Sample Form

Access

Picture of a mall entrance Access to business, stores, gas stations, restaurants and other places of public business is a right granted under the Americans with Disabilities Act. In most cases the structural or design changes necessary to provide access are easily achievable and do not involve excessive costs. We therefore view architectural and design barriers in the same way other oppressed minorities have viewed signs stating that members of their group are not welcome. We believe that our true disabilities are not located within ourselves and we do not believe that we need to be fixed or repaired. Rather, we see our disabilities in the architectural and attitudinal barriers of society. It is these barriers that need to be fixed or torn down.

In fighting for our access rights, DRAC responds to concerns that are brought to our attention from our members and others who feel violated by a lack of access and callous attitudes of business owners. In pursuing these concerns, we first visit and confirm the access violations. Then we write a letter asking that the violations of law be corrected. Our letters provide a time frame within which we believe these violations can reasonably be corrected, and we invite business owners to contact and work with us in good faith if for some reason our proposed time line turns out to be unworkable. If the proposed time frame lapses with no corrections and no contact from the business owner our Board consults with our attorneys and votes on proceeding with a lawsuit. Last year we had 105 lawsuits outstanding--some with housing and some with ADA access.

In addition to some of the more traditional access issues as described above, we have also taken on casinos, marathons and stadiums. We are interested in using our web page to broaden and strengthen our influence in access. Accordingly, we have included some links below that will download PDF versions of testing instruments we have developed for stores, restaurants and convenience stores/gas stations. Please feel free to use them to help determine if your access rights are being violated. Also below is a form that can be filled out online to alert us of access violations you come across. Please be aware that due to constraints on the number of active members and staff we have, as well as geographic constraints in how far we can travel we may not be able to follow up on all reported violations. However, we will do our best and periodically our attorneys and members travel to various parts of the state and we will definitely try to get to your reported violation. Thank you for joining us in the battle for our access civil rights!

Conversely, you may have encountered a store or business that has really done a great job of providing access. If you would like to nominate such a business for special commendation on our web site and a certificate of appreciation from DRAC, please describe what made their access such a great experience:

On-Line Access Violation Reporting Form

You may mail or fax one of our downloaded forms that you have filled in or you may fill out and electronically submit our more generic online form below. Our address is:

3565 South West Temple #16
Salt Lake City, Utah 84115

Our fax number is: (801) 685-8216

Please be as specific as possible. For example, if the aisles are too narrow in a department store, tell us how many inches wide the aisles are.

Name:

Email, phone number or other contact information:

Name of business or store:

Address of business or store: Phone number of business or store

Was this business or store built prior to 1990? Yes No

Has the business or store been remodeled in the past eighteen years?

Describe the nature of the business:

Describe problems with the parking lot (1 accessible spot to 25 regular spots, 1 van accessible minimum):

Describe problems with the doors (requires too much pull to open, too narrow (36" clearance minimum), threshold too high (3/4" maximum, etc.):

Describe problems with the bathrooms (Accessible stalls too narrow--60" by 60" minimum, toilet too low--17-19", sink inaccessible, no grab bars, etc.):

Describe problems with the counters (should be at least one portion that has to be at least 36"):

Describe problems with seating (not able to get a wheelchair under a restaurant table, not able to purchase theatre/concert tickets throughout the facility):

Describe problems with the services/accommodations (attendant didn't pump gas, no way to contact attendant to let him/her know you needed help, rude, unwilling to get merchandise off shelves, wouldn't accommodate service animal, etc.)

Describe any other problems you encountered: