Message Board

Restroom signage

Steve — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 04:35:34 GMT

If an office building has at least one accesible stall in each bathroom are the wall signs required to have the ISA and/or mens/womens tactile graphic on them? Will a wall sign with tactile text and braille be sufficient?

Also if these testrooms have a plain triangle or circle on them do those triangles/circles need an ISA and/or mens/womens symbol on them?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Forum: Bathrooms

ADA

Joe Greco — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:49:44 GMT

Do the California Indian Casino have to adbide to the ADA

Forum: General ADA/Title 24 Questions

Distribution of Handicap Rooms

Suresh Chandra — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:12:51 GMT

I own a 68 unit hotel. It was constructed in 1982 and has 3 floors.

Recently, we received a letter from a person, describing that he was handicapped and specifically wanted a handicap room on 2nd floor. He has not filed a suit yet but is looking for compensation.

We have handicap rooms but they are located on 1st floor.

Am I required to have handicap room(s) on each floor? If so, it will make the cost of doing that very expensive.

I will appreciate your input in this matter.

Forum: Bathrooms

CASp applications accepted

ADAguy — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:59:40 GMT

DSA (Division of the State Architect) on Friday 7/18/2008 announced that it was accepting applications for its Certified Access Specialist program (CASp).

Applicants, subject to submittal of an application, payment of fees and successful completion of an examination will be certifed to perform access compliance inspections of business's and facilities subject to the ADA.

There is also a Senate Bill 1608/ Corbett which calls for certification of buildings by a CASp who will observe/report and defer to the appropriate professionals their findings for remediation/barrier removal. This in order to develope a database of certifed buildings and facilities to prevent future laws suits against owners.

Forum: ADA Events

2008 National ADA Symposium and EXPO

Philippe — Thur, 06 Mar 2008 20:06:37 GMT

May 12th - 14th, 2008
America's Center
St. Louis, Missouri

Save the Date for the National ADA Symposium and EXPO. It's not too early to mark your calendar to attend the most comprehensive conference available on the ADA and related issues.

http://www.adasymposium.org/

Forum: ADA Events

Disabled Parking Spots v. Regular Parking Spots

Jared — Thur, 06 Mar 2008 18:02:14 GMT

I want to know what the law in California is on how many disabled parking spots there needs to be in relation to the number of regular parking spaces for a commercial zone.

Could someone explain how this works and cite the law or point of authority that establishes the number of required disabled parking spots versus how many normal parking spots, their location of where the disabled parking spots need to be and how wide does the disabled parking spot have to be.

Forum: Parking areas

Restaurants must accommodate blind patrons under the Americans With Disabilities Act

Philippe — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 14:04:14 GMT

Restaurants must accommodate blind patrons under the Americans With Disabilities Act

The Court of Appeals has reinstated an Americans With Disabilities Act lawsuit alleging that fast-food restaurants were not properly accommodating a patron who needed help reading the menus. The case is Camarillo v. Carrolls Corporation, decided on February 8. Here are the facts:

Alice Camarillo, who is legally blind but is able to read enlarged writing at a very close distance, frequently patronizes the fast food restaurants near her home that are owned and operated by defendants. Defendants restaurants do not have large print menus that Camarillo can read, and when she has asked for employees to read her the menu items, she has been made fun of, stared at, and forced to wait until other customers behind her in line were served, and the employees have often read her only part of the menus.

The district court dismissed the case under Rule 12 because Camarillo was still able to eat and otherwise use the restaurants and therefore did not suffer discrimination. The Court of Appeals (Wesley, Straub and Livingston) disagreed. The question is whether she suffered discrimination under the ADA. While Camarillo argued that she was denied a "full and equal" opportunity to use the restuarants which denied large print menus and other means to ensure effective communication of the food choices, the restaurants argued that the ADA only requires that menus be made available to patrons and that plaintiff is really only complaining about poor service.

