Program FAQ

With Excerpts from the ADA Title II Technical Assistance Manual

Q. Does the ADA apply to state and local governments?

A. Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in all programs, activities, and services of public entities. It applies to all state and local governments, their departments and agencies, and any other instrumentalities or special purpose districts of State and local governments. It clarifies the requirements of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 for public transportation, whether or not they receive Federal financial assistance. It establishes detailed standards for the operation of public transit systems, including commuter and intercity rail (AMTRAK).

Q. When do the requirements for state and local governments become effective?

A. In general, they became effective on January 26, 1992.

Q. Does title II cover a public entity's employment policies and practices?

A. Yes. Title II prohibits entities, regardless of the size of their work force, from discriminating in employment against qualified individuals with disabilities. In addition to title II's employment coverage, title I of the ADA and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibit employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities by certain public entities.

Q. What changes must a public entity make to its existing facilities to make them accessible?

A. A public entity must ensure that individuals with disabilities are not excluded from services, programs, and activities because existing buildings are inaccessible. A state or local government's programs, when viewed in their entirety, must be readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. This standard, known as "program accessibility," applies to facilities of a public entity that existed on January 26, 1992. Public entities do not necessarily have to make each of their existing facilities accessible. They may provide program accessibility by a number of methods including alteration of existing facilities, acquisition or construction of additional facilities, relocation of a service at alternate accessible sites.

Q. What is a self-evaluation?

A. A self-evaluation is a public entity's assessment of its current policies and practices. The self-evaluation identifies and corrects those policies and practices that are inconsistent with title II's requirements. All public entities must complete a self-evaluation by January 26, 1993. A public entity that employs 50 or more employees must retain its self-evaluation for three years. Other public entities are not required to retain their self-evaluations, but are encouraged to do so because these documents evidence a public entity's good faith efforts to comply with title II's requirements.

Q. What does title II require for new construction and alterations?

A. The ADA requires that all new buildings constructed by a State or local government be accessible. In addition, when a State or local government undertakes alterations to a building, it must make the altered portions accessible.

Q. How will a state or local government know that a new building is accessible?

A. A State or local government will be in compliance with the ADA for new construction and alterations if it follows either of two accessibility standards. It can choose either the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards or the Americans with Disabilities Act Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities, which is the standard that must be used for public accommodation and commercial facilities under title II of the ADA. If the State or local government chooses the ADA Accessibility Guidelines, it is not entitled to the elevator exemption (which permits certain private buildings under 3,000 square feet per floor to be constructed without an elevator).

Q. How will the ADA's requirements for state and local governments be enforced?

A. Private individuals may bring lawsuits to enforce their rights under title II and may receive the same remedies as those provided under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, including reasonable attorney's fees. Individuals may also file complaints with eight designated Federal agencies including the Department of Justice and the Department of Transportation.

Q. What are the ADA's requirements for public transit buses?

A. The Department of Transportation has issued regulations mandating accessible public transit vehicles and facilities. The regulations include requirements that all new fixed-route, public transit buses be accessible and that supplementary paratransit services be provided for those individuals with disabilities who cannot use fixed-route bus service.


Technical Assistance Manual Excerpts

See the complete ADA Title II Technical Assistance Manual for other illustrations and details. Please note that individual circumstances vary and that the ADA is changing with the passage of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 and New or Proposed Regulations from the U.S. Department of Justice.


Reasonable Modifications

General. A public entity must reasonably modify its policies, practices, or procedures to avoid discrimination. If the public entity can demonstrate, however, that the modifications would fundamentally alter the nature of its service, program, or activity, it is not required to make the modification.

ILLUSTRATION 1: A municipal zoning ordinance requires a set-back of 12 feet from the curb in the central business district. In order to install a ramp to the front entrance of a pharmacy, the owner must encroach on the set-back by three feet. Granting a variance in the zoning requirement may be a reasonable modification of town policy.

ILLUSTRATION 2: A county general relief program provides emergency food, shelter, and cash grants to individuals who can demonstrate their eligibility. The application process, however, is extremely lengthy and complex. When many individuals with mental disabilities apply for benefits, they are unable to complete the application process successfully. As a result, they are effectively denied benefits to which they are otherwise entitled. In this case, the county has an obligation to make reasonable modifications to its application process to ensure that otherwise eligible individuals are not denied needed benefits. Modifications to the relief program might include simplifying the application process or providing applicants who have mental disabilities with individualized assistance to complete the process.

