ADA Standards: All for One and One for All

Posted by dbccompany on Jun 10th, 2014 | no comments

Michigan is one of the most ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant states in the country. However, it also generates a large number of ADA-enforcement lawsuits. If you own a business, you should be aware that if your commercial space (whether owned or rented) does not meet all legal requirements for accessibility by disabled people, your business may be sued.

Buildings that have to comply with accessibility requirements for the disabled include all public buildings, governmental facilities and institutions, office buildings, residential buildings, commercial buildings, health facilities, educational institutions restaurants, recreational facilities, sports facilities, religious buildings for accessible buildings, at least one entrance per facility should be accessible to a wheelchair user.

For new buildings, the accessible entrance(s) should be the main entrance(s) intended for use by the general public and all other building types normally used by the general public.

Wherever waiting areas, coffee shops, display areas, merchandising departments, service areas, ticket counters, refreshment stands, etc. are provided for public use, these facilities should be accessible to disabled people, mainly to wheelchair users.

Unfortunately, you shouldn’t assume that your property is compliant with building codes, ADA access requirements, or environmental standards. No matter the age, prestige, or expense of your owned or rented space, it may not be up to par.

It may have insufficient sprinklers in the ceilings, bathrooms that aren’t wheelchair-accessible, or ancient, crumbling asbestos in ceiling tiles. Perhaps the building was never in compliance and no one’s noticed, or the laws have become stricter since the property was built and there’s no “grandfather” provision exempting existing structures.

Barrier Free Plus Inc. can consult with you regarding your compliance and provide suggestions to get you up to code. We are a licensed builder and manufactured housing contractor specializing in Barrier Free designs, Insurance Restoration, including Disaster recovery and restoration.

Barrier Free Plus Inc. “a company that excels in all facets of building and contracting.”

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