About ADA program compliance

Introduction

Most of us think of disability access in terms of concrete adaptations to the physical environment.

Examples include:

• ramps in buildings
• elevators
• curb ramps on sidewalks
• wide hallways
• power door operators.

While these are important architectural features, they are not enough. We need to ensure access to other things, like programs, services or activities.

The ADA mandate

The Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, is a civil rights law. It ensures that people with visible or invisible disabilities have an equal opportunity to take part in all areas of life.

The ADA mandates that City services should also be “usable by people with disabilities”.

We want to make sure that our programs and services follow this mandate. To do this, we provide things like:

• Reasonable modifications (or accommodations), like service and support animals
• Auxiliary aids and services to ensure effective communication

Program compliance access sign

On many of our departmental public counters, you will see this sign. It means that our staff will make an effort to change a policy to accommodate a person’s disability. We can also arrange to provide you with services or other formats so that you can communicate with us.

If you have disability access difficulties with any of our programs, please let us know. We are here to help!