A Warning For Laundry Operators

Of late, there have been literally dozens of pretty well publicized cases of laundry owners being victimized by groups of ''Handicapped Persons'' who, with the aid of unscrupulous attorneys, are charging laundries with various violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). That act was passed by Congress in 1992 and took effect on January 23, 1993. The purpose of the act was essentially good, and the way the law was written seemed, at the time, to be considerate of the financial effect this law could have on the business community. It included a ten year period a business could take to comply with the law. Plus, there were tax incentives to mitigate the costs that many businesses would need to first accumulate then spend the money needed to comply. The ten year compliance period has been mistaken by a lot of laundry owners as their being ''Grandfathered In'' for any short comings their laundry might have, like lavatories not meeting handicapped standards. That would be great if it were only true. It''s not! The ten year period of time was put into the law to allow time for business owners to plan and save cash to make the necessary changes to comply with the ADA. They were granted the ten years to keep compliance from being a financial burden. The tax incentives were established to basically make the government the source of the funding, as the business would spend and then deduct the costs for compliance. Many, perhaps too many, owners and operators used the write off to buy new washers and dryers rather than to install the correct signs and facilities. If you are one of those who hasn''t worried about the ADA law and its possible affects on your business'' future and your own personal bottom line, wake up! The costs for compliance are much less than the costs of the lawsuits that might come. After you pay the costs for the suit, you''ll still have to spend the money necessary to comply with the law. In the next few months the News will carry a full report on ADA and what operators of coin or card-op laundry businesses should do to comply and protect themselves from being on the receiving end of legal papers for failure to comply with either the state of federal ADA laws. In the meantime, here are some of the steps you can take now to protect yourself and your laundry from being sued. 1. Make sure that your parking lot offers handicapped spaces and proper signs. Make a written request to the property owner for their assistance in making the lot compliant with the laws. The written request might give you cover if sued. Ramps from the lot to sidewalk are his responsibility, but you''ll be sued if they are not there for wheelchair bound clientele. 2. Make sure that there is at least 36 inches of clearance through out your laundry so that anyone in a wheel chair can maneuver. 3. Ensure that the faucets in lavatories and door knobs are ADA approved. Even the height of mirrors has been challenged. 4. Make sure that controls for changers and vending machines are accessible for those who are in chairs. For California''s laundry owners, there is a double whammy from the state''s liberal legislature. They passed the Unrah Act, which gives those seeking damages for alleged discrimination against handicapped people a minimum of $4000 per offense. Some of these lawsuits have been for several offenses against the two acts. It raises the financial bar very quickly. A little change doesn''t cost much but it could pay off for your laundry and you. Move quickly to get yourself and your laundry protected.