ADA self-evaluation
The ADA has required your town to review itself since the 1990s
Every town, county and special district must evaluate its own programs, policies and communications for barriers to people with disabilities, fix what it finds, and let the public comment. Many never wrote it down. Celsari prepares the written self-evaluation for your town manager or ADA coordinator to review and adopt.
What the rule asks
The Justice Department’s ADA Title II regulation requires each public entity to evaluate its services, policies and practices, change anything that does not meet ADA requirements, and give people with disabilities and the groups that serve them a chance to comment. A public entity with 50 or more employees must keep a record of the areas examined, the problems found and the changes made on file for at least three years, and make it available for public inspection.
There is no new deadline. The requirement is old, and a written record is the simplest way to show the work was done.
Source: 28 CFR 35.105. Transition plans for buildings: 28 CFR 35.150.
What we prepare
We work from your own documents and website and send a draft for your review. You choose what to adopt.
If you already work with us on document accessibility, the review of your documents and website builds on that work.
What’s included
- A review of your programs and services, public meetings, forms and online services.
- A written summary of findings, in plain language.
- An action plan with an owner and a target date for each item.
- A notice inviting public comment, and a place to keep the comments.
- A record for your files, ready to show if asked.
Who does what
| Matter | Celsari | Decided by |
|---|---|---|
| Self-evaluation | Review, findings, action plan, comment notice, record | Your town manager or ADA coordinator reviews and adopts it |
| Buildings and facilities | Not part of our service | An architect or accessibility specialist; a transition plan applies to entities with 50 or more employees when structural changes are needed |
| Legal questions | We do not give legal advice | Your municipal attorney |
How it works
Free check, by email
Send us your website. We tell you whether a self-evaluation is likely to be quick or involved.
Quote and checklist
We quote a price in writing and send a short checklist of what we need. You upload files to a private page. We never ask for your logins.
Draft for your review
We send the self-evaluation, action plan and comment notice. You review and adopt them.
Where our work ends
We do not give legal advice, and we do not survey buildings. We do not guarantee that a self-evaluation will satisfy any complaint or review. The findings and the decision to adopt them are your town’s.
Questions we hear
Is this the same as the website accessibility rule?
No. The website rule covers web content and documents and has compliance dates in April 2027 and April 2028. The self-evaluation covers your programs, policies and communications as a whole, and it has no new date.
Is it the same as a transition plan?
No. A transition plan covers physical changes to buildings, and applies to entities with 50 or more employees when structural changes are needed. An architect or accessibility specialist handles that.
We are small. Does this apply to us?
Yes. The self-evaluation applies to every public entity. The three-year record-keeping rule applies to entities with 50 or more employees, and keeping the same record is the simplest way for a smaller town to show the work was done.
Do you need access to our systems?
No. You send documents and a website address. We never ask for logins.
Is this legal advice?
No. We prepare documents. For questions about your legal obligations, talk to your municipal attorney.
Find out what your self-evaluation would take
Send us your website address. We will tell you by email how involved it is likely to be. There is no cost and no obligation.