Public asked to help prioritize 3,000 violations of the ADA in Johnson County

Johnson County has identified more than 3,000 violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act after a survey was conducted on all of the county’s parks and conservation areas.

WT Group is the organization that is shedding light on the issues and is asking the community to help prioritize all the repairs.

Problems that have been identified include incorrect lines being painted on handicap parking spots, as well as signage issues. WT Group said some of the more expensive fixes would be to trails that are not firm and don not have a stable surface.

Though the ADA went in to effect in 1992, the Department of Justice has never laid out a timeline of when repairs need to be made.

“Getting them all fixed right away would be impossible,” John Mcgovern with WT Group said. “Not a single jurisdiction from California to Connecticut could do that.”

Mcgovern recommends the changes be made over the next nine to 12 years. He explained that Johnson County has no more, or fewer, violations than other areas of equal size.

Another public input session will take place Thursday at the Johnson County Department of Health and Human Services building.