Blue Path Offers a Directory of Accessible Business!

One of our goals is to provide positive incentives to small businesses who take steps...out! When businesses remove barriers like steps, their customer base increases from that moment on. A great way to locate retail outlets is Blue Path, an accessible directory for the Northwest. Check it out and let listed businesses know you appreciate their inclusive policies.

We're hoping to add a few hundred new Idaho businesses in the coming months and years.

http://blue-path.com/

Which businesses are covered by the ADA?

Businesses that provide goods or services to the public are called “public accommodations” under the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA. The ADA establishes requirements for 12 categories of public accommodations, which include:

• stores,
• restaurants,
• bars,
• service establishments, 
• theaters, hotels,
• recreational facilities,
• private museums
• schools,
• doctors’ offices
• dentists’ offices,
• shopping malls,
• and other businesses

Nearly all types of businesses that serve the public are included in the 12 categories, regardless of the size of the business or the age of their buildings.

Businesses covered by the ADA are required to modify their business policies and procedures when necessary to serve customers with disabilities and take steps to communicate effectively with customers with disabilities. The ADA also requires businesses to remove architectural barriers in existing buildings and make sure that newly built or altered facilities are constructed to be accessible to individuals with disabilities. “Grandfather provisions” often found in local building codes do not exempt businesses from their obligations under the ADA.

But do not despair, RampUpIdaho is here to help make the process of making adaptive modifications easy to understand, and connecting businesses to available resources to help defray costs and create efficiencies though communication and planning.