March 15, 2005—For the first time, a US court has declared that the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA ) requires places of public accommodation to consider the needs of people with disabilities in developing emergency evacuation plans, according to the National Organization on Disability.
The decision, issued December 28, 2004 by Judge John W. Debelius III of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland, means shopping malls, stores, restaurants, movie theaters, museums, and other private entities subject to the ADA throughout the country must now seek to accommodate people with disabilities in the development and modification of emergency evacuation procedures, says the organization.
The decision arises out of a lawsuit that filed in 2003 by a Washington , D.C. resident who became trapped during an emergency evacuation in a local shopping mall that had no accessible exits for persons with disabilities. For more on the ruling, visit the National Organization on Disability.
