The Americans With Disabilities Act Guide For Small Business presents an informal overview of some basic ADA requirements for small businesses.

The Americans With Disabilities Act Guide For Small Business presents an informal overview of some basic ADA requirements for small businesses that provide goods or services to the public.

On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), guaranteeing equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public accommodations, commercial facilities, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications.

The ADA is a Federal civil rights law that prohibits the exclusion of people with disabilities from everyday activities. To meet the goals of the ADA, the law established requirements for private businesses of all sizes. These requirements first went into effect on January 26, 1992, and continue today for both for-profit and non-profit organizations.

If you own, operate, lease, or lease to a business that serves the public, you are covered by the ADA and have obligations for existing facilities as well as for compliance when a facility is altered or a new facility is constructed. Existing facilities are not exempted by "grandfather provisions" that are often used by building code officials.

The Americans With Disabilities Act Guide For Small Business presents an informal overview of some basic ADA requirements for small businesses that provide goods or services to the public. It omits many of the "legal" terms that are found in the ADA and its regulations. But because it would be misleading to separate any explanation of ADA requirements from the law, references to key sections of the regulations or other information are included.

In recognition that many small businesses can not afford to make significant physical changes to their stores or places of business to provide accessibility to wheelchair users and other people with disabilities, the ADA has requirements for existing facilities built before 1993 that are less strict than for ones built after early 1993 or modified after early 1992.

Private businesses that provide goods or services to the public are called public accommodations in the ADA. The ADA establishes requirements for twelve categories of public accommodations, including stores and shops, restaurants and bars, service establishments, theaters, hotels, recreation facilities, private museums and schools and others. Nearly all types of private businesses that serve the public are included in the categories, regardless of size.

For small businesses, compliance with the ADA is not difficult. To help businesses with their compliance efforts, Congress established a technical assistance program to answer questions about the ADA. The Department of Justice operates a toll-free ADA Information Line (800- 514-0301 voice and 800-514-0383 TDD). In addition, tax credits and deductions were established that can be used annually to offset many costs of providing access to people with disabilities.

About Americans With Disabilities

41.3 million - Number of people who have some level of disability. They represent 15 percent of the civilian noninstitutionalized population 5 and older.

By age:
- 6 percent of children 5 to 15 have disabilities.
- 12 percent of people 16 to 64 have disabilities.
- 41 percent of adults 65 and older have disabilities.

16% - Percentage of females with a disability, compared with 14 percent of males.

10.7 million - Number of disabled people 6 and older who need personal assistance with one or more activities of daily living (such as taking a bath or shower) or instrumental activities of daily living (such as using the telephone). This group amounts to 4 percent of people in this age category.

2.7 million - Number of people 15 and older who use a wheelchair. Another 9.1 million use an ambulatory aid such as a cane, crutches or walker.

1.8 million - Number of people 15 and older who report being unable to see.

1 million - Number of people 15 and older who report being unable to hear.

2.6 million - Number of people 15 and older who have some difficulty having their speech understood by others. Of this number, 610,000 were unable to have their speech understood at all.

14.3 million - Number of people with limitations in cognitive functioning, or who have a mental or emotional illness that interferes with daily activities, including those with Alzheimer’s disease and mental retardation. This group comprises 6 percent of the population 15 and older.

11.8 million - Number of 16- to 64-year-olds who reported a medical condition that makes it difficult to find a job or remain employed. They comprise 6 percent of the population this age.

56% -Percentage of people 21 to 64 having some type of disability who were employed in the past year. The rate ranged from 82 percent of those with a nonsevere disability to 43 percent with a severe disability. For those without a disability, the employment rate is 88 percent for the same period.

44% - Percentage of people with a nonsevere disability who work full time, year-round. This compares with 53 percent without a disability and 13 percent with a severe disability.

33% - Percentage of people 25 to 64 who have a nonsevere disability and report their health as being “very good” or “excellent.” This compares with 13 percent of those with a severe disability and 73 percent of those without a disability.

$22,000 - Median earnings for people with a nonsevere disability. This compares with $25,000 for those with no disability and $12,800 for those with a severe disability.

18% - Percentage of people with a nonsevere disability with household incomes of $80,000 or more. By comparison, 26 percent of people without a disability had household incomes of $80,000 or more, with the same being true of 9 percent of those with a severe one.

11% - The poverty rate for people 25 to 64 with a nonsevere disability. This compares with 26 percent for those with a severe disability and 8 percent of those without a disability.

60% - Percentage of people 25 to 64 with a nonsevere disability who live in married-couple families. The corresponding rates are 68 percent for those without disabilities and 50 percent for people with severe disabilities.

23% - Percentage of people with a nonsevere disability who live alone or with nonrelatives. This compares with 28 percent of those with a severe disability and 19 percent without a disability.

33% - The percentage of people 25 to 64 who had a nonsevere disability and were college graduates. This compares with 43 percent with no disability and 22 percent with a severe disability.

2.2 million - The number of undergraduates with a disability, as of the 2003-04 school year. These students represented 11 percent of all undergrads.

36% and 29% - Percentages of people 15 to 64 with a severe disability who use a computer and the Internet at home, respectively. The respective figures for those without a disability are 61 percent and 51 percent.

2.7 million - Number of veterans who received compensation totaling $26.6 billion for service-connected disabilities in 2006.

96.5% - Percent of transit buses that were ADA lift- or ramp-equipped, as of 2005.