Your Office is a Public Accommodation: What Professionals Need to Know About the ADA

The offices of lawyers, accountants, and other professionals are public accommodations that are required to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This means that traditional physical offices must meet the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, that websites and other similar services provided by the professional must be accessible to those with disabilities, that professionals must be willing to modify the way they do business when it is necessary for a person with a disability to take advantage of their services and may be required at their expense to provide auxiliary aids and services for those with disabilities. In this course, Richard Hunt will cover the definition of "disability" and "public accommodation" under the ADA, discuss how the ABA model rules require accessible law practices, and look more closely at the ADA's requirements for physical accessibility, access to services provided by electronic means, modification of policies and procedures to meet the needs of those with disabilities and the auxiliary aids and services requirement. Along the way, we will cover two of the most commonly litigated ADA issues: website accessibility and allowing service dogs and even miniature horses in a professional office. This discussion will be framed by the ethical obligations related to accessibility and how the ABA model rules require accessible law practice.

Learning Objectives:

1. Define "disability" and "public accommodation" under the ADA
2. Identify and understand the ABA model rules that require accessible law practices
3. Analyze the ADA's requirements for physical accessibility, access to services provided by electronic means, modification of policies and procedures to meet the needs of those with disabilities, website accessibility, and allowing service animals in a professional office
4. Discuss how to ethically comply with the ABA model rules when it comes to running an accessible law practice