Stanley works for his county’s park department and was designing a hunting blind, which is a small structure hunters use to hide from wildlife. He was confident that the hunting blind met the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design. However, he wasn’t sure what to do about requiring hunters to retrieve the hunted wildlife from the nearby woods and fields, which cannot be made accessible for wheelchair users. He needed help to understand what kind of policy would meet Americans with Disability Act (ADA) requirements.

Looking for answers, Stanley reached out to his regional ADA Center. He asked them if the parks department would be required to provide hunters with mobility disabilities with a second hunter to retrieve hunted wildlife from non-paved areas. His regional ADA Center let him know that his question fell under Title II of the ADA, which applies to state and local governments. The ADA Specialist said that the parks department couldn’t require a second hunter to assist hunters with mobility disabilities. Requiring a second hunter would violate the non-discrimination requirements of the ADA because it would set a requirement for hunters with disabilities that doesn’t apply to hunters without disabilities. However, they could require all hunters to retrieve hunted wildlife. Hunters with mobility disabilities would then have the option to bring a second hunter to retrieve wildlife if necessary. They also reviewed the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design together, and the ADA Specialist confirmed that Stanley’s plans met the requirements.

Thanks to the ADA and the help of his regional ADA Center, the hunting blind policies and design allowed everyone to enjoy the park amenities.