Maintaining disability access in the winter can be difficult for public agencies, but local communication and partnerships can make it vastly easier to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
“Snow is a fact of life in some areas,” said Kristi Avalos, president and CEO of the consulting company Accessology Too, “but the addition of snow does not erase the requirement for accessibility.”
Snow and ice can cause mobility issues for people with disabilities—creating slip hazards, narrowing paths, and even covering landmarks and curbs that people with vision or memory problems use for navigation.
Title II of the ADA specifically applies to state and local governments, and it requires that any services, programs, or activities which includes sidewalks—must be accessible to all users. This entails lots of maintenance, such as snow and ice removal.
One of the best ways to make the maintenance process easier, Avalos said, is to foster communication and partnership throughout the community. Setting up a snow-removal hotline is good for reporting specific issues, and forming partnerships with local entities such as businesses, transit agencies, and municipal departments is useful for distributing maintenance duties.
Avalos also recommends forming an advisory board of people with different disabilities to provide insight into the specific needs of the community.
“Bottom line is, we know this isn’t easy,” Avalos said. “Take full advantage of the people and the businesses in your community.”
Avalos presented during the 2023 Salt Symposium, which was livestreamed in August. The event was sponsored by Bolton & Menk.