Frequently
Asked Questions About Professional Offices
Q: If
a professional office is in an historic building, is it exempt
from the requirements of the ADA?
A: No.
Barrier removal is required in all buildings, including historic
buildings, if it is readily achievable. However, barrier
removal is not considered readily achievable if it would threaten
or destroy the historic significance of a building or facility
that is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic
Places under the National Historic Preservation Act, or is designated
as historic under State or local law.
Q: How
can a professional service provider communicate with a client
who is deaf or hard of hearing or who has a speech impairment?
A: Most
clients who are deaf or hard of hearing will identify themselves
by writing a note or using hand gestures and will alert the professional
to the best method of communication. Maintaining face-to-face
contact is important to communicate with a client who reads lips. A
sign language interpreter should not be necessary in most minor
transactions, but may be necessary to communicate effectively in
an unusually complex transaction. Professionals
can share a computer with a client to type questions and answers
back and forth to each other, if the client finds this approach
is sufficiently informative. It
is important to communicate effectively with customers who have
speech impairments. Professionals must take the time for
people with such a disability to express themselves or to communicate
using a word board.
Q: How can
a professional perform a service that requires confidential communication or
written materials with a client who is deaf or hard of hearing?
A: For
a client who is deaf or hard of hearing, effective communication
may require a qualified sign language interpreter. Qualified
sign language interpreters are required to maintain the confidentiality
of any conversations they interpret.
Q: Must
a professional office that is located within a private residence
be accessible?
A: Yes.
When a public accommodation is located in a private residence,
the portions of the home used as a place of public accommodation
are covered by the ADA. This is also true if those
parts of the home that are used as a public accommodation
are also used for residential purposes. The readily
achievable standard continues to apply. Barrier removal will
be required when considered in light of the financial and other
resources of the professional office. |
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