ADA Rule Changes May Affect Businesses

Proposed rule changes to the 1991 American’s With Disabilities Act, which, if enacted, would place new requirements on businesses relating to workplace accessibility, may have a dramatic impact on small businesses, including small, family-owned businesses.

Although the 1991 rule changes to ADA catalyzed a dramatic movement toward increased access for employees with disabilities, it appears that those changes may not have been enough, according to NFIB reports.

For example, one proposed rule change would mandate wheelchair access for disabled employees in employee work areas, irrespective of whether the business has any employees using wheelchairs.  Other rule changes, too, may be to the detriment of small business owners, who have already struggled (economically) to comply with the 1991 rule changes.

While the extent to which any of these rules will affect small businesses is unpredictable at this stage, one thing is for sure: if enacted, ADA compliance will be more costly for businesses.

However,-as is usually the case with ADA rule changes that negatively effect business owners- disabled employees would likely experience better, more accomodating working conditions as a result of the modifications.