While property owners and tenants have been navigating liability, risk, and responsibility of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance for many years, today’s new statutory-damage risks raise the bar for compliance planning, practice, and maintenance. Risk related to liability, litigation, or statutory fines have property owners rushing to understand more about Certified Access Specialist Professionals (CASp) and the newest safeguards to mitigating litigation and fines. As an outgrowth of ADA, CASp is the latest in compliance peace-of-mind. CASp ensures property owners and tenants get gold-standard protection including qualified defendant status, should an equal-access challenge cause a property owner or tenant to engage attorney’s – or find itself in court
While building codes are amended regularly, the ADA has rarely changed since its inception in 1990. What has changed is compliance requirements and CASp is at the forefront of those requirements. While a CASp project can be generally straightforward, selecting the right CASp partner may not be. Ensuring equal access compliance of a property is now also a construction-related accessibility standard. This article highlights what’s needed to help fulfill these requirements.
There are nuances related to this activity that include:
- Building type, age, or historical importance
- Public-access definitions
- CASp requirements, process, documentation
- Reporting and maintenance
It’s critical to get help from a partner who understands the need and has the breadth of knowledge and resources necessary to handle ADA and CASp requirements, from start to finish.