ADA Compliance

At HITEC, we're committed to helping our customer find the telecommunication products that fit their lifestyle. That is why we make sure all of our products are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

ADA

The HITEC staff is committed to understanding the ADA and its requirements so we can better assist customers in selecting appropriate assistive technology based on their needs and lifestyle.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) makes it unlawful to discriminate against people with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, transportation and telecommunications. The ADA defines an individual with a disability as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities; has a record of such impairment; or is regarded as having such impairment.

Four Titles of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Title I – Employment

Employers may not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities. Employers must reasonably accommodate the disabilities of qualified applicants or employees, including modifying workstations and equipment, unless undue hardship would result.

Title II – Public Services

State and local governments may not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities. Newly constructed state and local government buildings, including transit facilities, must be accessible. Alterations to existing state and local government buildings must be achieved to provide equal access.

Title III – Public Accommodations

All new construction and modifications must be accessible to individuals with disabilities. For existing facilities, barriers to services must be removed if readily achievable. Public accommodations include facilities such as restaurants, hotels, theaters, shopping centers and malls, retail stores, museums, libraries, parks, and private schools.

Public Services and Accommodations have a duty to provide auxiliary aids and services to individuals with hearing impairments where necessary to ensure effective communication with individuals with disabilities.  Auxiliary devices and services are defined to include:

Qualified interpreters, note-takers, computer-aided transcription services, written materials, telephone handset amplifiers, assistive listening devices, assistive listening systems, telephones compatible with hearing aids, closed caption decoders, open and closed captioning, telecommunications devices for deaf persons (TDDs), video-test displays, or other effective methods of making aurally delivered materials available to individuals with hearing impairments 28 C.F.R. sec. 36.303 (B) (1).

A public accommodation that offers a customer, client, patient or participant the opportunity to make outgoing telephone calls on more than an incidental convenience basis shall make available, upon request, a TDD for the use of any individual who has impaired hearing or a communication disorder.

Title IV – Telecommunications

Telecommunication companies offering telephone services to the general public must have telecommunication relay services for individuals who have hearing or speech disabilities.