C.T. Male Associates Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act

July 26 marks the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This milestone law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in state and local government, private entities and telecommunications. It was passed in 1990 and signed by President George H.W. Bush. Before the ADA, people with disabilities experienced barriers to employment, participation in public programs and services, transportation, effective communications, accommodations and more. Although much progress has been made over the past 25 years, there is still more work to do. Employment opportunities and access to physical, programmatic, and effective communication still remain inaccessible for many people with disabilities. And this is usually magnified during disasters.

C.T. Male Associates works extensively with a number of state agencies and local municipalities, as well as local fire districts and other emergency services departments, to achieve compliance and increase access to their new, as well as, existing facilities. C.T. Male Associates has a responsibility to our clients to plan for the entire community – children, older adults and people with or without disabilities with access and functional needs. C.T. Male Associates believes in including the whole community in preparedness efforts, so that our clients understand how best to accommodate everyone’s needs in a disaster. C.T. Male Associates recognizes the importance of inclusive emergency management in preparedness activities before a disaster strikes, as well as throughout response, recovery and mitigation.

Under the mandates of the ADA, and in conjunction with practice to provide professional architectural design and engineering services to clientele with essential facilities providing emergency services to their communities, C.T. Male Associates joins a renewed effort across the country to plan for emergencies and disasters with people who have disabilities and others with access and functional needs rather than planning for them. Equal access and reasonable accommodations are not just what the law requires, they are the right thing to do. The 25th Anniversary of the ADA is a good time to renew our commitment to this vital civil rights commitment, and C.T. Male Associates is doing so to support true whole community inclusion. More information can be found at www.ready.gov/individuals-access-functional-needs.

Prepare for Emergencies Now: Information for People with Disabilities