Oce: Hi, I’m Oce, the project director at the New England ADA Center.

Kathy: And I am Kathy, the director of training. I’ll ask Oce questions on the ADA and state and local governments. Listeners follow along and see if you can guess the right answers.

The ADA requires that a city do which of the following:

A.  Allow a person with a disability to bring a service animal into a public library.

B.   Provide a meeting agenda in Braille for a person who is blind

C.   Hire sign language interpreters so that a person who is deaf can participate in a recreation program

Oce: The ADA requires all of those.

Kathy: You are correct. Does a person with a disability need to make request ahead of time concerning the braille or interpreters or should the city just provide them?

Oce: Well - The Braille agenda and the interpreters should be requested ahead of time.

Kathy: Does the city need to spend unlimited amounts of time and money on items such as interpreters?

Oce: No, there is a legal term called “undue burden” which means “significant difficulty or expense.

Kathy: Who makes the decision about whether something is an “undue burden”?

Oce: The head of the city or town, for example the mayor or city manager OR someone he or she designates, like the ADA Coordinator.

Kathy: Thanks Oce.

Oce: Thanks Kathy!

Kathy: Listeners remember, the ADA provides rights for people with disabilities to participate in state and local government services and activities. Please ask for what you need.

You can find more information on the website ADA.gov.