The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lays down a standard for businesses, public spaces, and people that encourages a level of accessibility for all individuals. This alone makes ADA compliance important. 

Accessible parking spots are the key to mobility for individuals with disabilities who visit all of life’s essential businesses. From school to grocery shopping to entertainment, accessible parking means that everyone is welcome to enjoy living. But when it comes to accessible parking lots, it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation.

In fact, accessible parking lots often have parking that is designated for different types of vehicles. Moreover, the Americans with Disabilities Act outlines certain standards for public parking lots.

Pedestrians with disabilities are particularly at risk when it comes to street safety. As the largest minority group in the United States at 20 percent of the population, people with disabilities are still under-served—especially when it comes to pedestrian safety.

Curb ramps are the solid ramp that joins the top of a sidewalk to the adjoining street level. Also known as a curb cut or dropped curb, curb ramps are primarily used by pedestrians throughout urban areas where the main mode of transportation is walking. Curb ramps facilitate easy movement from the sidewalk to the road for individuals who use mobility aids.

Historic buildings face an interesting challenge of becoming ADA compliant when their original builders did not consider accommodating individuals with disabilities or mobility devices. As society has begun to seek ways to become more inclusive, this has extended to historic buildings in order to ensure that every visitor has the chance to experience the sites, landscapes, and buildings.

Bike delineators are one solution to keeping bicyclists, pedestrians, and vehicle drivers safe. They need to meet certain requirements in order to serve individuals with disabilities and be ADA compliant.

Creating a bike lane city infrastructure requires the coordination of the appropriate government agencies, resources, and construction logistics. It’s a time-intensive ordeal; however, the benefits are many for cities that are suffering from intense air pollution, overcrowding, and congestion. Bike lanes alter the city infrastructure and also improve the health of inhabitants.

Portland State University noted that when five major US cities incorporated protected bike lanes into their city infrastructure, bike ridership increased 170 percent.

Over the last few years, more and more urban designers and architects are incorporating radius shapes as part of their exterior designs. These new shapes bring modern life to an intersection rather than the classic rectangular ramp pattern we are all accustomed to. These specific radius tiles are made-to-order and manufactured with the same nano-engineered polymer concrete material as the standard TekWay ADA Dome Tiles to ensure long lasting durability and functionality. 

To make the world more accessible, the ADA established a certain list of reasonable accommodation that businesses, organizations, and companies can do to better serve individuals with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation opens the world to everyone.

Legally, a reasonable accommodation refers to an adaptation to a job, such as day-to-day job tasks or modified work environment, that allows a qualified individual with a disability to work. An accommodation is considered “reasonable” if it doesn’t cause an unreasonable amount of work or money to make happen.

For the urban landscape, sidewalks have become a type of no man’s land for city commuters — not only for pedestrians but also for cyclists. Since vehicles rule the road, pedestrians and cyclists are at-risk anytime they walk or ride in the road. To remain safe, city cyclists and pedestrians often turn to the sidewalk. 

While many cities want their residents and commuters to move away from using cars and encourage bicycling, pedestrians in some cases see this shift as dangerous.