Fair Housing: Federal Accessibility

Curious about what to expect when coming to campus? Please visit our Campus Learning page.

Join a team of experienced accessibility specialists for an online, two-session intermediate-to-advanced workshop focused on federal accessibility laws related to residential design and construction, including the Fair Housing Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Architectural Barriers Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. With many recent lawsuits filed alleging the failure to comply with the architectural provisions of the Fair Housing Amendments Act, this interactive session will allow participants to explore FHA violations and discuss some of the more obscure provisions.

Enforcing agencies are beginning to enforce the 2010 ADA residential design provisions which became effective 8 years ago. Familiarity with these ADA Standards and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Standards will be beneficial to those who design housing for entities receiving federal financial assistance. HUD has published a “deeming notice” allowing, with a few exceptions, the residential provisions of the 2010 ADA Standards to be “deemed” an acceptable design Standard for compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. For state and local governmental agencies offering or managing residential programs, this session will include interactive discussions on the ADA “supplemental requirements” associated with residential dwelling units, ADA/504 program accessibility requirements for housing, “safe harbor” provisions, and the appropriate use of the older Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards.

  • Explore common and difficult FHA violations.
  • Discuss the provisions of the HUD “safe harbor” documents.
  • Analyze key residential design issues and potential accessibility pitfalls associated with the 2010 ADA Standards and the similar Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) provisions.
  • Discuss the ADA “supplemental requirements” associated with residential dwelling units, ADA/504 program accessibility requirements for housing, “safe harbor” provisions, and the appropriate use of the older Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards.

Architects, Interior Designers, Engineers, Landscape Architects, Facility Managers, Access Specialists, ADA Coordinators, Civil Rights Attorneys

Instructors


Headshot of Bill Hecker

Bill Hecker, AIA

Hecker Design, LLC


Headshot of James Terry

James L.E. Terry, AIA, CASp

CEO, Evan Terry Associates, LLC


Guest Speakers

Headshot of Mark Mazz

Mark J. Mazz

Mark J. Mazz, AIA, LLC

Headshot of Marsha Mazz

Marsha K. Mazz

Director, Accessibility Codes and Standards
Accessibility Services, a program of United Spinal Association

Headshot of John Wodatch

John Wodatch, J.D.

Disability Rights Attorney

Fair Housing: Federal Accessibility