Barrier

A barrier prevents access for a person with a disability. The most common barrier referred to in the ADA is a physical barrier, also known as an architectural barrier.


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Top Barrier Removal Priorities
Infographic titled 'Top Barrier Removal Priorities' featuring a graphic of a building with stairs and a ramp leading to the entrance.

Priority 1: Provide an accessible approach and entrance into the facility

Priority 2: Provide access to goods and services

Priority 3: Provide access to restrooms

Priority 4: Provide other measures necessary to improve access
If you have any questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act, contact us at 1-800-949-4232
Small Business Statistics and Accommodation #1
Infographic showing a smiling person dressed business-casual. 4 out of 5 small businesses do not see the cost of accommodations as a barrier to employing people with disabilities. Note: For the purposes of this study, we define small business as employers having 15-500 employees. Source: William Erickson (Yang-Tan Institute, Cornell University) analysis of Cornell/SHRM Survey 2011, Private employers only. N=525
“We really wanted to make sure that the employee joined us. So, we did what we had to [to accommodate].” -Talent Acquisition & Human Resources Manager of a small information and technology company
Quote is from a set of interviews with small business representatives conducted by the Northeast ADA research team to investigate small business needs around ADA implementation.
Snow Removal: For Business Owners
Infographic titled 'Snow Removal for Business Owners' featuring a man walking through the snow with a cane.

'Where a public accommodation must provide an accessible route, the route must remain accessible and not blocked by obstacles'
- Department of Justice ADA Title III Technical Assistance Manual

After snow, businesses should AVOID:
Plowing snow into accessible parking, access isles, or curb cuts.
Having snow or ice on the accessible route to the entrance.

Removing snow is a readily achievable barrier removal

If you have questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act, contact the Northeast ADA Center at 1-800-949-4232
Important ADA Activists: Judith Heumann
Infographic titled 'Important ADA Activists: Judith Heumann'
Disability rights leader. Founder of Disabled in Action (1970). Led a sit-in to pass the regulations to implement Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Quote: 'Disability only becomes a tragedy for me when society fails to provide the things we need to lead our lives-job opportunities or barrier-free buildings, for example. It is not a tragedy to me that I'm living in a wheelchair.'
Quote source: Joseph S. P. Shapiro, No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement, page 20, (New York: Times Books, 1993).
If you have questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act, contact us at 1-800-949-4232.
Types of Access Barriers
Social media image that says: Access barriers block access for a person with a disability. Types of access barriers are physical, policy, and communication. Image shows a person in a wheelchair below an outdoor cement staircase.