What is a Public Accommodation under the ADA?

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the activities of public accommodations. Public Accommodations are considered to be businesses including private entities that are open to the public or that provide goods or services to the public. While the anti-discrimination provisions under Title III are clear; questions often emerge as to whether or not certain settings in which goods and services are provided would qualify as a public accommodation and therefore be subject to those provisions. This webinar will examine what is covered by Title III of the ADA in terms of what is and is not considered a public accommodation. Southwest ADA center Legal specialists George Powers, J.D. and Sashi Nisankarao, J.D. will discuss the complexities pertaining to how public accommodations are defined including:

• An overview of the case law and history of defining what constitutes a public accommodation.

• An overview of the regulations that address the subject.

• Are private clubs covered?

  • What is a private club?

• Are religious organizations covered?

• Are bed and breakfasts covered?

  • What about Airbnb?

• Apartment complexes?

• A business out of someone’s residence?

• A discussion of recent case law.

  • Are Websites, like Amazon, a public accommodation?

  • Is a blood bank a public accommodation?