Americans With Disabilities Act Seminar
The City Office on the Disabled and the American Institute
of Architects (AIA) - St. Louis Chapter jointly sponsored a
seminar on Oct. 20 about how state and local government entities
are supposed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA). Seventy-six people from the region, including 16
St. Louis City managers and professionals, attended.
Speakers included Dana L. Jackson, Investigator, Disability
Rights Section, Civil Rights Division, US Department of Justice
(DOJ), Lois Thibault, Research Coordinator, US Access Board,
and Bill Hecker, AIA, an expert working for the Department
of Justice and others.
All the speakers noted that the ADA was enacted in 1990 and
all government entities were supposed to be in compliance by
the mid 1990’s. All also reported that many cities and counties
are still in compliance.
Jackson described his department’s enforcement program – Project
Civic Action. Under that program the DOJ more or less randomly
picks cities and counties around the United States and sends
in teams of lawyers and architects to find areas in which the
target is not in compliance. They then require the target city
or county to negotiate and sign a “settlement agreement” that
requires the target city or county to come into compliance
within a specified short number of years.
Thibault and Hecker provided the technical guidance to assist
government entities’ coming into compliance. Hecker emphasized
this can be expensive and urged heads of entities to give their
personal attention and support to the plans to come into compliance.
Local ADA experts Gina Hilberry, AIA, Saint Louis University
law professor Elizabeth Pendo, and Commissioner on the Disabled
David Newburger also participated in the presentation.
Lois Thibault, Research Coordinator, United States Access
Board, addresses the audience. Thibault covered the role of
the Access Board, requirements in the public rights-of-way,
and technical assistance resources.
The seminar concluded with a panel discussion and answers
to questions from the audience. The panelists included (from
left): David Newburger, Commissioner of the City’s Office of
the Disabled; Bill Hecker, AIA; Lois Thibault, U.S. Access
Board; and Elizabeth Pendo, Saint Louis University law professor.
Human Services
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