At this stage of the case, the Second Circuit agrees with Camarillo:

The complaint alleges that on multiple visits to each of defendants restaurants, Camarillo informed employees that because of her disability she could not read the menu herself, and that the employees often responded with annoyance or impatience, at best reading her only a part of the menu. . . . While restaurants are not necessarily required to have on hand large print menus that Camarillo would be able to read, they are required to ensure that their menu options are effectively communicated to individuals who, like Camarillo, are legally blind. . . . Put simply, Camarillo cannot experience full and equal enjoyment of defendants services if she is unable to access the list of the services available to her.

Moreover, the defendants failed to adopt policies to effectively train their employees how to deal with disabled patrons, and they thus failed to take steps under the ADA to ensure that patrons are not treated differently because of their disabilities.

Camarillo also has standing to bring this case. Normally, litigants can't sue over discriminatory practices if there is no reason to believe those practices will harm them in the future. Camarillo gets around this hurdle because she alleges that she has has eaten at these restaurants frequently in the past and plans to do so again. As the Court of Appeals cites a Ninth Circuit case for this reasoning (Pickern v. Holiday Quality Foods Inc., 293 F.3d 1133 (9th Cir. 2002), in its own small way, this decision advances the "standing" rights of disabled people in the Second Circuit.

Forum: General ADA/Title 24 Questions

Double door accessible

Melinda — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:35:54 GMT

We are a manufacturing facilities, we have a side exit door from the manufacturing floor, this exit would be used in case of an emergency. The opening has double doors so it is wide enough for a wheelchair. There is a double door metal screen, as well as the exterior door, that covers the opening. The metal screen door is latched at the floor for security reasons. Can we continue to latch the screen door, if the latch can be easily disengaged from inside to be opened in case of an emergency?

Forum: General ADA/Title 24 Questions

Coffee house bathroom

Sarah — Thur, 03 Jan 2008 07:48:43 GMT

I'm considering leasing an old house (that is commercially zoned) to open a coffee shop in, but the bathroom is too small to be ADA compliant.

Is ADA compliance a requirement? Is the property owner or business owner financially responsible/liable for making it ADA compliant?

Forum: Bathrooms

ADA signage for restrooms

Stephen — Thur, 27 Dec 2007 19:48:57 GMT

For a commercial office building are ADA signs required for both the door and adjacent wall at Men's and Women's restrooms? Or, is a sign on the door OR wall sufficient? If so, which is compliant the door or the wall location?

Thanks in advance for your input

Forum: General ADA/Title 24 Questions

Condominiums and ADA compliance

Craig — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:46:56 GMT

Hello

I have a question for everyone. I manage a condominium building that has no retail or store fronts on it. The back alley is nothing more then a footpath and an Officer recommended that we install a fence to keep trespassers from walking behind the building. Obviously i will make sure that the door is large enough to be ADA compliant but would it qualify for any of the tax deductions or rebates? If so how would I go about applying for them?

Forum: General ADA/Title 24 Questions

City of Glendale restaurant improvement loans

pheller — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 03:39:58 GMT

http://visitglendale.com/downtowndiningdistrict/documents/FullPacketwithMap.pdf

Forum: Grants for improvements

City of Pinole loans and grants

pheller — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 03:29:54 GMT

The City of Pinole has a commercial rehabilitation program http://www.ci.pinole.ca.us/redevelopment/commercial_rehab.html

Forum: Grants for improvements

City of Monterey improvement grants

pheller — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 03:15:30 GMT

The City of Monterey provides grant money for "facade improvements". Please visit their webiste at http://www.monterey.org/commdevelop/planning/facade_grant.html

Forum: Grants for improvements

Pharmacies getting sued

pheller — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 17:57:06 GMT

ALERT: Pharmacies in San Diego are all getting sued over the issue of Braille labels on perscription bottles. It is alleged in each lawsuit that the pharmacy violates the ADA by not providing alternate means of communication.

While it is true that businesses must provide alternative means of communications, it is in question whether the "victim" ever actually entered the pharmacies, or asked if labels were available.

Pre-printed braille labels are available over the internet. We highly recommend that you maintain a supply of labels with your most common prescriptions. You should also posta sign stating that Braille labels are available upon request.

Forum: ADA Lawsuit Experience