RE: Local businesses fall victim to ADA scam

I own a disabled access consulting and advocacy services company. I am trained in federal and state disabled access building code compliance and the Civil Rights of persons with disabilities. Besides me, I know that there are many people and agencies to whom the business community can turn to obtain expert advice and interpretations of access compliance or lack thereof. Ignoring responsibilities or ignorance of where to get the information to comply is the biggest barrier. For example, the state and federal Departments of Justice are there; the State and federal Departments of Rehabilitation are there; the federal and State Departments of Education are there; the federal access board is there; the Pacific Disability Business Technical Assistance Center is there.

The Americans with Disabilities Act is the third most important and far-reaching Civil Rights legislation ever adopted in this country, behind the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Your article should have started with the fact that local building officials have ignored their obligation and fiduciary responsibility to enforce California disabled access building codes is why businesses are out of compliance. Every business owner in California or anywhere else knows they have the obligation to operate in a non-discriminatory manner and that the phrase “We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to Anyone” is not a license to discriminate. The lack of enforcement by local building officials of California codes is not an excuse, although it is an explanation.

The California Chamber of Commerce is not interested in understanding that this is a Civil Rights issue. Many local Chambers of Commerce are not interested in understanding that this is a Civil Rights issue. The media is not interested in understanding that this is a Civil Rights Issue.

Why is this so hard to understand? Why does the media insist on calling the ADA a scam? Why do businesses scapegoat their own failings to the disability community instead of taking responsibility for failed business practices and poor business judgement? The stories are false and place the disabled community on the “Most Hated” list for no reason other than to shift responsibility.

Shame on the business community and shame on the media for failing to publish the truth.