Services
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ADA Interpretation, Application & TrainingThe Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law protecting the rights of people with disabilities throughout the Untied States. Because there is no ADA agency enforcing codes and regulations, and because it is left up to business owners and consumers to decipher, the ADA is widely misunderstood and therefore misinterpreted. CK Consulting helps businesses and consumers understand the ADA and apply it as it was intended.
As of April 2008, the new 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. In order to be in full compliance with the ADA, all barriers to goods and services were legally to have been removed by January 26th, 1992. If you currently own, operate, lease, or lease out a place of public accommodation and have not eliminated barriers of which 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 and more income. 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. |
Site Plan InspectionIf you are a business owner that is interested in bringing your building or facility up to code as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings & Facilities (ADAAG), CK Consulting can plan a site visit to help identify potential problems areas and barriers to access that prevent customers with disabilities from taking advantage of your good and services.
If your business is building a new facility or is planning an addition or remodel to an existing facility you will need to think about accessibility as required by ADAAG here as well. The Department of Justice has also recently accepted the Federal Access Board's proposed changes for new requirements for accessibility of recreational facilities, pools, wading pools, and spas that need to be considered before you begin your project. CK Consulting will evaluate your site plans to make sure that they are in full compliance with all access guidelines and requirements. Once your business facilities and/or plans have been properly evaluated, CK Consulting will also provide cost-effective recommendations for improvements and adjustments. Accessibility Planning & StrategiesHaving your business and its facilities inspected and brought up to code does not have to be a costly process and can often be spread out over a period of 3-5 years. If your business is interested in compliance and is worried about immediate costs or possible lawsuits stemming from current lack of accessibility, CK Consulting can help you create a Strategic Accessibility Plan. By planning for the future, your business can offset the costs of ADA improvements and avoid any potential legal problems by creating your Strategic Accessibility Plan now. This will allow you to spread your costs out over the course of up to 5 years and show that your business is in the process of becoming more accessible.
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Disability Marketing Development
There are currently more than 800 million people with disabilities (PWD) around the globe, representing the single largest untapped tourist market in the world. According to the Open Doors Organization, in 2006, the 55 million people with disabilities in the United States took 32 million trips and spent more than $13.6 billion on travel ($4.2 billion on hotels, $3.3 billion on airfare, $2.7 billion on food and beverage, and $3.4 billion on retail, transportation, and other activities). This study also suggested that these travelers would double their spending if they could be assured of proper access and accommodation during their travels. With a discretionary income of more than $200 billion, PWD in the US are ready to spend their money and are waiting for your business to market to them.
CK Consulting has been studying the disability tourism market for over ten years and has consulted with major corporations such as Johnson Outdoors Company (Eureka Tents), Continental Airlines, and the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation, as well as Tourism organizations including the Colorado Tourism Board and the Mid Atlantic Tourism and Public Relations Alliance (MATPRA) on marketing to PWD. We can help your business develop a marketing plan that doesn't require major changes or lots of additional dollar signs and zeros, yet speaks loudly to the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry, travelers with disabilities.
CK Consulting has been studying the disability tourism market for over ten years and has consulted with major corporations such as Johnson Outdoors Company (Eureka Tents), Continental Airlines, and the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation, as well as Tourism organizations including the Colorado Tourism Board and the Mid Atlantic Tourism and Public Relations Alliance (MATPRA) on marketing to PWD. We can help your business develop a marketing plan that doesn't require major changes or lots of additional dollar signs and zeros, yet speaks loudly to the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry, travelers with disabilities.
Disability Training
While it should be common sense that people with disabilities just want to be treated like everyone else, the disabled population is often misunderstood and not treated properly. CK Consulting offers several different training programs for businesses that will help to clarify exactly how to treat people with disabilities. Programs can be customized to meet the needs of any business, speaking event, or training and can cover proper etiquette (The "do's & don'ts) when talking to and assisting people with disabilities as well as the proper handling of customers with disabilities. Let CK Consulting take the guess work out of your next event.
Speaking Services
Craig Kennedy is the President of CK Consulting and is a professional speaker, published author, ADA consultant, and co-founder of Access Anything, a nationally recognized leader in adaptive adventure travel and recreation for people with disabilities. He has spent the past five years speaking and teaching marketing strategies throughout the United States for groups like the Colorado Tourism Office, the Mid Atlantic Tourism & Public Relations Alliance (MATPRA), and Visit Pittsburgh. Mr. Kennedy also has ten years of experience speaking to top spinal cord rehabilitation centers, independent living centers, high schools, colleges, and youth organizations throughout the United States, and has delivered motivational talks to large corporations including the Boeing Company.
Topics:
Topics:
- People with Disabilities: The Untapped Market
- The Benefits of Keeping a Positive Attitude In Life Or in The Workplace
- The Benefits of Adaptive Sports & Travel
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Download Mr. Kennedy's Speaker One Page: |
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