Moriah was scheduling a doctor’s appointment and let the office know that she would need assistance getting onto the medical examination table due to her mobility disability. Moriah requested that either an employee help her onto the exam table, or for her appointment to be held in an exam room with an accessible table.

The doctor’s front office staff member responded that they weren’t able lift her onto the exam table, and they didn’t have any accessible medical examination rooms. The staff person recommended that Moriah find another provider who was able to meet her needs for accessibility. Moriah was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to find an appointment and contacted her regional ADA Center to learn more about the guidelines for accessibility in medical offices.

Moriah’s regional ADA Center let her know that private doctor’s offices are considered places of public accommodation under Title III of the ADA.  Her regional ADA Center also explained that doctor’s offices are responsible for providing what are called “reasonable modifications” to their business to make sure their services are accessible to patients with disabilities. The doctor’s office had a responsibility to ensure that their medical exam rooms were accessible. Recommending that a patient use a different doctor is not considered a reasonable modification. The regional ADA Center also provided Moriah with an ADA National Network fact sheet on accessible medical examinations and chairs. Moriah’s regional ADA Center walked her through the enforcement process and the steps for filing a complaint, in case the doctor’s office refused to provide Moriah with a reasonable modification.

Feeling more confident, Moriah provided the doctor’s office with the information she’d received from her regional ADA Center. They let her know that their front office staff member was mistaken, and that they did have accessible examination rooms. The doctor’s office retrained their employees, and Moriah was able to schedule an appointment that met her accessibility needs. When Moriah went in for her appointment, she noticed that there was a sign posted in the waiting room about the accessibility options for patients with disabilities. Thanks to the ADA, Moriah was able to schedule a medical appointment that she was sure would meet her accessibility needs.