Architectural barriers to persons with disabilities in businesses in an urban community

It is the purpose of this study to determine the frequency of architectural barriers to persons with disabilities in businesses in a small urban community in central Virginia. The survey was conducted by a trained volunteer using a one-page checklist. Only 27% of the businesses had no architectural barriers to individuals with disabilities. The most common architectural barrier for individuals with disabilities was the interference with parking and entrance into the business (65%). Faced with these architectural barriers, all individuals are encouraged to identify the architectural barriers in businesses and to file letters of complaints to the Department of Justice requesting their removal.