Americans with Disabilities Act: Issues for Design and Facility Managers

Abstract

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) represents landmark antidiscrimination legislation on behalf of the disabled community. This legislation gives civil-rights protection to individuals with disabilities that is parallel to previous civil-rights legislation based on race, color, national origin, age, sex, and religion. ADA is composed of five titles (sections), one of which is Title III, Public Accommodations and Commercial Facilities. Title III requires that persons with disabilities be provided access to goods and services within places of public accommodation and new or altered commercial facilities equal to or similar to that available to the general public. This section of ADA is of special concern to the design and construction industry because of the uncertainty in applying ADA terminology and the potentially high costs that may result from facility modification and/or legal action. Title III is unprecedented in that it is the first civil-rights law to affect both building and site design. This paper examines the provisions of Title III and identifies critical management issues as related to their potential impact on facility design and construction.