ADA Consulting Associates began providing services to businesses owning places of public accommodation and to local governments in 1993. Frederick A. Shotz, the president of ADA Consulting Associates, by that time already had years of experience in working with disability law. He began working as a lobbyist for disability rights laws back in the early 1980's. As a part of large group of lobbyists Fred worked on the passage of the ADA in Washington D.C. He also served for three years as the Advocacy Chairperson of the Florida Paraplegic Association. Fred surveyed more than 200 facilities while working with the Florida Paraplegic Association; everything from hotels and restaurants to shopping centers and automobile dealerships.
Identifying architectural barriers and developing solutions to barriers was a free service offered to the business community by the Florida Paraplegic Association during the two years from when the ADA was signed into law by President Bush until Title III of the ADA was in force.
ADA Consulting Associates has worked with a large variety of businesses. We were retained to do the ADA compliance evaluation of the 75,000 seat Pro Player Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins Football Team and the Florida Marlins Baseball Team. ADA Consulting Associates surveyed the Miami Arena and developed ways of removing architectural barriers from that government owned 16,000 seat facility. We have worked with Stadium Consultants International on the design of new ice hockey arenas and with Bass Pro Shops and their architects, HOK, on the design of their Outdoor World facilities. Of course we also have worked for a large number of smaller facilities such as shopping centers, movie theaters and restaurants. ADA Consulting Associates provided all disability services at Superbowl XXIX and at the 1996 National Hockey League Stanley Cup.
Fred serves as a consultant and expert witness for a number of law firms around the country. ADA Consulting associates is often retained by lawyers representing business facing federal litigation for violation of the ADA. We have become known for our thoroughness, attention to detail and for finding inexpensive ways of providing the accessibility required by the ADA. Several plaintiff lawyers also retain ADA Consulting Associates when suing businesses and local governments for violation of the ADA.
Our litigation consulting has involved facilities ranging from the Miami-Dade County Courthouse, Disney World, the Cleveland Clinic, Holiday Inn Hotels, Sega Gameworks to several city and county governments. Fred Shotz has been accepted by the court as an expert when giving testimony in federal trials. Attorneys have asked us to do everything from find ways to fix access problems to write briefs and settlement stipulations.
In May of 2000 Fred was invited by Congressman Henry Hyde to testify before the Constitution Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives concerning the ADA and the ADA Notification Act. Fred has continued to work with members of Congress who are trying to address some of the enforcement problems of the ADA. Fred has also worked with several state governments drafting language for accessibility building codes and service dog laws.
The goal of ADA Consulting Associates is to help to create an society accessible to people with disabilities through universal design concepts and through understanding the needs and rights of people with disabilities. Helping architects design accessible new facilities and helping companies bring their existing facilities into compliance with the requirements of the ADA at reasonable expense are the primary focuses of our work. Our involvement in litigation cases, whether working for the plaintiff's lawyers or the defendant's lawyers, is with the goal of accomplishing improved accessibility and compliance with the requirements of the ADA consistent with the intent the ADA that such accessibility should be accomplished at reasonable cost and effort.
All of the staff of ADA Consulting Associates are hired and trained personally by Fred. Most of the people who work for ADA Consulting Associates are people with disabilities.