ADA Accessibility Guidelines Changing

Major revisions to Title III of the Americans With Disabilities Act's (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines are coming. The Accessibility Guidelines, which establish the architectural requirements for providing physical access to persons with disabilities, have seen few substantive changes since the ADA's enactment in 1992. However, revisions to the Accessibility Guidelines have been submitted to the Office of Budget and Management for review and comment and are scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on July 26, 2004 (the 12th anniversary of the Act). Both the Department of Transportation and the Department of Justice are likely to adopt the new Accessibility Guidelines during late 2004 or early in 2005. It is known that the new Accessibility Guidelines will use a revised organizational system similar to other accessibility standards, and the substantive changes are rumored to be extensive.