On December 5, 2006, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice issued the first installment of a new technical assistance document designed to assist state and local officials to improve compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in their programs, services, activities, and facilities. 

The new technical assistance document, which will be released in several installments over the next ten months, is entitled “The ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and Local Governments.”

The Tool Kit is designed to teach state and local government officials how to identify and fix problems that prevent people with disabilities from gaining equal access to state and local government programs, services, and activities.  It will also teach state and local officials how to conduct accessibility surveys of their buildings and facilities to identify and remove architectural barriers to access.

While state and local governments are not required to use the ADA Best Practices Tool Kit, the Department encourages its use as one effective means of complying with the requirements of Title II of the ADA.

The Tool Kit is available at:
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/pcatoolkit/toolkitmain.htm