(Long Island, NY) Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman issued the following statement in honor of the 25th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act:
“Today, we commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, one of the most important pillars of our nation’s deep commitment to equal justice under law. The protections secured by the ADA remain as necessary today as they were a quarter of a century ago. My office will continue to vigorously enforce this federal law to ensure that schools, offices, housing complex, retail centers, and our voting booths, are accessible to all Americans.”
The office’s ADA enforcement work is coordinated through the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Bureau. Among other work:
- The bureau has secured settlements with two companies that operate shopping centers across New York State and who agreed to address accessibility issues in theirparking facilities and common areas. Further information about these agreements is available here and here.
- The bureau reached agreements with several theaters across New York City to address hearing accessibility and ticket sales access. Responding to complaints from advocacy groups, the office investigated the availability of assisted listening devices at several theaters in New York City. After finding that three theaters did not provide the appropriate auxiliary aids, the office secured agreements with those theaters to ensure that such aids will be available to patrons. Further information is availablehere and here.
- The bureau continues to enforce the ADA against businesses that fail to accommodate service animals of individuals with disabilities. The bureau has also taken action against transportation service providers that do not provide access to vehicles, such as buses and taxis, in accordance with ADA regulations, and against municipalities that fail to ensure access to polling sites. Information on some of these cases areavailable here, here and he
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The bureau’s ADA enforcement work is handled by all attorneys in the Civil Rights Bureau. The Civil Rights Bureau Chief is Kristen Clarke and the Executive Deputy Attorney General for the Social Justice Division is Alvin Bragg.
If you believe that you have experienced disability discrimination, contact the Civil Rights Bureau of the Attorney General’s Office at (212) 416-8250, civil.rights@ag.ny.
