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Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance
The Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), stipulates that any place of business, regardless
of size or number of employees, both public and private, must provide
equal access and "reasonable accommodations" for both the general and
disabled public. Are you in compliance?
Are you aware of the provisions of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
Signed
into law on July 26 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act is a wide-ranging
legislation intended to make American Society more accessible to people with
disabilities. What does this act mean to you? As the
operator of a business, you need to know that ADA regulations stipulate any
place of business, regardless of size or number of employees, both public and private, must provide equal access and
"reasonable accommodations" for both the general and disabled public.
Basically if the potential exists for a customer to ever visit your facility,
you need to be in compliance.
The act has no grandfather
clauses, it stipulates, that in existing structures, barriers to entry or
services
must
be removed if “technically feasible.” Cost is not a factor in determining
whether an action would be technically feasible.
ADA is civil rights law, and provides for fines and/or
private lawsuit or by the Department of Justice.
If
any private party or group feels you have discriminated against them by denying
access, the government will help them sue you.
Security
and door hardware manufacturers provide a variety of products designed to help
you comply. The advent of the lever lockset is almost totally due to ADA,
other products include, power assisted or automatic door operators, keyless
entry systems, and egress systems that require no physical action to exit. These
products and systems make it possible to bring almost any entry into
compliance Our security
professionals are experienced in the selection and installation of this specialized hardware.
We understand the complexities of the ADA regulations, as they relate
to hardware. Call us for for a no-obligation audit of your facility to determine
your needs for ADA compliance.
The American with Disabilities Act cannot
be ignored, if a lawsuit, even an unfounded one is brought against you, the cost
of defending yourself can be substantial.
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