Readily Achievable

Readily Achievable is a term that applies to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA Standards for Accessible Design establishes minimum requirements for new and existing facilities. Facilities that pre-date the ADA (1990) may not meet the minimum standards and require improvements to remove architectural barriers. The intention of the ADA is to promote an accessible environment without creating a significant hardship for businesses.

To strike a balance between achieving accessibility without creating a significant hardship for businesses, the ADA requires all existing public accommodations that predate the ADA to comply with the ADA standards easily accomplishable and able to be carried out without much difficulty or expense. To explain Readily Achievable in the simplest terms, businesses must comply with the ADA if they have the resources to do so.

Readily Achievable barrier removal is determined on an element by element basis. For example, a CASp inspector identities 3 findings during a restaurant evaluation: Non-compliant entry door closing speed, Non-complaint restroom signage, and Non-complaint bar counter seating. The business owner would be tasked with determining if each finding can be improved without much difficulty or expense. In most cases, adjusting the closing speed and installing proper signage is Readily Achievable because these improvements are neither difficult or costly. However, lowering an accessible portion of counter seating may not be Readily Achievable. The business will need to investigate the difficulty, costs and financial resources available to determine if improvement is Readily Achievable. If the business determines that an improvement is Readily Achievable, then it is required to make that improvement.