessibility claims for violations of those standards. Existing law requires the State Architect to establish and publicize a program for the voluntary certification by the state of any person who meets specified criteria as a certified access specialist (CASp) to inspect, among other things, businesses for compliance with accessibility building standards. Existing law requires the State Architect to publish and regularly update a list CASps and a list of businesses that have been inspected by a CASp. Existing law requires the State Architect to develop a process by which a business may notify the State Architect that a structure or area has had a CASp inspection and to develop a form for businesses to notify the public that the business has obtained a CASp inspection. This bill, until January 1, 2028, would establish the Certified Access Specialist Inspection Grant Program to assist small businesses in obtaining CASp inspections, and would require the State Architect to administer the program. The bill would authorize small businesses, defined to mean a business with fewer than 50 employees, as specified, with a physical property in the state, to apply for a grant for a CASp inspection of the small business's property, in an amount equal to the actual cost of the inspection, not to exceed $3,000 per inspection. The bill would require the State Architect to develop an application and to develop criteria to evaluate and award the grants, as specified, and would require the State Architect to annually submit a report to the Legislature on the results of the program. The bill would appropriate an unspecified amount from the General Fund to the Certified Access Specialist Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for purposes of the program. This bill would also make findings and declarations related to a gift of public funds.
The Department of Justice published guidance today on Web accessibility and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It explains how state and local governments (entities covered by ADA Title II) and businesses open to the public (entities covered by ADA Title III) can make sure their websites are accessible to people with disabilities as required by the ADA. The guidance discusses a range of topics, including the importance of web accessibility, barriers that inaccessible websites can create for people with disabilities, when the ADA requires web content to be accessible, and tips on making web content accessible.
The press release is available here.
To find out more about the ADA, visit ada.gov or call the Justice Department's toll-free ADA information line at 1-800-514-0301 or 1-800-514-0383 (TTY).
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has finalized a new rule that would improve equity and mobility for drivers and passengers with disabilities. This final rulemaking allows rental car companies to temporarily disable a driver’s knee bolster air bag to install hand controls for people with disabilities, the installation of rear-mounted transporters for wheelchairs and power scooters, and modifiers to lawfully raise the height of a vehicle’s roof to accommodate drivers and passengers with disabilities. These modifications to vehicles remove some barriers faced by drivers and passengers with disabilities.
Federal law generally prohibits a manufacturer, distributor, dealer, rental company or motor vehicle repair business from knowingly disabling any part of a device or element of design installed on or in a motor vehicle in compliance with a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. By issuing specific exemptions that balance mobility and safety, NHTSA allows motor vehicle dealers and repair businesses to improve the mobility of drivers and passengers with disabilities.
For more information, contact NHTSA media by email at NHTSAmedia@dot.gov or by phone at 1-202-366-9550.
It’s getting harder every July to write something new or insightful about the Americans with Disabilities Act. It’s difficult even for those of us who have disabilities, and have lived long enough to experience the entire history of the law.
So instead of trying to change perspective on the ADA, or pass some sort of comprehensive verdict on it, here is one disabled American’s brainstorm on “our” civil rights law.
Today, the Justice Department filed a in a lawsuit in the Western District of Pennsylvania to clarify that where an alleged barrier—the height of a hotel bed—is not addressed by the ADA Standards, the ADA’s general nondiscrimination provisions still apply, including making reasonable modifications where necessary to provide goods and services to people with disabilities. The lawsuit, Migyanko v. Aimbridge Hospitality, LLC, alleges that the world’s largest third-party operator of hotels provides hotel beds that are too high for individuals who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices to transfer into them.
For more information on the ADA or this Statement of Interest, please visit
or call the toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TTY 800-514-0383).
There has been a sharp rise in the number of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lawsuits filed in 2020 and 2021 thus far alleging a lack of compliant passenger loading zones. Many of these lawsuits have been filed against hotels in California throughout the state. The lawsuits are generally filed by serial ADA plaintiff Theresa Brooke. She is generally represented by attorney Peter Strojnik.
An Examination of the Architect’s and Construction Manager’s Roles in Managing and Administering the Design and Construction Process.
ABSTRACT- Since the introduction of construction managers into the traditional owner-architect-contractor triumvirate,
the roles of each party have begun to blend together. The likelihood that a party will, without a blink of its
eye, litigate already adds a sense of anxiety to the construction process.
In planning your school's budget it's important that Accessibility improvements are ranked high in the budgeting process Feds investigate accessibility at Old Greenwich School.
GREENWICH — Due to issues with lack of accessibility at Old Greenwich School, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating Greenwich Public Schools for possible discrimination on the basis of disability.
The city of Hollister recently approved local student Jack Preader’s petition to make Frank Klauer Park compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The accessibility changes will include resurfacing the playground and installing several new structures...
Ability accommodation costs range from quick repairs, like fixing an elevator or stair lift for about $350 and $940 ramp repair, to whole-house remodels averaging about $4,600. Check out the Cost Guides below to learn more about projects, like building a ramp, which averages about $1,850....
