Purchasing Goods and Services:
What to Expect
There are over seven million businesses in the United States that provide goods or services to the public, including grocery stores, retail stores, restaurants and bars, hotels and motels, gas stations, dry cleaners, laundromats, banks, law offices, medical offices, insurance agencies, movie theaters, art museums, gyms, amusement parks, and other businesses. All businesses that provide goods or services to the public, even small ones with only one or two employees, must comply with the ADA, including the following requirements:
Reasonable Modifications
Businesses must make "reasonable modifications" in their policies, practices, or procedures when necessary so that people with disabilities can be their customers. Businesses are not, however, required to make any changes that would fundamentally alter or change the nature of the business or its services. Additional information about the rules for "reasonable modifications" can be found at www.ada.gov/reachingout/lesson11. htm or by calling the ADA Information Line. See Contact Information on page 23.
Typical examples of reasonable modifications are:
An example of a fundamental alteration or change is:
Effective Communication
any tools or services that would be an "undue burden," which means significant difficulty or expense. The type of tool or service needed depends on the nature of the communication as well as the particular customer's disability.
Additional information about the rules for "effec-tive communication" can be found at www.ada. gov/reachingout/lesson21.htm or by calling the ADA Information Line. See Contact Information on page 23.
Examples of effective communication are:
New Construction and Alterations
Businesses whose facilities were built or altered since the ADA went into effect must comply with the ADA Standards for Accessible Design so that the facility is accessible to and usable by people who have mobility disabilities as well as people who have sensory disabilities and people who have limited dexterity or grasping ability.
Barrier Removal
In addition, businesses have a continuing obliga-tion to remove architectural barriers when it is “readily achievable” to do so. For example, if inaccessible features in an older facility can be corrected easily and inexpensively, they must be corrected. If there are several inaccessible features and it is not easy and inexpensive to correct them all at once, they should be corrected over time.
Additional information about the rules for “barrier removal” can be found at www.ada.gov/ reachingout/lesson41.htm or by calling the ADA Information Line. See Contact Information on page 23.
Inexpensive steps businesses might take to improve access may include:
Examples of alternative ways to serve a customer when barrier removal is not feasible are:
For more information about these provisions or how to file a complaint, see Contact Information on pages 23-24 for the U.S. Department of Justice.