Accessibility: Decoding the Americans with Disabilities Act

Decoding the Americans with Disabilities Act

Accessibility or more importantly, making products and services available to the disabled community is highly significant.  Organizations commonly overlook this area of business management. Why is this? The A.D.A. is written in legislative terms. The average business person generally doesn’t have the time to read the whole thing, much less decipher it! Managers are busy managing day to day operations.

Here is the breakdown

Laws pertaining to disability are continuously in a development stage. The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990. There are 5 titles to the act:

• Title 1 – Employment
• Title II – Public Services
• Title III – Public Accommodations
• Title IV – Telecommunications
• Title V – Miscellaneous

For government offices, Title II is the most relevant. Title II applies to federal, state and local offices. The Title II act stipulates individuals with disabilities cannot be denied access, services or participation. 508 compliance plays a significant role in the distribution of information to support participation. This means it is mandatory for government offices to distribute information so assistive readers can process and read it. Compliance includes documents, forms and websites. Videos and audio information must be captioned. A transcript must be provided. Alternate descriptions must be provided for infographics and other visuals.  Title II also covers public transportation.

Title III is relevant to places of business that are open to the public. This includes restaurants, hotels, retail stores and various other types of businesses. Title I provides specifics for employment. The line between Title II and Title III is a gray area, notably thru litigation.

Some businesses may wonder if becoming compliant would create an undue hardship. Planning projects with 508 compliances in mind at the beginning makes it easy and inexpensive!

For further information or a FREE quote, contact Dee Moradi at dmoradi@pinsourcing.com  or visit our website Pearl Interactive Network.

Additional Reading Resources

Title II and Title III:

1.      https://www.ada.gov/archive/t3hilght.htm

2.      https://www.americanbar.org/publications/gpsolo_ereport/2014/january_2014/internet_title_iii_ada.html

3.      https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/employee-rights-book/chapter7-8.html

4.      https://www.justice.gov/crt/vi-accessibility-standards-electronic-and-information-technology-accessibility-standards