1. Americans with Disabilities Act and Public Libraries
Anne M. Seurynck Attorney Administrative and Municipal
1700 East Beltline NE, Suite 200
Grand Rapids, MI 49525

2. Issues Presented
Under the ADA, what “reasonable accommodations” are public libraries required to make in their services for disabled patrons?
Under the ADA, how far must a Library go to “reasonably accommodate” a patron because of structural encumbrances in a public entity facility?
Under the ADA, to what extent are public libraries required to accommodate “service animals” or “comfort animals” accompanying the patrons?

3. Are Libraries Covered by ADA?
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to public libraries.
All activities, services and programs are covered by the ADA, including meetings and library programs.
There is no tie to federal funding. Libraries must comply regardless of how the activity is funded.

4. What is ADA Protection?
Requires places of public accommodation to be accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.
The Library may not require people with disabilities to exclude people based on disability, except if there is a direct threat to health and safety of others (for example if a person with tuberculosis wants to teach a children’s program) .
Reasonable modifications must be made to policies, practices and procedures so that people with disabilities may participate.
Eliminate unnecessary eligibility standards or rules to afford individuals with disabilities, unless a fundamental alteration in the nature of the program would result.

5. What is ADA Protection?
When necessary furnish auxiliary aids to ensure effective communication, unless an undue burden or fundamental alteration would result.
Remove architectural or structural communication boundaries in existing facilities
Provide alternative means of delivering services when removal of barriers is not readily achievable.
Design new facilities and, when undertaking alternations, alter existing facilities.

6. What is a Disability?
Under 42 U.S.C.S. § 12131(2), a “disability” is defined as a “physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.”
Does not apply if the impairment is not substantial – such as mild allergy to pollen.
Applies to people having a record of impairment – such as visible scars
Applies to perception of impairment.
A physical or mental impairment includes any physiological disorder or condition affecting the neurological or musculoskeletal body systems. 28 C.F.R. §

7. What is a Disability?
The phrase “major life activities” means functions such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, and learning.
Would apply even if it only temporarily impairs a major life activity. For example, if a person was severely burned, they may need assistance until they are healed.
This is also true if they are “regarded as” disabled. For example, if a child is barred from a library program because of diabetes controlled by medication.

8. What is a Disability?
May not refuse admittance to the Library or Library program because of a “disability.”
Be careful of requirements to participate that may unintentionally discriminate:
For example, may not require a drivers license to attend a library program. This may unintentionally discriminate against visually impaired.
Must be based on actual risks not speculation.

9. Integrated Accessibility
May not treat differently based on a disability.
For example, a library is permitted to have a program that is geared towards those with disabilities but it cannot prevent a person with a disability from attending other library programs merely because they have a “separate” program.
Must integrate programs if possible.

10. Integrated Accessibility
Be careful of requirements to participate that may unintentionally discriminate:
For example, may not require a drivers license to attend a library program. This may unintentionally discriminate against visually impaired.
Must be based on actual risks not speculation.

11. Reasonable Modifications
“A public entity shall make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures when the modifications are necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability, unless the public entity can demonstrate that making the modifications would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program, or activity.” 28 C.F.R. §
An ADA plaintiff “bears the burden of establishing the elements of the prima facie case, including—if needed—the existence of a reasonable accommodation that would enable him to participate in the program, service, or activity at issue.” United States Soc'y for Augmentative & Alternative Commun., Inc. v. Lyon, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS , *8 ( E.D. Mich. Nov. 4, 2016).

12. Undue Hardship and Fundamental Alteration
A public entity does not have to provide the requested accommodation if they can demonstrate a fundamental alteration or an undue burden on the program. Center v. City of W. Carrollton, 227 F. Supp. 2d 863 (S.D. Ohio Sept. 27, 2002).
The reasonableness inquiry is very fact-specific that requires case by case inquiry. Anderson v. City of Blue Ash, 798 F.3d 338, 356 (6th Cir. 2015).
The ADA defines undue hardship as an “action requiring significant difficulties or expense when considered in light of a number of factors, one being the type of service or product offered.” 28 CFR

13. Fundamental Alterations
In Jones v. City of Monroe, 341 F.3d 474, 486 (6th Cir. 2003), the plaintiff who had multiple sclerosis alleged that the municipal parking program violated title II of the ADA.
The free parking places that were longer than one hour were located further away from plaintiff’s place of work. The plaintiff requested that the city reserved a free parking space for her and stop ticketing her when she parked in the one-hour parking space for the whole day. Id. at 480.
The Court concluded that “assignment of a particular parking location or immunity from prosecution is not a reasonable accommodation required under the ADA.” Id. at 480, 481.

14. Specific Requested Accommodations
The public entity does not have to provide the specific accommodations requested by the individuals as long as the accommodations provided are reasonable. Meade v. Mich. Dep't of Corr., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS (W.D. Mich. Feb. 4, 2014).
Here, the plaintiff is blind and stated that the jail violated the ADA by refusing his request for auxiliary aids that included braille or audio copy documents and modification of the digital reader. Id. Instead, the jail provided the assistance of a legal writer program to read documents to him.
However, the Court stated that while the plaintiff did not receive the “technical relief he sought,” the assistance the plaintiff received through the Legal Writer Program was sufficient to fulfill the reasonable accommodation component of the statute. Id.

15. Reasonable Accommodations: Conclusion
Under the ADA, public libraries are required to make “reasonable accommodations” that do not fundamentally alter the nature of the program or cause undue burden to it.
Furthermore, the “reasonable” factor is analyzed from the perspective of the public library.
Therefore, as long as the public library demonstrates that the accommodations it provided to accommodate a disabled individual is reasonable, based on case law the threshold to prove “reasonableness” is rather low.

