ADA Compliance
Wayfinding Maps and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended and codified in Title 42, chapter 126, of the United States Code, prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities, including individuals who have vision and/or hearing loss.
Title II of the ADA requires that State and local governmental entities operate their services, programs, and activities so that when viewed in their entirety, they're readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. (28 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 35)
Title III of the ADA requires that organizations with facilities open to the public provide equal access for individuals with disabilities. Facilities covered by the act include public accommodations such as restaurants, hotels, theaters, doctors' offices, pharmacies, retail stores, museums, libraries, parks, private schools, and day care centers. (28 CFR § 36)
ADA Compliance
As part of their compliance effort, organizations must provide auxiliary aids and services to persons with disabilities when necessary to guarantee them access. "Auxiliary aids and services" include "qualified readers, taped texts, audio recordings, Brailled materials, large print materials, or other effective methods of making visually delivered materials available to individuals with visual impairments." (28 CFR § 36)
In a recent case involving the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C., a legally blind individual filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice claiming that he and others were denied full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, and facilities of the museum. As a result of the investigation by the Department of Justice, the museum agreed to increase access to its exhibits and programs for people who are blind or have low vision, including to provide:
- Tactile maps of the Museum floor plan that visitors can borrow;
- A qualified audio describer for any requested Museum audiovisual presentations, computer interactives, or exhibits;
- A qualified reader to read labels in all exhibitions;
- A representative sample of objects, models, and/or reproductions of objects to communicate the main themes of the exhibitions for tactile examination, accompanied by audio description.
Don't wait until someone files an ADA complaint against you. Instead, use ClickAndGo Wayfinding Maps to make your business, organization, or government entity more accessible and available to individuals with visual impairments.
You may be eligible for the following tax credits or deductions for providing these accommodations.
Tax Credits and Deductions
In order to help businesses comply with the ADA, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows a tax credit for small businesses (Title 26 Section 44) and a tax deduction for all businesses." (Title 26 Section 190)
As stated by the Disability Rights Section of the Department of Justice:
"The tax credit is available to businesses that have total revenues of $1,000,000 or less in the previous tax year or 30 or fewer full-time employees. This credit can cover 50% of the eligible access expenditures in a year up to $10,250 (maximum credit of $5,000). The tax credit can be used to offset the cost of undertaking barrier removal and alterations to improve accessibility; providing accessible formats such as Braille, large print and audio tape; making available a sign language interpreter or a reader for customers or employees, and for purchasing certain adaptive equipment."
"The tax deduction is available to all businesses with a maximum deduction of $15,000 per year. The tax deduction can be claimed for expenses incurred in barrier removal and alterations."
IRS Online Resources
IRS Portable Document Format (PDF) Form 8826
For more information about ADA compliance and ClickAndGo Wayfinding Maps, contact us at info@clickandgomaps.com or call 212-365-6902.