Accessible Cities Alliance - Promoting Disability compliance in the business community

Accessible Cities Alliance to Host Refresher Course on Current Handicapped Parking Guidelines

Paving/asphalt firms, contractors, developers, property owners and municipality inspectors encouraged to participate in half-day workshop

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT: Christine Book @ 815/744-6815

The Accessible Cities Alliance will be hosting its “2007 Compliance Workshop: Paving the Way to Accessible Parking” on Thursday, March 29, 2007, from 7:30-11:30 a.m., at the Holiday Inn Conference Center (I-80 at Larkin Avenue) in Joliet.

Featured speaker is Robin Jones, widely-respected compliance expert and Executive Director of the Great Lakes ADA and Accessible IT Center, based at the University of Illinois at Chicago. This organization has been instrumental in assisting businesses, contractors, subcontractors and architects in meeting compliance requirements for nearly 20 years. As a resource partner to the Accessible Cities Alliance, Ms. Jones was a guest presenter at last year’s compliance workshop and is widely regarded as one of the top sources in Illinois for her knowledge on accessibility applications and solutions. Will County Executive Larry Walsh will open the workshop.

The half-day informational workshop will provide current and relevant details on federal and state compliance standards for paving required by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Illinois Accessibility Code. Detailed requirements for proper paving, markings, spacing, striping, width, etc. will be covered and a question and answer session will follow. This event is sponsored by the Three Rivers Construction Alliance.

Over the past year, the City of Joliet’s Building Department has identified hundreds of businesses whose parking lots do not comply with federal and state laws. The result is that non-compliant businesses do not provide adequate access for persons with disabilities. “Having found the need, the Accessible Cities Alliance wants to serve as a valuable resource for individuals and businesses whose business it is to make a business fully accessible,” said ACA Co-Chair Val Rand. “This half-day workshop will be a refresher course to help paving/striping companies provide the best service by offering proper handicapped parking access, access which is relied upon by an increasing number of consumers with disabilities these days,” he added. The event is also open to property owners, developers, municipality building inspectors and contractors. The ACA hosted a similar workshop last winter which offered an overview of accessibility standards in public accommodations to nearly 50 building inspectors, architects and contractors. This year’s event is targeted to subcontractors who provide paving services, but also open to contractors, developers and municipality building inspectors.

Click on the link below to download the Registration form.

Accessible Cities Alliance Refresher Course on Current Handicapped Parking Guidelines
Registration Form