The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
and People with Physical Disabilities
What Accessibility Modifications Does ADA
Require for Existing Municipal Buildings?
Title II of the ADA requires that a public entity make its
programs accessible to people with disabilities, not necessarily each facility or part of a facility.
Program accessibility may be achieved by a number of methods. While in
many situations providing access to facilities through structural methods—such as alteration of existing facilities and acquisition or construction of
additional facilities—may be the most efficient method of providing program accessibility, the public entity may pursue alternatives to structural changes
in order to achieve program accessibility.
For example, where the second-floor office of a public welfare agency may be entered only by climbing a flight of stairs, an individual with a mobility
impairment seeking information about welfare benefits can be served in an accessible ground-floor location or in another accessible building. Similarly, a
town may move a public hearing from an inaccessible building to a building that is readily accessible.
When choosing among available methods of providing program accessibility, a public entity must give priority to those methods that offer services, programs
and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate.
Last Revised: January 30, 2006
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