"Joliet:  Inspector to verify access for disabled"

July 28, 2005

Joliet plans to hire an inspector to check if businesses are accessible for the disabled. 

 

A year ago, the City Council approved an ordinance that

makes the Illinois Accessibility Code, the Federal Fair Housing Act Accessibility Standards and the Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility guidelines enforceable under city code.  In adopting the ordinance, Joliet officials promised  that it would be enforced so that it does not create a burden on local businesses.

 

The inspector, who should start in September, will be asked to make sure that existing businesses comply with the three acts.  Tuesday marked the 15th anniversary of the ADA.    Joliet now inspects new businesses for compliance with the accessibility guidelines, said Dave Mackley, the city's director of building services.  The city enforces state and federal guidelines for new construction, officials said.

 

Buildings constructed after 1988 have "generally complied" with the two codes adopted that year, federal housing act and the Illinois act, and with the guidelines under the ADA, said City Manager John Mezera.

 

An older business can seek an exemption if it can't comply with the guidelines, whether for financial reasons or physical constraints of a building, Mackley said.  "We will always take a very understanding approach," he said of the new inspections.  The city would not want to force a business to close because it could not comply with the guidelines, Mackley said.

 

Pam Heavens, Executive Director of the Joliet-based Will-Grundy Center for Independent Living, welcomed the hiring.  Her organization joined several other groups, including the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in 2003 to form the Accessible Cities Alliance -- with the website at ada411.com -- to work to improve accessibility for the disabled in Joliet. 

 

"I think being proactive is a step in the right direction," Heavens, a wheelchair user, said.