What Is Title III of the ADA?
Title III of the ADA is nondiscrimination protection by any public accommodation and commercial facility by disability. By public accommodations, under US law, pertain to businesses or facilities owned by private individuals or companies, public or private, to be open to all without prejudice and must follow the regulations and ADA standards for accessible design. These businesses located in buildings or structures are legally required to remove any barriers that would hinder a disabled person’s access to that business’s goods or services. These businesses refer to any one of twelve (12) categories listed in the ADA.
What are these places of public accommodations?
- Places of lodging, such as hotels, motels, inns
- Food and drink establishments, or restaurants, bars, lounges
- Place of exhibition or entertainment, such as theaters, concert venues, sports stadiums
- Places of public gathering, examples are auditoriums, convention centers,
- Sales or rental establishments, including retail stores, supermarkets, shopping malls
- Service establishments, such as hospitals, banks, gas stations, lawyer or accountant’s office, dry cleaners
- Public transportation terminals, depots or stations
- Places of public display or collection, such as museums, galleries, libraries
- Places of recreation, such as amusement parks, fairgrounds, zoos
- Places of education, such as private schools, nursery schools
- Social service center establishments, such as adoption centers, day care centers
- Places of exercise or recreation, including a gymnasium, health spa, golf course, bowling alley
However, in 2010, the law has intended that the Internet, specifically at sites on the World Wide Web, to be considered as public accommodations and that they should also be accessible to persons with disabilities. Just like physical stores, websites that offer goods and services should not present barriers to those who are visually impaired.