To commemorate the anniversary, Reno and President Clinton meet today with members of the disability community to discuss the law's success. The complaint, filed by a Wisconsin resident with a disability, claimed that wheelchair users found it difficult to shop in the supermarket because the entrances were surrounded by poles. The poles, or security bollards, are intended to prevent customers from wheeling shopping carts into the parking lot.
Few things are more fundamental than getting into the neighborhood grocery store.
Title III of the ADA requires existing public accommodations, such as supermarkets, to remove barriers where it can be done without much difficulty or expense. Supermarkets, and other public accommodations, built or altered after the law went into effect must be built according to specific standards set by law. Under the agreement Safeway will create at least one 32-inch opening between the security poles at many of its stores so that customers who use wheelchairs can have greater access. In close consultation with the Justice Department, Safeway also will launch a nationwide effort to survey its 835 stores, determine where the stores do not meet the ADA's requirements, and take steps to ensure compliance. The survey will examine such things as the width of check out aisles, the availability of accessible parking, the height of ATMs and deli, bakery and checkout counters, and the accessi-bility of telephones and public restrooms.