ILLUSTRATION 3: A county ordinance prohibits the use of golf carts on public highways. An individual with a mobility impairment uses a golf cart as a mobility device. Allowing use of the golf cart as a mobility device on the shoulders of public highways where pedestrians are permitted, in limited circumstances that do not involve a significant risk to the health or safety of others, is a reasonable modification of the county policy.


Maintenance of Accessible Features

Public entities must maintain in working order equipment and features of facilities that are required to provide ready access to individuals with disabilities. Isolated or temporary interruptions in access due to maintenance and repair of accessible features are not prohibited.

Where a public entity must provide an accessible route, the route must remain accessible and not blocked by obstacles such as furniture, filing cabinets, or potted plants. An isolated instance of placement of an object on an accessible route, however, would not be a violation, if the object is promptly removed. Similarly, accessible doors must be unlocked when the public entity is open for business.

Mechanical failures in equipment such as elevators or automatic doors will occur from time to time. The obligation to ensure that facilities are readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities would be violated, if repairs are not made promptly or if improper or inadequate maintenance causes repeated and persistent failures.

ILLUSTRATION 1: It would be a violation for a building manager of a three-story building to turn off the only passenger elevator in order to save energy during the hours when the building is open.

ILLUSTRATION 2: A public high school has a lift to provide access for persons with mobility impairments to an auditorium stage. The lift is not working. If the lift normally is functional and reasonable steps have been taken to repair the lift, then the school has not violated its obligations to maintain accessible features. On the other hand, if the lift frequently does not work and reasonable steps have not been taken to maintain the lift, then the school has violated the maintenance of accessible features requirement.

ILLUSTRATION 3: Because of lack of space, a city office manager places tables and file cabinets in the hallways, which interferes with the usability of the hallway by individuals who use wheelchairs. By rendering a previously accessible hallway inaccessible, the city has violated the maintenance requirement, if that hallway is part of a required accessible route.


Reasonable Accommodation

All public entities must make “reasonable accommodation” to the known physical or mental limitations of otherwise qualified applicants or employees with disabilities, unless the public entity can show that the accommodation would impose an “undue hardship” on the operation of its program.

“Reasonable accommodation” means any change or adjustment to a job or work environment that permits a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the job application process, to perform the essential functions of a job, or to enjoy benefits and privileges of employment equal to those enjoyed by employees without disabilities. Examples include –

  1. Acquiring or modifying equipment or devices;
  2. Job restructuring;
  3. Part-time or modified work schedules;
  4. Providing readers or interpreters;
  5. Making the workplace accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.

However, any particular change or adjustment would not be required if, under the circumstances involved, it would result in an undue hardship.

“Undue hardship” means significant difficulty or expense relative to the operation of a public entity’s program. Where a particular accommodation would result in an undue hardship, the public entity must determine if another accommodation is available that would not result in an undue hardship.


Nondiscrimination in selection criteria and the administration of tests

Public entities may not use employment selection criteria that have the effect of subjecting individuals with disabilities to discrimination. In addition, public entities are required to ensure that, where necessary to avoid discrimination, employment tests are modified so that the test results reflect job skills or aptitude or whatever the test purports to measure, rather than the applicant’s or employee’s hearing, visual, speaking, or manual skills (unless the test is designed to measure hearing, visual, speaking, or manual skills).


Preemployment medical examinations and medical inquiries

During the hiring process, public entities may ask about an applicant”s ability to perform job-related functions but may not ask whether an applicant is disabled or about the nature or severity of an applicant’s disability.

Public entities may not conduct preemployment medical examinations, but they may condition a job offer on the results of a medical examination conducted prior to an individual’s entrance on duty if –

  1. All entering employees in the same job category, regardless of disability, are required to take the same medical examination, and
  2. The results of the medical examination are not used to impermissibly discriminate on the basis of disability.

The results of a medical entrance examination must be kept confidential and maintained in separate medical files.


Program Accessibility

Regulatory references: 28 CFR 35.149-35.150.

General. A public entity may not deny the benefits of its programs, activities, and services to individuals with disabilities because its facilities are inaccessible. A public entity’s services, programs, or activities, when viewed in their entirety, must be readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. This standard, known as “program accessibility,” applies to all existing facilities of a public entity. Public entities, however, are not ecessarily required to make each of their existing facilities accessible.

