ADA Checklist for New Lodging Facilities

Introduction

Hotels, motels, inns and other places of lodging must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This publication is a self-help survey that owners, franchisors, and managers of lodging facilities can use to identify ADA mistakes at their facilities. Using this survey will not identify all possible ADA problems -- it will simply identify some of the most common ones. However, by using this survey, owners, managers, and franchisors can identify and fix most ADA mistakes at their facilities.

This survey asks questions in a simple "yes/no" format, using plain nontechnical language. If the person surveying a lodging facility can accurately answer "yes" or "not applicable" to all questions on this survey, then the lodging facility surveyed is free of most ADA problems. ADA mistakes are identified on this survey each time a question is accurately answered "no."

ADA Requirements

Under the ADA, hotels, motels, inns and other places of lodging designed or constructed after January 26, 1993, must be usable by persons with disabilities. To meet this requirement, lodging facilities must comply with certain regulations published by the Justice Department. The regulations contain detailed architectural requirements called the ADA Standards for Accessible Design (Standards), 28 C.F.R. pt. 36, Appendix A. Each question in the survey describes a requirement contained in the regulations

The Standards are designed to ensure accessibility for individuals with a wide variety of different disabilities, such as persons who are blind or have low vision, people who are deaf or hard of hearing, persons with limited use of hands or arms, individuals with mobility impairments who use canes, crutches, braces or walkers, persons who use wheelchairs, and people who have combinations of disabilities. Thus, the Standards include architectural requirements that address the different needs of persons with each of these types of disabilities. For example, the Standards include requirements for braille and raised letter signs and cane-detectable warnings of safety hazards for persons who are blind or have low vision. The Standards require lodging facilities to install visual fire alarms and to have rooms that are equipped for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. The Standards require door hardware, heating and air conditioning controls, and faucet controls that do not require tight pinching, twisting, or grasping for persons with limited use of hands or arms. For persons who use mobility aids because they cannot walk or have problems walking or climbing stairs, the Standards require there to be ways of traveling throughout the facility that do not steps, stairs, or other abrupt level changes. And, the Standards require doors with 32 inches of clear passage width, ramps and curb cuts for persons who use wheelchairs, crutches, and other mobility aids.

Lodging facilities must comply with all of the requirements in the Standards that are applicable. And, because a difference of inches or, in some cases, a difference of a fraction of an inch can pose a serious safety hazard or result in the denial of access for persons with disabilities, full compliance with the Standards is essential.

This publication was designed to help owners, franchisors, managers, and operators of newly constructed lodging facilities understand the ADA requirements that apply to their facilities. This publication is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all of the ADA problems that can occur at a lodging facility. However, it is a list of common problems that the Justice Department has identified during on-site investigations and compliance reviews of lodging facilities.

In addition to increasing understanding of the ADA requirements that apply to lodging facilities, this survey can also be used by lodging facility owners, franchisors, managers, or operators to obtain written confirmation that a lodging facility complies with the ADA requirements from an architect and/or a building contractor.

Instructions

The publication consists of three parts: (1) the Introduction and Instructions; (2) Survey Tools and Techniques; (3) the ADA Checklist for New Lodging Facilities. The Introduction and Instructions explain the purpose and uses of this form and explain how to complete the Checklist. Survey Tools and Techniques explains how to make certain measurements required to complete the Checklist. The Checklist contains common ADA problems identified during surveys of lodging facilities and will help you to determine if these problems exist at your lodging facility.

To use this survey most effectively, you should:

• Be familiar with the ADA Regulations including the ADA Standards. For a free copy of the regulations, call the ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 (voice) 1-800-514-0383 (TTY). Other helpful ADA publications relating to lodging facilities are also available free of charge.

• Inspect the facility. You cannot complete the Checklist without conducting an on-site inspection of the facility to make visual observations and take specific measurements. The Survey Tools and Techniques section of this publication explains how to make certain measurements required to determine if a facility meets ADA requirements.

• Complete the ADA Checklist for New Lodging Facilities. The Checklist describes some of the most common accessibility problems at lodging facilities. If you cannot answer "Yes" or "Not Applicable" ("N/A") to all of the questions on the Checklist, then your lodging facility does not comply with the ADA requirements, and all problems must be fixed.

Questions concerning this publication, requests for free copies of this publication or copies of the ADA Standards, and general or technical questions about ADA requirements should be directed to:

The ADA Information Line (800) 514-0301 voice (800) 514-0383 TTY

ADA information is also available on the Justice Department's ADA Home Page on the Internet at www.ada.gov.