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Both tenants and landlords have obligations to ensure that facilities and operations are ADA compliant.  The lease may indicate how barrier removal responsibilities are shared but the lease does not relieve either tenant or landlord from their individual obligations to comply with the ADA. 
The ideal time to address this is when leasing new space or renewing a lease.  A tenant should request that the landlord agree in the lease to modify those areas which are under the exclusive control of the landlord, such as parking, walkways, entrances, and rest rooms.  If the lease specifies that the tenant has control over these areas, then the tenant should request that a provision be added to the lease so that the tenant can make those alterations needed to comply with barrier removal requirements.

For additional information, take a look at the following resources:

FAQ: Who has responsibility for ADA compliance in leased places of public accommodation, the landlord or the tenant?

Fact Sheet: Accessible Parking

Actually, what you might have heard called the “new ADA” is really called The ADA Amendments Act – or the ADAAA. After the ADA was originally passed in 1990, cases started being filed and ending up in courts. Some were appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Rulings by the Supreme Court, as well as lower courts, began to narrow the definition of disability. Whether a person had a disability in order to sue became the focus of most disputes under the ADA. Congress never intended for it to be that way. The focus of the ADA was supposed to be on access and accommodation, not on whether the person really had a disability. Congress had not foreseen the ways in which the courts would narrowly interpret, and ultimately change, the definition.

So the ADAAA was passed in 2008 and essentially overturned those Supreme Court cases that narrowed the definition of disability. Congress made clear that the definition must be “construed in favor of broad coverage of individuals” with disabilities. So rather than this being a “new ADA,” it really is just going back to the way Congress meant the ADA to be when it was first written and passed in 1990.

For additional information, take a look at the following resources:

Fact Sheet: An Employee View of the Changes from the ADA Amendments Act

What is the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA)?

Yes. Even if the business or a public program has a “no pets” policy, it may not deny entry to a person with a service animal.  Service animals are working animals, not pets. So, although a “no pets” policy is perfectly legal, it does not allow a business to exclude service animals.

For additional information, take a look at the following resources:

FAQ: What if a service animal barks or growls at other people, or otherwise acts out of control?

FAQ: How can I tell if an animal is really a service animal and not just a pet?

Service Animal Resource HUB

The ADA required the establishment of telephone relay services for individuals who use teletypewriters (TTYs, also known as telecommunications devices for deaf persons or TDDs) or similar devices. The Federal Communications Commission has issued regulations specifying standards for the operation of these services.

On October 8, 2010, President Obama signed the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) into law. The CVAA updates federal communications law to increase the access of persons with disabilities to modern communications. The CVAA makes sure that accessibility laws enacted in the 1980s and 1990s are brought up to date with 21st century technologies, including new digital, broadband, and mobile innovations.

21^st Century Communications and Accessibility Act (CVAA)

Web Link:  https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/21st-century-communications-and-video-accessibility-act-cvaa.

For additional information, take a look at the following resources:

FAQ: What kinds of auxiliary aids and services are offered by the ADA to ensure effective communication with individuals with hearing or vision impairments?

Fact Sheet: Effective Communication