Welcome

Making a small business welcoming to everyone in a community includes making it welcoming to customers with disabilities. Written by the experts at the Northeast ADA Center, this toolkit explains how to improve the accessibility of a small business, with commonsense suggestions and helpful guidance on following Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We cover common concerns such as parking, accessibility in older buildings, service animals, and customer service.

Read the full introduction

Tools

1
A shopper who is being pushed in a wheelchair

Business Case

Welcoming customers with disabilities

  1. Playbook iconPlaybook
  2. Situation Room iconSituation Room
  3. What to Do iconWhat to Do
  4. Deeper Dive iconDeeper Dive
2
Shopper in a wheelchair gets help from a retail assistant at a supermarket.

Customer Service

How you can help

  1. Playbook iconPlaybook
  2. Situation Room iconSituation Room
  3. What to Do iconWhat to Do
  4. Deeper Dive iconDeeper Dive
3
Person in a wheelchair shopping for food In a deli.

The ADA and Your Business

An overview

  1. Playbook iconPlaybook
  2. Situation Room iconSituation Room
  3. What to Do iconWhat to Do
  4. Deeper Dive iconDeeper Dive
4
Push button next to the door that it opens

Physical Access

Doors, floors, and more

  1. Playbook iconPlaybook
  2. Situation Room iconSituation Room
  3. What to Do iconWhat to Do
  4. Deeper Dive iconDeeper Dive
5
A small business owner looks at the interior of their new shop.

New Construction

Building it right from the beginning

  1. Playbook iconPlaybook
  2. Situation Room iconSituation Room
  3. What to Do iconWhat to Do
  4. Deeper Dive iconDeeper Dive
6
A bookstore with narrow, crowded aisles.

Barrier Removal

Getting rid of problems

  1. Playbook iconPlaybook
  2. Situation Room iconSituation Room
  3. What to Do iconWhat to Do
  4. Deeper Dive iconDeeper Dive
7
Two people sitting at a table; one person is signing

Communicating Effectively with Customers

Making sure everyone gets the message

  1. Playbook iconPlaybook
  2. Situation Room iconSituation Room
  3. What to Do iconWhat to Do
  4. Deeper Dive iconDeeper Dive
8
Accessible parking sign with the words Reserved Parking

Parking

Providing a spot for everyone

  1. Playbook iconPlaybook
  2. Situation Room iconSituation Room
  3. What to Do iconWhat to Do
  4. Deeper Dive iconDeeper Dive
9
Adult with an artificial leg getting a tattoo at a tattoo studio.

Additional ADA Tips

The best of the rest

  1. Playbook iconPlaybook
  2. Situation Room iconSituation Room
  3. What to Do iconWhat to Do
  4. Deeper Dive iconDeeper Dive