In some cases, business owners do want to follow the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) because they’re afraid that it’s going to cost the company money. This doesn’t necessarily just mean that they would have to make expensive changes to their business. They may be afraid that it will impact their overall revenue.
An example of this is that wheelchair-accessible spaces are required in some large assembly areas. However, the owners of these businesses are sometimes worried that their revenue would be reduced because the handicapped-accessible seating wouldn’t be sold and would go unused.
For instance, maybe someone runs a movie theater. They know that they need to have handicap-accessible spaces where a wheelchair can be positioned. But they also know that they could put two traditional seats in that space and sell two more tickets. It’s not that they don’t want to have a space for the person in a wheelchair when necessary, but just that they know that it won’t always be necessary and they don’t want to have those accommodations in place 100% of the time.
Temporary seats
The solution to this, in some cases, has been that the owners of these businesses are allowed to put temporary seating in these locations. If a wheelchair-accessible space doesn’t sell, temporary seats can be set in place and more traditional tickets can be sold. These seats need to be easily removable, however, so that someone in a wheelchair would always have options if they needed them.
This is just one of the complications with the ADA that business owners need to be aware of. Additionally, owners who are facing disputes or allegations that they may not be in compliance must consider their legal options carefully.