ILLUSTRATION 1: When a city holds a public meeting in an existing building, it must provide ready access to, and use of, the meeting facilities to individuals with disabilities. The city is not required to make all areas in the building accessible, as long as the meeting room is accessible. Accessible telephones and bathrooms should also be provided where these services are available for use of meeting attendees.

ILLUSTRATION 2: D, a defendant in a civil suit, has a respiratory condition that prevents her from climbing steps. Civil suits are routinely heard in a courtroom on the second floor of the courthouse. The courthouse has no elevator or other means of access to the second floor. The public entity must relocate the proceedings to an accessible ground floor courtroom or take alternative steps, including moving the proceedings to another building, in order to allow D to participate in the civil suit.

ILLUSTRATION 3: A State provides ten rest areas approximately 50 miles apart along an interstate highway. Program accessibility requires that an accessible toilet room for each sex with at least one accessible stall, or a unisex bathroom, be provided at each rest area.

Is a public entity relieved of its obligation to make its programs accessible if no individual with a disability is known to live in a particular area? No. The absence of individuals with disabilities living in an area cannot be used as the test of whether programs and activities must be accessible.

ILLUSTRATION: A rural school district has only one elementary school and it is located in a one-room schoolhouse accessible only by steps. The school board asserts that there are no students in the district who use wheelchairs. Students, however, who currently do not have a disability may become individuals with disabilities through, for example, accidents or disease. In addition, persons other than students, such as parents and other school visitors, may be qualified individuals with disabilities who are entitled to participate in school programs. Consequently, the apparent lack of students with disabilities in a school district’s service area does not excuse the school district from taking whatever appropriate steps are necessary to ensure that its programs, services, and activities are accessible to qualified individuals with disabilities.

Can back doors and freight elevators be used to satisfy the program accessibility requirement? Yes, but only as a last resort and only if such an arrangement provides accessibility comparable to that provided to persons without disabilities, who generally use front doors and passenger elevators. For example, a back door is acceptable if it is kept unlocked during the same hours the front door remains unlocked; the passageway to and from the floor is accessible, well-lit, and neat and clean; and the individual with a mobility impairment does not have to travel excessive distances or through nonpublic areas such as kitchens and storerooms to gain access. A freight elevator would be acceptable if it were upgraded so as to be usable by passengers generally and if the passageways leading to and from the elevator are well-lit and neat and clean.

Are there any limitations on the program accessibility requirement? Yes. A public entity does not have to take any action that it can demonstrate would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of its program or activity or in undue financial and administrative burdens. This determination can only be made by the head of the public entity or his or her designee and must be accompanied by a written statement of the reasons for reaching that conclusion. The determination that undue burdens would result must be based on all resources available for use in the program. If an action would result in such an alteration or such burdens, the public entity must take any other action that would not result in such an alteration or such burdens but would nevertheless ensure that individuals with disabilities receive the benefits and services of the program or activity.

II-5.2000 Methods for providing program accessibility. Public entities may achieve program accessibility by a number of methods. 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, however, pursue alternatives to structural changes in order to achieve program accessibility. Nonstructural methods include acquisition or redesign of equipment, assignment of aides to beneficiaries, and provision of services at alternate accessible sites.

ILLUSTRATION 1: The office building housing a public welfare agency may only be entered by climbing a flight of stairs. If an individual with a mobility impairment seeks information about welfare benefits, the agency can provide the information in an accessible ground floor location or in another accessible building.

ILLUSTRATION 2: A public library’s open stacks are located on upper floors having no elevator. As an alternative to installing a lift or elevator, library staff may retrieve books for patrons who use wheelchairs. The aides must be available during the operating hours of the library.

ILLUSTRATION 3: A public university that conducts a French course in an inaccessible building may relocate the course to a building that is readily accessible.

When choosing a method of providing program access, a public entity must give priority to the one that results in the most integrated setting appropriate to encourage interaction among all users, including individuals with disabilities.

ILLUSTRATION: A rural, one-room library has an entrance with several steps. The library can make its services accessible in several ways. It may construct a simple wooden ramp quickly and at relatively low cost. Alternatively, individuals with mobility impairments may be provided access to the library’s services through a bookmobile, by special messenger service, through use of clerical aides, or by any other method that makes the resources of the library “readily accessible.” Priority should be given, however, to constructing a ramp because that is the method that offers library services to individuals with disabilities and others in the same setting.

