ADA Deadline Looms

By PlanetLaundry staff | Feb 22, 2012

Laundry owners and other small-business operators have until March 15 to comply with revised standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which were set forth in 2010 by the Department of Justice.

“The new rules usher in a new day for the more than 50 million individuals with disabilities in this country,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. “The rules will expand accessibility in a number of areas.”

The new ADA rules adopt the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, which have been retooled to be “more user-friendly for building code officials, builders and architects, and have been harmonized with state and local accessibility codes,” according to the DOJ.

In addition to adopting the new ADA 2010 Standards, the amended regulations contain many new or expanded provisions on general, nondiscrimination policies – including the use of service animals, the use of wheelchairs and other power-driven mobility devices, and the effect of the new regulations on existing facilities.

Laundry owners should pay particular attention to the following areas of their facilities:

• The height of folding tables, bill changers, wall-mounted soap vending machines, paper towel dispensers in restrooms and, of course, washers and dryers. Typically, at least one of each must meet accessibility standards.

• The availability and placement of handicap-accessible parking spaces; also, the presence of proper signage indicating such spaces.

• Any impediments to accessing the laundromat, such as steps, ramps that are too steep and doors that are too difficult to open.

• The width of the store’s aisles, entrance and restroom doors.

The revised rules are the Department of Justice’s first major revision of its guidance on accessibility in more than 20 years.

For more information about the ADA, call the Justice Department’s ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383; or visit ada.gov.