Massage Therapy Journal Fall 2024

42 • Massage Therapy Journal

AMTA Continuing Education

Looking toward the future, the United States Census Bureau projects that people 65 years and older will outnumber children aged 18 and below by 2030. 14 The number of people who are visually impaired is expected to double to over eight million by 2050. The same study predicts that the number of legally blind Americans will also double, reaching two million individuals. Consequently, the number of people with disabilities in the United States is projected to increase dramatically in the coming decades. 15 Accessibility for Disabled Americans: modifications. The ADA and United Nations advocate for civil rights, equal opportunity and fundamental freedoms for all people with disabilities. This involves fair treatment (nondiscrimination) along with identifying and removing barriers to make public spaces more accessible to individuals with disabilities so that everyone may have full participation in society. The ADA covers other areas of accessibility, including employment law, which affects employers with 15 or more employees, as Creating Accessible Space Reasonable accommodations and

well as access to public transportation and government services. Accessibility can be significantly improved by implementing statutes found in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and the ADA. These documents outline provisions of reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications. Reasonable accommodations are modifications to a rule, policy, practice or service so that people with disabilities can use or participate in an activity. Examples of reasonable accommodations are: • Assigning an accessible parking space for a person with a mobility impairment. • Permitting a client or a therapist to use a ground-floor massage room. Reasonable modifications are changes made to an existing building or grounds so people with disabilities can fully enjoy the premises. Examples of reasonable modifications are: • Installation of street curb cuts and ramps into a building. • Installation of grab bars in a restroom. • Installing a flashing fire alarm. Please note that the terms reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications are often used interchangeably. We will use reasonable accommodations for the remainder of this course to mean changes to a rule, policy, practice, service or the premises. Not all people with disabilities will need reasonable accommodations. However, all people with disabilities have a right to request reasonable accommodations. Furthermore, the business should act promptly to provide the accommodation. Refusal or unnecessary delays may be seen as discrimination and a violation of the ADA. Accommodations are considered “reasonable” if they do not create an undue hardship on the operation of a business. Undue hardship is an “action requiring significant difficulty or expense” when taking into consideration other factors. These factors include the nature and cost of the • Adjusting the price of a massage to accommodate a client who receives income assistance.

Not all people with disabilities will need reasonable accommodations.

However, all people with disabilities have a right to request reasonable accommodations. Furthermore, the business should act promptly to provide the accommodation.

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