Is carrying an individual with a disability considered an acceptable method of achieving program access? Generally, it is not. Carrying persons with mobility impairments to provide program accessibility is permitted in only two cases. First, when program accessibility in existing facilities can be achieved only through structural alterations (that is, physical changes to the facilities), carrying may serve as a temporary expedient until construction is completed. Second, carrying is permitted in manifestly exceptional cases if (a) carriers are formally instructed on the safest and least humiliating means of carrying and (b) the service is provided in a reliable manner. Carrying is contrary to the goal of providing accessible programs, which is to foster independence.

How is “program accessibility” under title II different than “readily achievable barrier removal” under title III? Unlike private entities under title III, public entities are not required to remove barriers from each facility, even if removal is readily achievable. A public entity must make its “programs” accessible. Physical changes to a building are required only when there is no other feasible way to make the program accessible.

In contrast, barriers must be removed from places of public accommodation under title III where such removal is “readily achievable,” without regard to whether the public accommodation’s services can be made accessible through other methods.


Communications

Regulatory references: 28 CFR 35.160-35.164.

II-7.1000 Equally effective communication. A public entity must ensure that its communications with individuals with disabilities are as effective as communications with others. This obligation, however, does not require a public entity to take any action that it can demonstrate would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of its services, programs, or activities, or in undue financial and administrative burdens.

In order to provide equal access, a public accommodation is required to make available appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to ensure effective communication.

What are auxiliary aids and services? Auxiliary aids and services include a wide range of services and devices that promote effective communication.

Examples of auxiliary aids and services for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing include qualified interpreters, notetakers, computer-aided transcription services, written materials, telephone handset amplifiers, assistive listening systems, telephones compatible with hearing aids, closed caption decoders, open and closed captioning, telecommunications devices for deaf persons (TDD’s), videotext displays, and exchange of written notes.

Examples for individuals with vision impairments include qualified readers, taped texts, audio recordings, Brailled materials, large print materials, and assistance in locating items.

Examples for individuals with speech impairments include TDD’s, computer terminals, speech synthesizers, and communication boards.

The type of auxiliary aid or service necessary to ensure effective communication will vary in accordance with the length and complexity of the communication involved.

ILLUSTRATION 1: Some individuals who have difficulty communicating because of a speech impairment can be understood if individuals dealing with them merely listen carefully and take the extra time that is necessary.

ILLUSTRATION 2: For individuals with vision impairments, employees can provide oral directions or read written instructions. In many simple transactions, such as paying bills or filing applications, communications provided through such simple methods will be as effective as the communications provided to other individuals in similar transactions. Many transactions with public entities, however, involve more complex or extensive communications than can be provided through such simple methods. Sign language or oral interpreters, for example, may be required when the information being communicated in a transaction with a deaf individual is complex, or is exchanged for a lengthy period of time. Factors to be considered in determining whether an interpreter is required include the context in which the communication is taking place, the number of people involved, and the importance of the communication.

ILLUSTRATION 1: A municipal hospital emergency room must be able to communicate with patients about symptoms and patients must be able to understand information provided about their conditions and treatment. In this situation, an interpreter is likely to be necessary for communications with individuals who are deaf.

ILLUSTRATION 2: Because of the importance of effective communication in State and local court proceedings, special attention must be given to the communications needs of individuals with disabilities involved in such proceedings. Qualified interpreters will usually be necessary to ensure effective communication with parties, jurors, and witnesses who have hearing impairments and use sign language. For individuals with hearing impairments who do not use sign language, other types of auxiliary aids or services, such as assistive listening devices or computer-assisted transcription services, which allow virtually instantaneous transcripts of courtroom argument and testimony to appear on displays, may be required.

Must public service announcements or other television programming produced by public entities be captioned? Audio portions of television and videotape programming produced by public entities are subject to the requirement to provide equally effective communication for individuals with hearing impairments. Closed captioning of such programs is sufficient to meet this requirement.

Must tax bills from public entities be available in Braille and/or large print? What about other documents? Tax bills and other written communications provided by public entities are subject to the requirement for effective communication. Thus, where a public entity provides information in written form, it must, when requested, make that information available to individuals with vision impairments in a form that is usable by them. “Large print” versions of written documents may be produced on a copier with enlargement capacities. Brailled versions of documents produced by computers may be produced with a Braille printer, or audio tapes may be provided for individuals who are unable to read large print or do not use Braille.

