ADA Compliance Support

The NYC Hospitality Alliance submitted testimony to the City Council in strong support of proposed legislation that would provide resources and training to help restaurants, bars, nightlife venues, and other small businesses improve accessibility for people with disabilities—and support compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and related local laws.

Small businesses want to be accessible to all, but many face significant challenges and are often sued—especially those located in older or landmarked buildings where physical modifications can be cost-prohibitive or structurally complex.

We voiced our support for the following bills:

• Int. 282 – Establishes a financial assistance program for accessibility improvements for businesses with 100 or fewer employees and no more than three locations. We urged the Council to distribute these funds asgrants rather than loans, as many small businesses cannot take on additional debt.

• Int. 639 –The City would provide training on workplace accessibility and disability inclusion, helping to create a more inclusive workforce.

• Int. 1260 – Creates a free legal assistance program through a designated organization to help small business tenants navigate federal, state, and city accessibility laws.

We also called for additional action.

We urged the Council to adopt a“notice and cure” provision under the NYC Human Rights Law. While the federal ADA allows only attorneys’ fees, the local law permits compensatory damages—creating a legal environment where some small businesses are targeted with costly lawsuits. A notice-and-cure provision would give businesses an opportunity to address accessibility issues before facing litigation, ensuring resources go toward real improvements rather than legal fees.

We appreciate the City Council’s attention to these important issues and strongly encourage the passage of these bills—along with these common-sense recommendations—to better support accessibility and protect small businesses.