When you are running a business, it’s important to ensure that you are providing the best level of service to individuals of all ability levels by complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you do not have experience with ADA compliance, use this list as a starting point to evaluate the overall accessibility of your business. Take some time to assess each of these points in relation to your business’s built environment and notice if there are areas you can improve the accessibility.
- Notice if there are any architectural barriers that would make it difficult to navigate a wheelchair through your office
- Check if there is Braille letting on all of your signage
- Analyze if your website has assistive technologies
- Research your state’s anti-discrimination laws
- Review our Guide to ADA Terminology to make sure that you are familiar with the language surrounding the ADA (https://acornsign.com/guide-to-ada-terminology/)
- Evaluate if there are areas that you can rearrange furniture to allow for easier navigation
- Assess your employment training program so you can better equip your employees to assist individuals with various disabilities
- Consult a signage company to ensure that your signage meets sizing and height requirements for the ADA
- Make sure that your business has a Certification of Equivalency, which is required in Title III of the ADA that states that your building is up to code
- Research discriminatory hiring practices and reevaluate your hiring process
- Check if there are any places you can switch out door knobs for lever-style door handles
- Take time to read The 2010 ADA Access Standards (https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/2010ADAStandards/2010ADAstandards.htm)
- Evaluate your parking lot to see if the spaces are too narrow to allow room for a wheelchair lift
- Make sure you have a sign hanging up specifying that you allow service animals
- Review proper terminology and nondiscriminatory practices with your employees and ensure they have access to this information
While we always recommend consulting with an ADA expert to ensure that you meet all ADA legal requirements, you can use these tips to see if you have any major areas that you need to improve your accessibility. Training yourself and your employees to critically think about issues surrounding accessibility and inclusion with benefit your company as a whole in reaching new customers and demographics.
At Acorn Sign, we’ve dedicated our business to improving accessibility and inclusion in built environments. As experts in the ADA, we partner with our clients to ensure their signage is not only accessible and compliant, but also innovative. We believe in making built environments more accessible and inclusive for individuals of all ability levels, and have taken measures in every aspect of our business to highlight this mission. If you are interested in learning more about who we are and our dedication to furthering the mission of the ADA, visit us at https://acornsign.com/about/.
If you have any questions about your ADA-compliant signage, we would love to talk. Contact us today at https://acornsign.com/contact/.
who is responsible for building being handicap compliant – owner or renter ?
The ADA places the legal obligation to remove barriers or provide auxiliary aids and services on both the landlord and the tenant. The landlord and the tenant may decide by lease who will actually make the changes and provide the aids and services, but both remain legally responsible.