Meeting the Needs of People with Disabilities

Understanding the Law

Do you know if your office’s web site is accessible to the visually impaired? If a constituent needs a sign language interpreter when they visit your office, do you know whom to call? Do you know if the location of your last town hall meeting or field hearing was accessible to someone who uses a wheelchair?

Being able to answer these questions is more than an academic exercise. Understanding how to accommodate people with disabilities not only helps you and your office avoid a potentially embarrassing situation, but it also ensures that your office is in compliance with the disability access and accommodation rights requirement s of the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA).

The CAA protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination with regard to access to public accommodations and the programs and services of public entities in covered locations and offices. These rights are distinct from discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, which involves discrimination in hiring and the terms and conditions of employment (which is also prohibited by the CAA).

Public access and accommodation rights ensure that members of the public with disabilities are able to access programs, activities, or places of public accommodation – such as public spaces in offices and hearing rooms – on an equal basis with the non-impaired. Offices of the Senate and the House of Representatives, committees of Congress, the Capitol Police, the Congressional Budget Office, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, the Office of the Attending Physician, the Office of Compliance, and the Capitol Guide Service are all required to comply with this requirement in their publicly accessible spaces

Taking the Basics Steps

There are many steps that individual Members’ offices and committees can take in order to improve accessibility for people with disabilities and avoid potential discrimination. The few steps below are by no means exhaustive, but following them can help your office prepare for routine contacts with people with disabilities. First, be sure you know where and how you can receive assistance when dealing with people with disabilities.