Thirty years ago, when the legislation was signed, 43 million Americans — or about 1 in 5 people — were living with a disability. Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report 61 million adults in the U.S. have a disability, or about 26% of the population...
Good Pro-active Corporate Initiative to make a frequently used application more inclusive
Open-air Dining and Curbside Pickup Disability Access Consideration. This tool offers disability access tips for businesses * to consider when conducting operations outdoors. This tool is not intended to be all-inclusive and should be used as a starting point for businesses to refer to for general guidance. For further consult regarding accessibility compliance, we advise businesses to contact their local building department, or a Certified Access Specialist (CASp)**. Business owners can also refer to the Americans with Disabilities Act *** as well as the California Building Code**** for specific technical requirements to facilitate compliance.
For individuals with sensory disabilities, documents on this site are available in large print or computer disk. To obtain a copy in one of these alternative formats, please call or write to:
Department of General Services, Attention: Jordan Aquino
P.O. Box 989052
West Sacramento, CA 95798-9052
(916) 376-5029 Voice or CA Relay Service at 1-800-735-2929
Email: Jordan.Aquino@dgs.ca.gov
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Jack Nicklaus topped a significant donation with a personal appearance at an exclusive special event at BIGHORN Golf Club to help raise funds for American Lake Veterans Golf Course. ALVGC is the nation's only course designed specifically for the rehabilitation of wounded and disabled veterans.
T.A.B.s—Temporarily Able-Bodied—are the one demographic we all belong to. I personally learned this life lesson, just three days shy of my thirteenth birthday, after being diagnosed with childhood bone cancer in my right leg. I went from being an able-bodied athlete to...
Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced a new initiative this week to increase accessibility at Boston restaurants that have reopened with outdoor dining spaces.
The class will be taking data and visiting local businesses on how accessible they are to people with disabilities
As many homeowners have decided to conduct overdue home improvement projects while they are spending more time at home, consumers need to be aware of Florida’s lien law. As a mandatory disclosure required in all contracts greater than $2,500 states:
Starting today, Google Maps will feature a new mode called Accessible Places that, when toggled on, will more prominently show wheelchair accessibility info, the company announced on Thursday. It will be rolling out gradually, the company says, for both Android and iOS.... More
Accessible hotel bathrooms are basically the same, right? No, they aren’t! While individual hotel brands may implement a standardized design across multiple (sometimes hundreds) of properties, each hotel is built by a different contractor and inspected by a different code enforcement team... More
See PDF here: 2019 legislative changes to state laws related to the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC)
and state building standards. The statutory changes summarized in this bulletin become effective on January 1, 2020, unless otherwise specified in statute.
Of Note for accessibility issues: AB 1100 (Kamlager-Dove, Chapter 819, Statutes of 2019) Electric vehicles: parking requirements.
This bill requires a parking space served by electric vehicle supply equipment, as defined, and a parking space designated as a future electric vehicle charging space, as defined, to be counted as at least one standard automobile parking space for the purpose of complying with any applicable minimum parking requirements established by a local jurisdiction.
The bill requires an accessible parking space with an access aisle served by electric vehicle supply equipment and accessible parking space with an access aisle intended as a future electric vehicle charging space to be counted as at least 2 standard automobile parking spaces for the purpose of complying with any applicable minimum parking requirements established by a local jurisdiction.
Beauty from Innovation in Advanced Transportation: A Conversation About Accessibility
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
As automakers and technology companies develop self-driving vehicles, accessibility becomes a bigger part of the passenger vehicle conversation. This is because self-driving vehicles have the potential to create unprecedented independence and mobility for disabled populations.
Here are some legal implications surrounding accessibility and self-driving vehicles...
The University of Nevada has filed a lawsuit against the architectural firm that did the redesign of Mackay Stadium because the school says it’s had to make millions in changes for the stadium to comply with the ADA.
more on the website
DESPITE REPEATED stalls and snail-like progress on the construction since
the project began in summer 2017, the
16,000-square-foot, fenced-off pit at the corner of Dolores and Fifth
more on the PDF page - 3A -
SOME OF the 15 Carmel inns that were sued by a Fresno man over alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act have settled the cases out of court, according to an attorney who represents many of them.
In October 2018, George Avalos and Newport Beach-based Manning Law filed the complaints in Monterey County Superior Court against the inns,
claiming that their Online booking systems did not offer enough information about handicapped-accessible rooms, and in some cases, didn’t allow customers to book those types of rooms from their websites... more on the PDF page - 21A -
A new notice about the Certified Access Specialist (CASp) program and accessibility requirements is being distributed by city and county offices to applicants for commercial building permits and business licenses. It includes information on how to locate a CASp. The notice was developed by our office, as required by Assembly Bill 3002 (Chapter 680, Statutes of 2018)
and includes the information cited in Government Code Sections 4469 and 4469.5.
To view a copy of the notice, go to the AB 3002 Model Notice web page.
There is currently only an English version of the notice but Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Korean translations are in development and will be posted once available.
