The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was initially established to allow those with limitations or perceived limitations access to employment.
The rules and regulations of the legislation have also been applied to access public locations, businesses, and houses of worship across the United States.
If you are concerned that your business is not ADA compliant, you will need to act quickly to make sure that your business offers effective physical and electronic access to your business.
Appoint an ADA Transition Coordinator
Whether you are a private business leader or a person of authority within a government entity, as an ADA transition coordinator you will need to note exactly what about your organization is out of compliance. Whether that means documenting missing or failing
- designated parking spaces
- access tools, such as ramps and elevators
- security features, such as recorded announcements
You may also need to choose an ada compliance checker to make sure that your website is tracking effectively. According to AudioEye, the website accessibility checker “quickly evaluates the severity of accessibility obstacles encountered by your website visitors and how close your site is compliant with the WCAG standards and legal mandates such as ADA, Section 508, and AODA.”
Gather Data on Items That Need Updating
For those who have been chosen to serve as part of the transition team, one of the first duties is to demonstrate awareness of the known problems. Getting this data documented and posted quickly can provide you with legal protection as you move into the update process.
This may include setting up a way to document and track grievances. Even if your repair and update process will take more than a year, having a system in place to track the necessary work, provide a timeline to the public, and demonstrate that the work is underway.
Demonstrate Your Evaluation Process
ADA compliance is critical to building a fair society. However, these projects don’t occur in a vacuum; schedules and budgets matter.
In addition to tracking grievances, demonstrating the upgrade schedule, and promoting the next round of projects, make sure that you demonstrate your internal evaluation plan.
Strive to bring those who utilize the protections of the ADA into your internal evaluation process.
If you are part of a government organization, consider setting up a volunteer board of community members who can help you track projects, track down challenges and help schedule items that need to be extended.
Get Extra Training
Access to ADA training can help you generate a more effective action plan and stay on top of timelines. This training can also help you gain awareness of the current rules and regulations and have a working knowledge of possible changes moving forward.
The ADA landscape is constantly changing because our methods of access as citizens are constantly changing. Being aware of pending legislation, updates, and additions to the regulations will help you to prepare for the next round of changes.
Both private businesses and government entities will benefit from the transparency of setting up an ADA transition leader, team, and board to provide guidance. For private business owners, try to go public with your ADA plans while sharing the information on your first upgrades. Show that you intend to act by demonstrating action.
