"Project Civic Access" - complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act

This Project Civic Access from the U.S. Department of Justice works to ensure that counties, cities, towns and villages comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The focus is on helping local areas remove physical and communication barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating fully in community life. Learn about common accessibility problems.

For the Interactive "Project Civic Access" map, visit: http://www.ada.gov/civicac.htm#AL

Typical issues addressed during the investigations include:

• physical modifications of facilities to improve accessibility. Facilities include city and town halls; police and fire stations and sheriff departments; courthouses; centers for health care delivery, childcare, teen and senior activities, conventions, and recreation; animal shelters; libraries; baseball stadiums; parks (including ice skating rinks, public pools, playgrounds, ball fields and bleachers, band shells and gazebos). The agreements secure the following:

- accessible parking
- accessible routes into and through the facilities
- accessible rest rooms, drinking fountains, and telephones
- accessible service counters and concession stands, or the provision of services at      alternate, accessible locations
- accessible bathing facilities at public pools

• physical modifications to polling places and/or the provision of curbside or absentee balloting;
• permanent and conspicuous notice to the community of their ADA rights and the government’s ADA obligations;
• establishment of an ADA grievance procedure where none existed in communities employing more than 50 persons;
• establishment of delivery systems and time frames for providing auxiliary aids (qualified sign language interpreters and alternate formats (Braille, large print, cassette tapes, etc.);
• installation of assistive listening systems in assembly areas (e.g., legislative chambers, court rooms, municipal auditoriums);
• strengthening of 9-1-1 emergency services through the acquisition of additional text telephones (TTY’s) to achieve a 1-1 ratio of TTY’s and answering positions, training to recognize "silent calls", and accountability through performance evaluations and discipline of employees;
• better telephone communication between the government and citizens with hearing or speech impairments through the acquisition of additional TTY’s and/or utilization of the state relay service, official publication of TTY/relay numbers, and training of employees;
• adoption of procedures for relocating inaccessible activities to accessible locations upon request (e.g., City and Town Council meetings, municipal and county court proceedings).