ADA needs sensible approach

Friday, June 14, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

MANY local businessmen may not like it, but a rash of federal lawsuits will convince them that the Americans With Disabilities Act means business.

Disabled people have the same right to enter stores and other businesses as anyone else. They should not be barred because of something they have no control over.

The suits, filed against 15 Las Vegas businesses, don't seek damages, just compliance with the law. That usually means a reasonable access, a wider door or a ramp alongside a stairway.

Businesses have been less than thrilled with the 5-year-old law, particularly smaller enterprises that have limited funds to comply. The ADA has spawned numerous, generally unsubstantiated stories about how harsh compliance has driven companies out of business. At least in Nevada, the opposite has been true.

The suits, which will be filed this month, come as the Governor's Committee on Employment of People With Disabilities plans a seminar to help businesspeople. The seminar will help companies develop inexpensive and easy plans to provide for the less fortunate. That seminar will be held June 26 in Room C-224 of the Classroom Building Complex from 8:30 to 11 a.m.

The solutions can be fairly simple. A restaurant, for example, may need Braille or large-type menus. Wheelchair access to dining tables can be easy to construct.

Each of the complaints in the litigation will contain letters helping businesspeople comply with the law and avoid going to court.

We hope the seminar and the legal nudge will be effective. A heavy-handed approach will cause the business community to cry foul over costs. No one wants businesses to have to close their doors.

The key to compliance here is in reasonable enforcement and common sense. Older buildings may require expensive modifications that business could not afford. It makes no sense to shut down companies to prove a point. A closed business is not accessible by anyone, handicapped or not.

A practical, understanding approach would be best. Responsive, caring businessmen and customers can do more than all the federal enforcement combined.