Primary consideration. When an auxiliary aid or service is required, the public entity must provide an opportunity for individuals with disabilities to request the auxiliary aids and services of their choice and must give primary consideration to the choice expressed by the individual. “Primary consideration” means that the public entity must honor the choice, unless it can demonstrate that another equally effective means of communication is available, or that use of the means chosen would result in a fundamental alteration in the service, program, or activity or in undue financial and administrative burdens.

It is important to consult with the individual to determine the most appropriate auxiliary aid or service, because the individual with a disability is most familiar with his or her disability and is in the best position to determine what type of aid or service will be effective. Some individuals who were deaf at birth or who lost their hearing before acquiring language, for example, use sign language as their primary form of communication and may be uncomfortable or not proficient with written English, making use of a notepad an ineffective means of communication.

Individuals who lose their hearing later in life, on the other hand, may not be familiar with sign language and can communicate effectively through writing. For these individuals, use of a word processor with a videotext display may provide effective communication in transactions that are long or complex, and computer-assisted simultaneous transcription may be necessary in courtroom proceedings. Individuals with less severe hearing impairments are often able to communicate most effectively with voice amplification provided by an assistive listening device.

For individuals with vision impairments, appropriate auxiliary aids include readers, audio recordings, Brailled materials, and large print materials. Brailled materials, however, are ineffective for many individuals with vision impairments who do not read Braille, just as large print materials would be ineffective for individuals with severely impaired vision who rely on Braille or on audio communications. Thus, the requirement for consultation and primary consideration to the individual‘s expressed choice applies to information provided in visual formats as well as to aurally communicated information.

Qualified interpreter. There are a number of sign language systems in use by individuals who use sign language. (The most common systems of sign language are American Sign Language and signed English.) Individuals who use a particular system may not communicate effectively through an interpreter who uses a different system. When an interpreter is required, therefore, the public entity should provide a qualified interpreter, that is, an interpreter who is able to sign to the individual who is deaf what is being said by the hearing person and who can voice to the hearing person what is being signed by the individual who is deaf. This communication must be conveyed effectively, accurately, and impartially, through the use of any necessary specialized vocabulary.

May friends or relatives be asked to interpret Often, friends or relatives of the individual can provide interpreting services, but the public entity may not require the individual to provide his or her own interpreter, because it is the responsibility of the public entity to provide a qualified interpreter. Also, in many situations, requiring a friend or family member to interpret may not be appropriate, because his or her presence at the transaction may violate the individual’s right to confidentiality, or because the friend or family member may have an interest in the transaction that is different from that of the individual involved. The obligation to provide “impartial” interpreting services requires that, upon request, the public entity provide an interpreter who does not have a personal relationship to the individual with a disability.

Are certified interpreters considered to be more qualified than interpreters without certification? Certification is not required in order for an interpreter to be considered to have the skills necessary to facilitate communication. Regardless of the professionalism or skills that a certified interpreter may possess, that particular individual may not feel comfortable or possess the proper vocabulary necessary for interpreting for a computer class, for example. Another equally skilled, but noncertified interpreter might have the necessary vocabulary, thus making the noncertified person the qualified interpreter for that particular situation.

Can a public entity use a staff member who signs “pretty well” as an interpreter for meetings with individuals who use sign language to communicate? Signing and interpreting are not the same thing. Being able to sign does not mean that a person can process spoken communication into the proper signs, nor does it mean that he or she possesses the proper skills to observe someone signing and change their signed or fingerspelled communication into spoken words. The interpreter must be able to interpret both receptively and expressively.

Telephone communications. Public entities that communicate by telephone must provide equally effective communication to individuals with disabilities, including hearing and speech impairments. If telephone relay services, such as those required by title IV of the ADA, are available, these services generally may be used to meet this requirement. Relay services involve a relay operator who uses both a standard telephone and a TDD to type the voice messages to the TDD user and read the TDD messages to the standard telephone user. Where such services are available, public employees must be instructed to accept and handle relayed calls in the normal course of business.

State ADA Coordinator
10th Fl. State Office Building Juneau, AK 99811
Phone/TTY: 907-465-6929 • Fax: 907-465-5850 or 907-465-2576
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