California ADA Inspection California Certified Access Specialist(CASp)
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California Division of the State Architect
ADA Sign Depot is a Member of the California Access Specialist Institute
Find a CASI Member Certified Access Specialist
Read our blog post: Why Should I Hire a CASp?
ADA Sign Depot's Select List of Certified Access Specialists (CASp) That Perform Site Inspections:
ProCASp Accessibility Consultants
Email: Craig Lobnow
Website: ProCASp.com
Are you concerned about protecting you business against potential ADA lawsuits? Having a CASp inspection evaluation can not only protect you and your business from costly lawsuits, but making your business ADA accessible is the smart thing to do. An ADA inspection performed by a Certified Access Specialist will help you ensure that your business is ADA compliant. Call (833) PRO-CASP
ADA Consultant Services
Email: Taylor Wright
Website: ADA Consultant Services
Certified Access Specialists (CASp) at ADA Consultant Services help your business stay compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act laws and regulations to try to prevent ADA compliance violation lawsuits in California. Call 916-660-1916
CASp Experts LLC
Email: Jon Rose
Website: CASp Experts
Free Quotes - Statewide Service. We provide Commercial Property CASp inspections and reports, ADA plan reviews and ADA litigation support. Call today - (818) 391-2570
Ashdown Architecture
Email: Dwight Ashton
Website: Ashdown Architecture
Full service San Francisco based, architectural firm with extensive experience in the retail and food service arena. Experienced in all aspects of retail design, including concept development, prototyping, roll-out and construction administration.
Evan Terry Associates
Email: Jim Terry, AIA, LEED AP, CASp, Chief Executive OfficerEmail: Kaylan Dunlap, LPTA, CASp, Accessible Design & ADA Specialist, Healthcare Access Specialist
Email: Pat Hodges, AIA, CSI, CASp, Accessible Design & ADA Specialist
Email: Dan Woosley, AIA, CASp, Senior Associate; Accessible Design & ADA Specialist
Email: Dennis Miles, AIA, CBO, CASp, Associate; Accessible Design & ADA Specialist
Website: Evan Terry Associates
Free, quick access to: • All of the federal ADA regulations & standards • Dozens of federal technical assistance documents • Over 2,500 products and services to improve access • Short 'How To' videos for measuring & constructing
Are Your Business Premises Compliant with the ADA?
The Continuing Obligation of Readily Achievable Barrier Removal
Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires public accommodations to provide goods and services to individuals with disabilities on an equal basis with the general public. The regulations require that architectural and communication barriers must be removed in areas of public accommodation at "existing" facilities (facilities constructed prior to 1992) when their removal is readily achievable—in other words, easily accomplished and able to be carried out without much difficulty or expense. If your facility was constructed prior to 1992, you still have an obligation to remove barriers, as no "grandfathering" clauses exist in the ADA.
By hiring a Certified Access Specialist (CASp) that is a member of CASI you can get an accessibility inspection and a detailed report with information on what barriers exist at your facility along with the standard for compliance so that you can remove such barriers to provide for an accessible environment.
The ADA Standards should be followed for all barrier removal unless doing so is not readily achievable. If site or structural constraints limit complying with the ADA Standards, you may undertake a modification that does not fully comply, as long as it poses no health or safety risk. Furthermore, bringing all of your facility in compliance at one time may not be readily achievable. In order to document which items for compliance are not readily achievable, a plan for compliance should be established only after consulting with a design professional (architect or engineer), a construction professional, an attorney and an accountant.
Steps toward compliance should include:
1) A survey of your facility by a CASI CASp
2) Design and documentation for compliance items requiring documentation by a design professional (architect or engineer)
3) An estimate for correction of items not in compliance based on documentation provided by the design professional
4) An annual budget for barrier removal based on the estimate
5) A schedule for barrier removal based on priority items and the established budget
If you have removed barriers in accordance with the 1991 ADA Accessibility Standards, rest assured. The 2010 ADA Accessibility Standards has a safe harbor policy stating that barrier removal compliant with the 1991 Accessibility ADA Standards and completed prior to March 15, 2012 is not required to come into compliance with the 2010 Accessibility ADA Standards.
Hire a CASI CASp today and plan your path towards compliance.
a) Review of facility plans and specifications for compliance with state and federal accessibility laws, codes and regulations.
b) Investigate a facility for compliance with state and federal accessibility codes and regulations.
c) Conduct accessibility research, prepare accessibility reports, and/or conduct accessibility inspections, as authorized.
In 2003, Senate Bill 262 required the State Architect (DSA) to establish and publicize a program for voluntary certification by the State of any person who meets the specified criteria as a certified access specialist (CASp). It also requires the DSA to publish and make available to the public a list of certified access specialists who have successfully completed and passed the Candidate Certification Examination, and who have received CASp certification. The program is designed to meet the public's need for experienced, trained, and tested individuals who can render opinions as to the compliance of buildings and sites with the State of California codes and regulations and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for accessibility.
(ADASignDepot.com is not involved in the California Certified Access Specialist program or the compilation of this directory of CASps. We are providing this link to the California Division of the State Architect CASp program as a service to our customers and to the general public.)
The voluntary Certified Access Specialist program regulations became effective July 30, 2008. A copy of the regulations is available through the following link: Title 21. Voluntary CASp Regulations (PDF - 60 KB) | (Word - 111 KB)
Senate Bill 1608
Image at left: Flowchart for California SB1608 ADA lawsuit protections
Senate Bill 1608 (Chapter 549, Statutes 2008) added Civil Code section 55.53(c) which states that every CASp who conducts an inspection of a place of public accommodation shall, upon completing the inspection of the site, provide the building owner or tenant who requested the inspection with a notice, which the State Architect shall make available as a form on the State Architect's Internet Web site.
In accordance with Civil Code section 55.53(c), DSA has posted the following notice: Notice to Private Property Owner/Tenant (PDF - 13 KB)
With the passage of Senate Bill 1608, DSA has been receiving numerous inquiries regarding this bill and how it relates to the CASp program. Senate Bill 1608 does not change the requirements or operation of the CASp program. The bill does provide certain legal rights to individuals whose facilities have been inspected by a Certified Access Specialist. SB 1608 also requires local agencies to employ or retain Certified Access Specialists by specified dates.
You may review the text of SB 1608 at: https://leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/sen/sb_1601-1650/sb_1608_bill_20080928_chaptered.pdf
Please direct all public inquiries regarding the Voluntary Certified Access Specialist program to: CASprogram@dgs.ca.gov
An ADA Primer for Small Business