By law, businesses, restaurants, hotels, and other commercial properties must have ramps and ample space for persons with disabilities to be able to enter the premises, use the bathroom, and move about the facility. Building compliance is very important to people with disabilities and their families. If you suspect a building is out of compliance, there are several actions you can take.
- Ask to speak with the manager and inquire if changes are already underway. If a retrofit has already been approved and is underway, then no further action is required.
- If no changes are planned, contact Access Advocates to help make sure the facility is brought into compliance.
What is Access Advocates?
Access Advocates is a free service provided to people with disabilities. The company will follow up on building compliance complaints. If the business is in violation of the building code, then Access Advocates will consult with the business owner or architect to get the building ADA compliant. They will make recommendations and come up with a solution that will then be given to a contractor who specializes in retrofitting for ADA compliance.
Within ninety days of the complaint, we will have the retrofit information before a judge, who will then make a ruling to have the building retrofitted to be ADA compliant. In over nineteen years of operation, we have not lost a single case. Our goal is to ensure that people with disabilities are able to move freely and safely through the community.
If you find a building or place of business that you believe is out of ADA compliance, please contact us, and we will be happy to review the structure.