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May 21, 2019

Retail Properties and the ADA: Five Common Pitfalls to Avoid

By Christy Kim, AIA, CASp

COMPLIANCE CRITICAL FOR RETAIL PROPERTY STAKEHOLDERS

Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a hot topic for anyone who owns, manages or lends on retail properties. The ADA designates retail businesses as “places of public accommodation” that must remove barriers from existing buildings that are readily achievable and provide access for people with disabilities when constructing new facilities. Misconceptions about the ADA abound regarding what exactly is required, who exactly must comply, and how exactly the requirements of the Act should be interpreted.

Accessibility Assessments are designed to eliminate those misconceptions. Our Certified Access Specialists (CASp) perform hundreds of these assessments every year. While each property is different, there are a few problems that tend to crop up more than others. Below are five, red-flag accessibility issues to consider when working with retail properties.

To read the full blog on GlobeSt, please click here.

About the Authors

Christy Kim, AIA, CASp

National Technical Director of Accessibility

Christy Kim, AIA, CASp serves as the National Technical Director of Accessibility for Partner. Ms. Kim has 16 years of experience in the architectural, engineering, and construction service industries. Specifically, Ms. Kim has performed Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) surveys, Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA) surveys, Certified Access Specialist (CASp) surveys, accessibility consulting, technical design and consulting for architectural firms, and accessibility consulting and remediation design projects for building owners. She has served as the defense legal accessibility expert on several city- and privately-owned properties. As a defense legal expert her duties included working with legal counsel to review plaintiff complaints, performing assessments of the properties, designing remediation, obtaining bids, monitoring corrective construction work, and mediation.

Get in Touch

Christy Kim, AIA, CASp
(714) 581-6090
[email protected]

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