ADA, ADAAA and 2010 Standards for Accessible Design - a PDH Online Course for Engineers and Surveyors

ADA, ADAAA and 2010 Standards for Accessible Design

Course Outline

The ADA Amendments Act (the ADAAA) has changed the landscape of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This course provides an overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act, discusses other disability laws and common ADA violations, and reviews the guidelines for accessible design. Through this course, you will understand the purposes of the ADA, why the ADA needed amending, who is covered by the ADAAA, and what the changes will mean to employers, government entities, places of public accommodation, and individuals with disabilities. Whether you are a design professional or a business owner, you will benefit greatly by incorporating the basic principles and core concepts of the ADA, ADAAA and accessible design into your professional practice.

This course includes a multiple choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will understand

The history of US accessibility standard development;
The general purpose of the ADA and ADAAA;
The definition of disability;
What are essential job functions;
Who is a qualified individual with a disability;
What are considered reasonable accommodationss;
When are considered disproportionate accessibility costs; and
The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design.

Course Content

The course material is contained in the following document:

ADA, ADAAA and 2010 Standards for Accessible Design (PDF, 310 pages, 5.9 MB)

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right-clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader from your computer.

Course Summary

While the ADA has led to marked improvements in many areas of life for people with disabilities, including access to public accommodations and telecommunications technology, access to public buses, and access to government services, there is still a great deal of work to be done. Through this course, you have gained a better understanding about the ADA and ADAAA, and have become familiar with the detailed requirements of the ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Many of the accessible requirements and solutions can be incorporated into your practice, which will improve the quality of your work, reduce your chances of non-compliance, and better protect the health and safety of the general public.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

ADA.gov (HTML)
Guidance on the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (PDF)
The ADA Enforcement Cases and Matters (HTML)

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.