Meeting the Needs of People with Disabilities
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 requirements 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 within the Legislative Branch. Public access and accommodation rights ensure that members of the public with disabilities are able to access programs, activities, or places of public accommodation 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 Basic Steps
There are some basic steps that offices can take in order to improve accessibility for people with disabilities and avoid potential discrimination:
- Be sure you know where and how you can receive assistance for people with disabilities. The House ADA Services Office or the Congressional Special Services Office can assist you in accommodating visitors with disabilities. Keep staff aware of these services and keep the contact information for these offices available (see below).
- Make sure that your office space can accommodate the disabled (such as someone in a wheelchair) by arranging furniture adequately to allow easy access in and around the office without special assistance.
- Be sure when planning events - - especially those not on Capitol Hill - - to take into consideration whether necessary facilities are available (such as wheelchair ramps or sign interpreters) to accommodate the disabled.
- Don't overlook your office's public web site. Although Congress is not required to comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires that individuals with disabilities be able to access electronic information in a way that is comparable to access available to others, maintaining an accessible web site can be a great aid to constituents with disabilities.
Resources for Assistance
Keep contact information readily available for the offices that can assist you with visitors with disabilities. Download our new printable poster (PDF), Resources for Accommodating People with Disabilities.
You may also contact the Office of Compliance or your appropriate House or Senate authority.
Congressional Special Services Office
Congressional Special Services Office (CSSO) provides services for constituents, staff, and visitors with disabilities. When needed for official functions, the CSSO can also provide assistance to district offices.
The Congressional Special Services Office is located on the first floor of the Capitol in the Crypt area directly below the Great Rotunda. For more information or assistance, call 202-224-4048 (V) or 202-224-4049 (TDD), 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
House ADA Services
House ADA Services provides assistance to Members, committees, and other House offices in accommodating constituents and visitors, including wheelchair loans and communications services.
House ADA Services can be contacted at 202-225-3005 (V) or 202-225-3006 (TDD), or by contacting First Call at 202-225-8000.