Undercutting ADA
I recently became aware of this press release from the Department of Justice released on Wednesday March 19th.
To say that I was shocked and angry at what I read would be an understatement. Donald Trump is dismantling parts of the ADA in order to give tax breaks to companies who comply with not complying with ADA standards.
The DOJ claims it is to deliver on the White House memo Delivering Emergency Price Relief for American Families and Defeating the Cost-of-Living Crisis
The rescinding of items 6 through 11 is what is most alarming.
Expanding Your Market: Maintaining Accessible Features in Retail Establishments (2009)
Expanding Your Market: Gathering Input from Customers with Disabilities (2007)
Expanding Your Market: Accessible Customer Service Practices for Hotel and Lodging Guests with Disabilities (2006)
Reaching out to Customers with Disabilities (2005)
Americans with Disabilities Act: Assistance at Self-Serve Gas Stations (1999)
Five Steps to Make New Lodging Facilities Comply with the ADA (1999)
I took some time to look up each item on the ADA.gov website and the pages associated with these guidelines no longer exist. I had to go to the Great Plains ADA Center website to find information on item number 1. The other items required additional searching that took me to often sorely need updated websites not associated with the ADA.gov site.
In essence rescinding the items listed means businesses don’t have to spend money to make their businesses ADA accessible. In the process they also get a tax break. Our most vulnerable populations will suffer further discriminatory practices when they attempt to participate in the same economy their able bodied counterparts participate in.
“page not found” message from archive.ada.gov. Useless.
These items require a deeper dive and their own space to breathe and present more information on. I will be writing a series of posts related to each item to show how each one will impact Americans with disabilities in day to day life.
Rescinding these guidelines also makes it harder for local municipalities as well. As of this writing, any planning, construction, and engineering departments, etc, no longer have access at ADA.gov to the information they need to make sure their project are complying with ADA guidelines.
ADA councils/commissions and coordinators have one less tool in their tool belt.
This is unacceptable.
Article by Joe Cheray, Chair of the Disabilities Caucus of Kansas Democrats.