American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) lawsuits continue to take a toll on all businesses in San Francisco. What businesses don't realize is taking the time to do a review of accessibility often leads to an achievable list of "reasonable modifications" that can be accomplished, and is often all that is necessary to ensure ADA compliance. To assist restaurants with this, GGRA has partnered with Bassam Altwal of Cal Accessibility. Bassam is a Certified Access Specialist (CASp) who is widely regarded and sought after to assist businesses with the steps they need to take to become and remain in compliance.

There are several ways Cal Accessibility will work with your business as part of this partnership. Cal Accessibility will provide a general check on drawings for renovation or new construction; provide a free, one-time 45 minute consultation with you at the GGRA office or on site. Cal Accessibility will also do a general check on drawings at a discounted rate of $90/hour. This is half the normal rate for this service. For more information about this program contact either Bassam Altwal at (415) 310-3010 or Associate Director, Donnalyn Murphy at the GGRA at (415) 781-5348 ext 2 or donnalyn@ggra.org.

To hear Bassam Altwal discuss ADA awareness and what businesses can do to stay compliant, listen to this interview with KALW's Chuck Finney on his show "Your Legal Rights" recorded September 28. San Francisco Supervisor Carmen Chu and Regina Dick-Endrizzi of the Office of Small Business are also part of the discussion. To listen, click here: Your Legal Rights, Small Businesses and Disability Access.