2013 has been a busy year for Access Advocates. And, judging from the volume of phone calls, emails, website hits and social activity, you’ve had a busy year reading our stuff! Here’s a quick recap of our most viral blog posts from this past year:
10. Van Parking and the Americans with Disabilities Act
“Businesses or privately owned facilities that provide goods or services to the public have a continuing Americans with Disabilities Act obligation to remove barriers to access in existing parking lots when it is readily achievable to do so. Because re-striping is relatively inexpensive, it is readily achievable in most cases.” The ADA includes specific rules and guidelines for van parking. Read this post to familiarize yourself with the specific protocols for van parking.
9. Americans With Disabilities Act Guarantees Access Everywhere
Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees access to people with disabilities to any lodging facilities, whether public or privately owned, as well as any places of recreation, transportation, education, and dining facilities, as well as stores, malls, drug stores, and other facilities which they would need or desire access to. If you have a disability, or someone you love has been discriminated against, read this post to find out what can you do.
8. Grocery Shopping and Best Practices for Accessibility Compliance
Possibly the best way to evaluate the accessibility of a grocery store is to travel it oneself. Those without mobility impairments often times overlook design elements that become barriers for individuals using wheelchairs. We encourage grocers to navigate their own stores using one of the in-house electric shopping carts. Read this post to find out what accessibility barriers you should be looking for in your local grocery store.
7. Ask Hank: How Can I Help Get Buildings ADA Compliant?
People with disabilities and, in particular, people who use wheelchairs are always asking us, “How can I help? What can I do to help get building ADA compliant?” You can start by identifying and alerting us to buildings and locations that are not ADA compliant. You may be asking yourselves, “ok, but what types of buildings?” We’re calling for you to be on the lookout at the buildings and facilities you encounter each and every day! Read this post to find out what types of buildings you should be looking for.
6. Americans With Disabilities Act Seeing Changes This Year
The Americans With Disabilities Act saw some large changes this year. From new requirements in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to new rulings by federal Judges, the ADA is finding more areas in which it holds enforcement. Read this post for more details on what changed with the ADA in 2013.
5. Basic Guidelines for Wheelchair Ramp Compliance
According to The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), “All publicly owned buildings and institutions; such as government buildings, schools, and hospitals are required by law to be accessible to people with disabilities. Therefore, these structures must include wheelchair ramps to be fully ADA compliant.” Read this post for a brief set of basic code regulations from the ADA for installation of a wheelchair ramp.
4. Top 10 Most Common ADA Building Complaints (*Our personal favorite!)
We’re often asked, “What are the most common ADA building complaints?” There are over 2,500 ADA requirements for buildings. Advocates are not expected or required to know all ADA building requirements. That’s where we come in! Knowing building ADA requirements is what Access Advocates has specialized in over the past 20 years as architects. Read this post to learn about the top 10 most common ADA building complaints we’ve seen over the years.
3. ADA Accessibility for Hotel Rooms and Baths
One of many quizes we posted in 2013. This quiz focuses on hotel room and bath requirements. Here’s a sample of the questions asked in this quiz: “Hotel room entry and connecting doors and interior doors (except doors to small closets) must be how wide?” Read this post to learn the answer and to test you knowledge on specific hotel room and bath requirements.
2. More on ADA Hotel Accessibility Requirements
Following an article on ADA accessibility standards for access to elevators, stairways and handrails in a hotel setting, this blog post delves into the details of hotel door access, bed clearance and room amenities as covered by the checklist for ADA compliance. Read this post to learn the rules that apply to all hotel and lodging rooms that are designated as ADA accessible.
1. As You Shop: Large Shopping Centers
Who doesn’t love a day of shopping at the local mall or large shopping center? Shopping should be fun, even if you have a disability and use a wheelchair. People with disabilities need to have the same experience as they shop as those who do not have a disability. Read this post to discover the top 10 accessibility concerns you should be looking for as you shop at large shopping centers.
What was your favorite blog post of 2013? We’d love to hear your feedback. If you missed one, subscribe to our monthly newsletter or follow us on your favorite social network (Faceook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest) and never miss another article again! Thank you for your continued support. Together we can make a difference in our communities!
Access Advocates helps to provide Americans with disabilities with support for compliance concerns. If you, a family member, or a friend is concerned about a public building or business meeting compliance requirements, please contact us today so we can help you with your needs!