2019 California Building Standards Code (Cal. Code Regs., Title 24)
which is scheduled for publication on or before July 1, 2019, with an effective date of January 1, 2020. Changes include:
• Changes to number and type of showers in Transient Lodging Facilities
• Addition of the smaller Transfer Type Shower Compartments (36” x 36”)
• Requirements for Adult changing facilities
December 2018 Commission Review
FINAL EXPRESS TERMS
ROCHESTER, Minn. – A new city resource is helping make trails in Rochester accessible to people with limited mobility.
Rochester’s new action track chair is a motorized wheelchair that can roll over all types of terrain.
19-year-old Jonah Devine is the first person to try it out, going along the trails at Quarry Hill Nature Center with this dad Todd.
“Usually we're just pushing the chair. This gives him the opportunity to lead, decide where we're going and to, you know, experience the off-roading, so we can go anywhere we want to go,” Todd said.
- Annalisa Pardo - KIMT talks to the first person to test it out. (Sep. 13, 2018)
I'm John Morris, a passionate traveler who also happens to be a triple amputee and wheelchair user. I created this wheelchair travel blog to show others that traveling with a disability is possible. I've now flown more than 750,000 miles and visited 30 countries and territories — all with just one hand, a passport and my power wheelchair.
On this website you'll find loads of information and resources to help you plan a wheelchair accessible vacation. I look forward to seeing the places you go and how you #OpenYourWorld.
"Don't listen to what they say. Go see."
- John Morris
When Karin Willison lived in Los Angeles, traversing the beach path between Santa Monica and Venice beaches was a weekly activity. “I took long walks with my dog, spent time at the pier and met up with friends,” Willison, who uses a power wheelchair said, adding that these walks were a big part of her life. “I love the beauty of the ocean, the fresh air and the chance to be in nature.”...
- Ligaya Malones - Sept. 3, 2018 MIC.COM
Heath Carter waited in a wheelchair to cross Lafayette Street towards a stretch of people milling around stores and eating outside restaurants in downtown Valparaiso.
“I want to try to get past those patios,” Carter said.
Carter, chair of the city’s human relations council, went around the downtown district Friday in a wheelchair to see how accessible local businesses and sidewalks were....
- Becky Jacobs - Contact Reporter Post-Tribune (03-2018)
Accessibility Matters: Welcome to ‘Accessibility Matters’
Can you imagine showing up for work and the staircase to your office on the second floor is gone? All your coworkers are already there, but there’s no way in for you. Or, can you imagine making plans to meet your friends out for dinner, and when you get to the restaurant its front door is barricaded? All your friends are inside enjoying their meal together, but there’s no way in for you...
- By Sharol A. Signorelli - on July 16, 2018 in Columns, Community
Trying to make the world better, fairer, more inclusive, a troop of Girl Scouts is working on the issue of access to shops and restaurants in Ridgefield for people with disabilities.
The fifth grade girls of Branchville School’s Troop 50669 visited a recent Commission for the Disabled meeting, and are writing to commercial landlords in the village to lobby for ramps that would make stores and restaurants more accessible.
- By Macklin K. Reid - on January 9, 2018 in Business, Community, Happenings, News, People, Town Government
The Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce recently hosted an informational session on the Americans With Disabilities Act featuring Certified Access Specialist Roger Miller. The session touched on a variety of topics including regulations related to municipal and commercial buildings and the relationship between the federal ADA statutes, California state laws on disabled access and building codes. Roger also fielded questions from the audience. Thank you, Roger, for presenting.
- Roger Miller - Certified Access Specialist
Zach Anner and The Quest for the Rainbow Bagel
MYRTLE BEACH — Dennis McCormick leans his head back. The sun's on his face, waves are crashing a few feet away, and, for the first time in years, he's made it to the beach.
McCormick, 61, of Buffalo, N.Y., had a severe stroke three years ago that weakened the left side of his body. He couldn't have made it on the sand without a modified wheelchair delivered for free by the city of Myrtle Beach. It has large, balloon-like gray tires and an elevated blue seat. His feet, clad in New Balance sneakers, sat about a foot off the ground...Read more
CLYDE - John and Jan Brewer first raised concerns about accessibility to Clyde's parks and playgrounds in 2011.
After years of prodding city officials for changes, the Brewers turned to the federal government in 2017 for answers and filed an Americans with Disabilities Act complaint with the U.S. Department of the Interior's Civil Rights Division...
Read more
- Daniel Carson - Reporter
CBC.ca
Making workplaces and communities accessible to those with disabilities will have a positive impact on Canada's economy. That's the finding of a report released Friday by the Rick Hansen Foundation in partnership with the Conference Board of Canada. B.C. paralympian Rick Hansen said there isn't ...
- Better workplace accessibility for Canadians with disabilities would boost economic growth: study - The Globe and Mail
- New research finds hiring disabled Canadians could boost economic growth - News1130
- Rick Hansen -
A Menifee man who scammed tens of thousands of dollars out of businesses in Riverside County by threatening them with lawsuits over Americans with Disabilities Act violations has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for committing 143 felonies.
Rodolfo de Hoyos, 57, was sentenced Monday, Aug. 14. He pleaded guilty on Nov. 29. Charges included grand theft, extortion and sending a threatening letter with the intent to extort... more here
- BRIAN ROKOS - The Press-Enterprise | August 2016
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