Accessibility Consulting Services for Municipalities Assumption It is our continuing experience that lawsuits are being filed against municipalities whose management believes that their public buildings, parks, facilities and programs are fully compliant with the ADA. We recommend a proactive approach. Background Title II of the ADA requires that public entities such as a towns, cities, counties and states provide equal program access to people with disabilities. Programs are the services that the city offers to its citizens, and include such things as walking on sidewalks, using the library, paying bills, swimming in the public pool and playing tennis in the park. New Design Guidelines New ADA Accessibility Guidelines are working their way through the U.S. Department of Justice approval process. The changes are significant. In part, public toilet rooms will be required to provide more wheelchair maneuvering space than mandated by present statute. Further, mounting legal opinion speaks to the requirement that municipal sidewalk systems be made fully accessible. Step One We perform a comprehensive access survey of the municipality, including programs, buildings, services and infrastructure, and prepare a report that identifies latent barriers to access, explains the pertinent points of law and recommends alternate methods of achieving compliance. (Contact) Step Two Municipal architects, planners and facility management will use our access survey report as the basis of an ADA compliance plan. An effective plan will include design requirements, budget costs, priorities and a timetable. We remain on-call to your staff during this process. Some barriers can be eliminated immediately and at no cost; others may require a simple change in policy. Significant barriers can trigger major alterations. Having a compliance plan in place demonstrates good-faith, and the elimination of barriers reduces exposure. Defense expert in an ADA lawsuit We provide expert witness services for municipalities sued under federal civil rights law with regard to accessibility. We prepare an access survey report for the defense, addressing each allegation. We work with management and their attorneys to keep the matter in a settlement conference instead of a courtroom. We stand by the defendant through the settlement process, and prepare rebuttal to frivolous and unfounded demands. We identify the minimum requirements of enforceable federal statute, and recommend the least costly methods of achieving compliance. Accessibility review of architectural plans For a new facility or for renovations to an existing one, we provide plan review services for your architects, to ensure that the finished facility will be fully compliant with the requirements of state and federal accessibility law. We believe that it is much more sensible to identify problems early and on paper, rather than tear out non-compliant construction in the field. We also provide site inspections at key points during construction, to verify that things are being built as designed. A complete project list is provided in the Curriculum Vitae. Contact