In the United States alone there are more than 50 million people with disabilities, as well as millions of people entering their golden years that are in need of accessible travel options. Worldwide, there are more than 180 million people with disabilities.

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires public accommodations to provide equal access to all goods and services for people with disabilities. This is intended to make sure that all individuals and businesses can benefit from the services and patronage provided by each other. There are 12 types of entities that are considered public accommodations. These include: places of lodging, exhibition, or entertainment, public gathering, public display or collection, recreation, and exercise; private educational institutions; establishments serving food of drink; service establishments; stations used for specific public transportation; and social service center establishments.

Barriers to goods and services were legally to have been removed by January 26th, 1992 in order to be in full compliance with the ADA. If you currently own, operate, lease, or lease out a place of public accommodation and have not eliminated barriers whose removal is "readily achievable", you may be in violation of the ADA. Complying with the ADA is good business because equal access leads to new customers.

The ADA also requires businesses to continually monitor their accessibility and their resources as new measures for barrier removal become readily achievable. In many cases, the IRS allows for certain deductions and tax credits to help businesses achieve an acceptable level of accessibility.

The Accessibility Rating System (ARS) was created in order to provide businesses with a universal tool that can be used to assess and rectify current barriers faced by travelers and consumers with disabilities, and to ensure travelers with disabilities the piece of mind they need in order to have a safe, fun, and barrier-free vacation. There are currently more than 50 million people with disabilities in the United States and 180 million worldwide, representing the single largest untapped tourist market in the world. A recent study by the Open Doors Organization revealed that travelers with disabilities take 32 million trips per year, spend more than $13.6 billion per year on travel, and have a discretionary income of almost $200 billion. This study also suggested that these people would double their spending is they were assured of better accommodation. That means there are literally billions of dollars in unspent tourist dollars sitting there waiting to be spent! By eliminating barriers now and improving your accessibility, you can get a head start on attracting new tourist dollars.

The ARS will provide you with a thorough inspection platform detailing the accessibility of your business, as well as easy and cost-effective suggestions on how to make your business more accessible.

Home | Accessibility | Projects | Links | Gallery | About Us | Contact Us