ADA Update for Businesses

The Department of Justice has revised its regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This rule takes effect on March 15, 2011, clarifies issues that have arisen over the past 20 years, and contains new requirements, including the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design (2010 Standards). This document provides guidance to assist small business owners in understanding how this new regulation applies to them.

Compliance Dates

Businesses need to know two important deadlines for compliance. Starting March 15, 2011, businesses must comply with the ADA's general nondiscrimination requirements, including provisions related to policies and procedures and effective communication. The deadline for complying with the 2010 Standards, which detail the technical rules for building accessibility, is March 15, 2012. This delay in implementation was provided to allow businesses sufficient time to plan for implementing the new requirements for facilities. In addition, hotels, motels, and inns have until March 15, 2012, to update their reservation policies and systems to make them fully accessible to people with disabilities.

Topics Include:

• Policies and Procedures
• Service Animals
• Wheelchairs and Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices
• Communicating with Customers
• Barrier Removal
• Accessibile Entrances
• Alterations
• New Construction

The full publication is available here: http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/smallbusiness/smallbusprimer2010.pdf