Mission

Barrier Watch was founded as an alternative way to effect ADA compliance through social pressure, without lawsuits. The current system provides no oversight, no certifications and no protection for business owners who may be in violation of the ADA but are unaware of the compliance process and would be willing to accommodate differently abled patrons.

Without such oversight, business owners have been the victims of predatory lawsuits seeking damages on both legitimate barriers and frivolous violations. For example, in California, each of these violations carries a minimum penalty of $4,000.00 under the Unruh Civil Rights act. If this wasn’t damaging enough to small businesses, this penalty can be multiplied by the number of times barrier discrimination has occurred. Originally, this penalty was only intended to be invoked in the case of intentional discrimination against differently abled citizens but, when combined with the ADA, intentions can become irrelevant. Regardless, the court rulings on whether discriminatory intent is necessary to invoke the Unruh penalty have been inconsistent and thus unresolved.

Our mission, at Barrier Watch, is to attain a semblance of order to this process by encouraging differently abled citizens to report architectural barriers that prevent them from equal access to services and establishments without the outrageous damage a lawsuit could inflict on a small business. In no way will Barrier Watch engage in litigation to enforce compliance. Establishments that fail to begin a compliance process, pending 30 days upon receipt of written notice from Barrier Watch, will be reported on the Barrier Watch website. Once a compliance plan has begun, Barrier Watch will then periodically check with the establishment to ensure that the process is finished in a timely manner, all while protecting the establishment’s identity.

The information contained on this website is vulnerable to abuse and exploitation by predatory litigators. Because of this, Barrier Watch strictly adheres to a confidentiality period before publishing reported establishment owners in violation of ADA guidelines. Extensions are granted on a case-by-case basis, and are never issued for payment. Reported establishment owners are invited to engage in either private correspondence with Barrier Watch or online discussion in the Barrier Watch forums to provide and facilitate owner-customer feedback during the compliance process.

While we are based in California, we hope to provide an ethical and mutually-beneficial process for differently abled citizens to enjoy equal treatment everywhere in the United States of America. We also eventually hope to see an ADA oversight agency in all fifty states. In the meantime, we will strive to fill that position of responsibility and give fellow citizens throughout the United States a chance to make a difference, one community at a time.

Press Contact

Press Kit: (PDF) (Coming Soon)
For inquiries: press@barrierwatch.com

Special Thanks

Andy and Radio of Yellow Swordfish for their timely and continued support on their Simple:Press Forums plugin. I cannot stress how useful an integrated Wordpress-friendly forum system like this is for a site.

More to come in the future!

Full Disclosure

Barrier Watch maintains a professional relationship with Yours Truly Accessibility (“YTA”), a company specializing in ADA compliance surveys, blueprint review and consultation for businesses. YTA may solicit requests for compliance assistance from establishments who have been reported to Barrier Watch.

Barrier Watch strictly adheres to publicly disclosed ethical guidelines to avoid conflict of interest. Therefore, Barrier Watch will never accept donations, contributions or settlements, independent or in lieu of compliance, nor take legal action to enforce compliance. Furthermore, Barrier Watch will never provide a financial incentive for differently abled citizens to report compliance issues. Information submitted to Barrier Watch is intended to be used in the pursuit of equal treatment for differently abled citizens.