Accessibility loans celebrate 30th anniversary of the ADA

OBERLIN — The Americans with Disabilities Act will turn 30 years old on July 26, and the city of Oberlin is celebrating by making loans available for accessibility projects. The Community Improvement Corporation is giving up to $10,000 at 1 percent interest to cover the cost of ADA-compliant upgrades at businesses across the city. Those could include ramps for wheelchairs, eliminating steps, widening doorways, accessible restrooms or even pitching in toward the cost of elevators, Oberlin Planning and Development Director Carrie Handy said. "We hope that somebody will take advantage of it because our downtown buildings do need a lot of ADA improvement," she said. Most of the commercial spaces in Oberlin's historical downtown were built between 1880 and 1920, she said — but the loans can be used for any business operating within the city limits. The CIC has roughly $50,000 available in a revolving loan fund, and it normally would fund up to 80 percent of an accessibility project. Handy said that, working with the city's Human Relations Commission, the CIC expanded the offer to 100 percent with a $10,000 cap to celebrate the ADA's anniversary. To apply, call (440) 775-7250 or visit www.cityofoberlin.com and click on the "For Businesses" tab. On Monday, City Council named July 26 "ADA Awareness Day" by proclamation. The document recognized that one in every four Americans have a disability, including those that affect mobility, hearing, vision, cognition and more. The ADA protects people with disabilities against discrimination, but Council's proclamation said there is a duty to "continue to work together to remove barriers to access for people, including people with disabilities and with other marginalized identities in our community." Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.