Tag: ADA

ADA Suit Over Chicago Shelters Moves Forward

February 19, 2021 Comments Off on ADA Suit Over Chicago Shelters Moves Forward In The News
U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois

U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois

The City of Chicago can’t evade a disability-discrimination suit brought by a woman who alleges emergency shelters are not accessible, a federal judge held Wednesday (February 17, 2021). In a written opinion, U.S. District Judge Franklin Valderrama declined to throw out Gloria Carter’s lawsuit accusing the City of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act. The City operates an emergency shelter program for people facing homelessness.

The full story can be read at https://www.chicagolawbulletin.com/suit-over-emergency-shelter-program-gets-ok-20210218.

A copy of the official opinion and order from Judge Valderrama regarding Carter v. City of Chicago can be found at https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/illinois/ilndce/1:2020cv01083/373622/46/.

This story was written by Patricia Manson and published in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.

ADA 101 – Changes in Level – Beveled

December 4, 2020 Comments Off on ADA 101 – Changes in Level – Beveled ADA 101

ADA 101 info graphic with ADAS 2010 section 303.3 text and example pictures ADAS 2010 303.3 Changes in Level – Beveled

Changes in level between 1/4 inch high minimum and 1/2 inch high maximum shall be beveled with a slope not steeper than 1:2.

Advisory 303.3 Beveled. A change in level of 1/2 inch is permitted to be 1/4 inch vertical plus 1/4 inch beveled. However, in no case may the combined change in level exceed 1/2 inch. Changes in level exceeding 1/2 inch must comply with 405 (Ramps) or 406 (Curb Ramps).

Citation according to 2010 ADAS. Check your state’s accessibility laws. Some states such as California, Georgia and Florida have additional requirements and standards.

New Research Shows Many Local Governments May Lack Strong ADA Title II Transition Plans

September 18, 2020 Comments Off on New Research Shows Many Local Governments May Lack Strong ADA Title II Transition Plans In The News

Three people inspecting a curb ramp at a street intersection

A recent study conducted by the Great Lakes ADA Regional Center, and funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, indicated some local government’s ADA Title II Transition Plans may be lacking.

Researchers used a sample of 401 cities, counties or townships with at least 50 full-time employees. The researchers carefully reviewed each plan to identify which of the required elements were included.

What researchers found was surprising given the Americans with Disability Act just entered its third decade as a legal requirement:

  • 54 of the 401 municipalities (13%) had an ADA transition plan available to the public.
  • 28 municipalities (7%) reported having plans in progress.
  • 32 published the transition plan on their websites while 22 others made it available upon request.
  • By region, the highest percentage (17%) of municipalities with transition plans are located in the Midwest.
  • The northeast region had the lowest percentage of municipalities with transition plans (3%).
  • Of the 54 municipalities with transition plans, only 40 addressed the public right-of-way.
  • 14 plans only addressed access to government buildings.
  • Of the 40 plans that addressed the public right-of-way, only 7 met all of the minimum criteria required by the ADA.
  • Less than half of the plans included a specific schedule for barrier removal.
  • Only 12 transition plans included a detailed process for monitoring and periodic reporting on progress toward barrier removal.

Please visit the National Rehabilitation Information Center’s website for more information on this and other ADA related studies.

BlueDAG Mobile Application Update for Android Users

September 9, 2020 Comments Off on BlueDAG Mobile Application Update for Android Users BlueDAG Update

Today, BlueDAG has moved its Android mobile application update into an early release phase. With the update, Android users will see a new interface that offers refined functionality. In addition, the updated application better manages photographs in local storage. Watch the video for a complete overview of BlueDAG’s Android mobile application update. If you would like to be a part of the early release testing group, please contact us at bluedag.support@bluedag.com.

Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Gates Chili Central School District for ADA Violations

August 24, 2020 Comments Off on Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Gates Chili Central School District for ADA Violations In The News

Brown service dog with blue vest The Justice Department reached an agreement with the Gates Chili Central School District in Rochester, New York, to resolve the Department’s lawsuit alleging disability discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The Department’s complaint alleges the School District denied a student with disabilities equal access to school by conditioning her use of a service dog on her parent providing a full-time dog handler, despite the student’s demonstrated ability to control her service dog.

Under the settlement agreement, the School District revised its Service Animal Policy and agreed to provide reasonable modifications to facilitate the use of a service dog by a student with a disability. Such modifications include the types of minimal assistance the School District refused to provide the student in this case, such as helping to tether or untether a service dog, assisting a student to get water for a service dog, and prompting a student to issue commands to a service dog.

Continue reading at: https://www.ada.gov/gateschili/gates-chili_sa.html

Understanding Accessible Toilet Rooms

August 19, 2020 Comments Off on Understanding Accessible Toilet Rooms BlueDAG Compliance

Understanding the ADA requirements for accessible toilet rooms is critically important to ensuring people with disabilities can access these facilities when nature calls. Among the many requirements, ADA compliant toilet rooms must be on an accessible route, have inward swinging doors, and provide the required clearance space so that a person with a disability can adequately use the room. In an effort to help clarify the standards, the United State Access Board has created an animated video (below) that explains them in context and how they are beneficial in everyday life.

 

For more information on Accessible Toilet Rooms, please visit https://www.access-board.gov/ada/guides/chapter-6-toilet-rooms/

For more information on other standards, please visit the Guide to the ADA Standards section of the United State Access Board website.

ADA 101 – Stair Tread Nosings

August 14, 2020 Comments Off on ADA 101 – Stair Tread Nosings ADA 101

ADA 101 info graphic with ADAS 2010 section 504.5 code text and example pictures 2010 ADAS 504.5 Stair Tread Nosings

The radius of curvature at the leading edge of the tread shall be 1/2 inch maximum. Nosings that project beyond risers shall have the underside of the leading edge curved or beveled. Risers shall be permitted to slope under the tread at an angle of 30 degrees maximum from vertical. The permitted projection of the nosing shall extend 1 1/2 inches maximum over the tread below.

Citation according to 2010 ADAS. Check your state’s accessibility laws. Some states such as California, Georgia and Florida have additional requirements and standards.

Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Ridgewood Preparatory School for ADA Violations

August 4, 2020 Comments Off on Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Ridgewood Preparatory School for ADA Violations In The News

Seal of the United States Department of Justice

The Justice Department entered into a settlement agreement with Ridgewood Preparatory School (Ridgewood) under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Ridgewood is a private, nonsectarian school that provides education to children in prekindergarten to twelfth grade. The agreement resolves allegations that Ridgewood violated the ADA by denying a child with spina bifida admission to its pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs on the basis of his disability, failing to reasonably modify its policies, practices, and procedures to enable the child to access the school’s programs, and failing to ensure that its buildings and facilities are accessible to people with disabilities. The Department’s investigation found that the school, among other things, had inaccessible doors, walkways, and bathrooms.

The three-year agreement requires Ridgewood to offer two years of tuition-free enrollment to the child and, upon enrollment, provide him with reasonable modifications. Ridgewood will also modify its facilities to make them accessible to individuals with disabilities, revise its policies to ensure compliance with the ADA, train relevant staff, and pay a $1,000 civil penalty to the United States.

Continue reading at https://www.ada.gov/ridgewood_prep_sa.html.

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