New ADA Rules Go Into Effect

On March 15, 2011 new ADA rules came into effect. These rules expand accessibility requirements to recreational facilities such as swimming pools, golf courses, exercise clubs and boating facilities. They set standards for the use of wheelchairs and other mobility devices like Segways in public spaces. The rules change the standards for things such as selling tickets to events and reserving accessible hotel rooms.

The new rules also clearly define “service animal” as “…any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.” This portion of the law also states that the services the service animal provides must be “directly related to the handler’s disability” and dogs that provide only emotional support or crime deterrence cannot be defined as service animals.

There are also new standards for accessible design but compliance with these standards is not required until March 15, 2012. Click here to find the new standards for accessible design.

For more information on the new ADA rules, click here for the ADA Home Page or click directly to the “Revised ADA Regulations Implementing Title II and Title III.”

If you have any questions about the ADA you can contact the ADA information line at 1 (800) 514-0310 or 1 (800) 514-0383.

www.ada.gov

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