ADA Compliance a Constantly Evolving Issue
This year, the Americans with Disabilities Act turns 26. As the ADA continues to age, the issues surrounding it continue to evolve, especially as litigation involving the ADA legislation increases in frequency.
Simply put, lawsuits against retailers for ADA legislation issues are on the rise. Even in potentially dubious or meritless lawsuits, retailers are still responsible for defending against these allegations. In 2015, there was a 63 percent increase in the number of ADA Title III lawsuits filed against public organizations compared to 2014 — a stunning increase.
The challenge in today’s business world is that there are more areas than ever before in which businesses must be compliant. When the ADA was signed by President George H. W. Bush in 1990, there is no way he or anyone else could have foreseen some of the technological advances that would occur in the next 25 years.
Now, for example, businesses must be compliant in terms of the technologies used at the Point of Sale (kiosks, touch screens and more), ATMs, and, biggest of all, retail websites. These areas were, obviously, not specifically written into the ADA, so it is up to the Department of Justice and other agencies to clarify and interpret how they are to be regulated. This summer, the Department of Justice is expected to release ADA compliance standards for websites for the first time ever.
Incorporating ADA Compliance Into Everything Your Business Does
Experts say that the general rule of thumb has to be incorporating ADA compliance into everything a business does. A business remodel, for example, can’t just be about the remodeled space—it also has to take into account how people will get to that space. These physical builds have been the focus of most ADA litigation in the past, but DOJ experts believe the internet is the next ADA battleground.
Be sure to stay up to date with all of the latest information regarding ADA compliance and expectations. For more information about how you can be compliant in your business, contact the team at Erie Custom Signs.
