ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Convenience store operators and fuel marketers have less than two weeks to meet literally hundreds of new standards tied to the 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which officially supplants the 1991 version on March 15.
"It's a civil rights law, not a building code," said Corey Fitze, director of government relations at NACS, which hosted a webinar March 1, entitled "Preparations for the new ADA Regulations."
To comply with confidence, a marketer almost has to be part architect, part mathematician, knowledgeable in slope percentages, curb cuts, arm reaches, handle devices and more.
Sounds maddeningly complex? Well, here's the rub--virtually everything in your store will be affected by the standards.
Consider:
- There are roughly 1,000 changes from the 1991 ADA regulation to the 2010 standard that takes effect March 15. Of that, "approximately 450 will impact convenience stores," said Brad Gaskins, COO and partner of Tulsa, Okla.-based architectural/design consultants The McIntosh Group, which NACS recently selected to help its members with ADA compliance.
- Regulations affect virtually every space within the c-store: parking spaces, counter heights, access to fountain drinks, condiments, coffee bar, bathroom and even ATM machines, which will require Braille.
- The ultimate objective--to expand the space for wheelchair-bound customers to enjoy equal access to stores.
Gaskins was joined by the company's owner, Lanny McIntosh, and the two fielded a number of questions following a nearly hour-long presentation.
Among some of the key points: multiple destinations, from the fuel nozzle to the condiment bar inside must not be higher than 48 inches for stores opening on or after March 15. Stores already in business must make genuine efforts to remove barriers that deny or curb access to customers with handicaps.
After guiding listeners through a photo-packed presentation with compliant and noncompliant practices at both the fuel island and backcourt, the presenters unveiled what McIntosh described as an "ADA lawsuit repellency strategy." He urged operators to adopt a written standard that is measurable, actionable and verifiable.
To learn more, go to www.themcintoshgroup.com or www.nacsonline.com.
Alexandria, Va.-based NACS, founded in 1961 as the National Association of Convenience Stores, is the international association for convenience and fuel retailing. It has 2,100 retail and 1,600 supplier member companies.
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