16. Reasonable Accommodations: Examples
For example, if a meeting can be relocated to a lower floor conference room in the Library, this would be a reasonable accommodation.
Providing auxiliary aids to a person to attend a library board meeting.
Providing music sheets to people who attend a sing along.
Retrieving books from stacks or other confined areas that will not allow a wheelchair to pass.
Allowing a person with diabetes to bring food into the Library if it is otherwise prohibited.

17. The ADA and the Library Building
A public entity is not required to make structural changes to existing facilities if there are other effective methods available to comply with the statute. Id. However, existing buildings that are renovated after the enactment of the ADA need to be accessible to individuals with disabilities. 28 C.F.R. §
All new facilities or modifications to facilities owned by or used for public entities must be designed and constructed to make the facilities readily accessible to individuals with disabilities. 28 C.F.R. §
The public entity has the burden of proving that compliance with § would cause an alteration or burdens. 28 CFR

18. The ADA and the Library Building
With respect to existing facilities, public entities are not necessarily required to make accommodations:
Physical changes to a building are required only when there is no feasible way to make the program accessible.
Not required to change an existing building “threaten or destroy the historic significance of an historic property” or “result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of a service, program, or activity or in undue financial and administrative burdens.” Id.
For example, if library staff can access stacks for the patron, the Library is not required to construct an elevator.

19. The ADA and the Library Building
Public libraries will have to ensure buildings constructed or renovated after the enactment of the ADA statute are accessible to disabled individuals. However, existing facilities do not need to necessarily accommodate patrons in the same manner. Furthermore, public libraries are not required to make structural accommodations that would “threaten or destroy the historic significance of an historic property” or “result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of a service, program, or activity or in undue financial and administrative burdens.”

20. What is a Service Animal?
A service animal is defined as, “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.” 28 C.F.R
After 2011, it only applies to dogs and certain miniature horses.
The task “performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability.” Id.

21. Service Animals and Public Entities
The regulation concerning the provisions for service animals states that, “[g]enerally, a public accommodation shall modify policies, practices, or procedures to permit the use of a service animal by an individual with a disability.” 28 C.F.R (a).
However, the entity may ask an individual to remove the animals if:
The animal is out of control and the animal’s handler does not take effective action to control it; or
The animal is not housebroken. Id.
With respect to service animals, a public entity may consider whether the animal poses a “direct threat,” which is defined as “a significant risk to the health or safety of others that cannot be eliminated by a modification of policies, practices, or procedures or by the provision of auxiliary aids or services.” Day v. Sumner Reg'l Health Sys., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 94615, *7 (M.D. Tenn. Dec. 26, 2007).

22. Inquiry about Service Animals
The public entity is not allowed to inquire as to the extent or nature of an individual’s disability, but they may undertake two inquiries to decide whether an animal is a service animal under the ADA. 28 C.F.R (f).
The public entity may ask whether
the animal is required because of a disability and
what work or task the animal has been trained to perform. Id.
However, the entity may not make these queries if it is obvious that the animal is a service animal and shall not require documentation to confirm that the animal is trained or licensed as a service animal. Id.

23. Service Animals: Michigan Specific
Under, MCL § , “A person shall not falsely represent that he or she is in possession of a service animal, or a service animal in training, in any public place.” MCLS §
Under MCL § c, a “[s]ervice animal” means all of the following:
That term as defined in 28 CFR ;
A miniature horse that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks as described in 28 CFR for the benefit of a person with a disability.
If an individual knowingly violates this act, he/she is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by 1 or more of the following:
Imprisonment for not more than 90 days;
A fine of not more than $500.00;
Community service for not more than 30 days.” 2015 Mi. ALS 147, 2015 Mi. P.A. 147, Mi. H.B

24. Service Animals: Michigan Specific
The Michigan statute is primarily consistent with the federal statute. In addition to that, it has certain additional provisions regarding service animals.
It states that “service animal shall be under the control of its handler, and shall have a harness, leash, or other tether, unless the handler is unable because of a disability to use a harness, leash, or other tether or the use of a harness, leash, or other tether would interfere with the service animal’s safe and effective performance of work or tasks.” MCL § c.
Further, it states that the “A public accommodation is not responsible for the care or supervision of a service animal.” Id.

25. Service Animals: Michigan Specific
A public entity cannot charge an individual with a disability or make them comply with other requirements that are not applicable to other patrons. Id.
However, “if a public accommodation normally charges people for damage caused, the public accommodation may charge a person with a disability for damage caused by his or her service animal.” Id.
Even if state or local health codes prohibit animals on certain premises, an individual with a disability should be allowed to be accompanied by his/her service animal. Id.

26. Do Comfort Animals Qualify as Service Animals?
In order to qualify for a reasonable modification, Courts have found that “an animal must be specially trained to perform tasks directly related to a disability, contrasted with animals that have received only general training, provide only emotional support, or otherwise perform tasks not directly related to a disability.” Anderson v. City of Blue Ash, 798 F.3d 338, 354 (6th Cir. 2015).
In Lerma v. Cal. Exposition and State Fair Police, a puppy was not considered a service animal because it only received obedience training and was used by the plaintiff for “emotional support and comfort,” which is the type of aid excluded as work or tasks under ADA. Id. (quoting Lerma v. Cal. Exposition & State Fair Police, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 285, *5 (E.D. Cal. Jan. 2, 2014).

27. Do Comfort Animals Qualify as Service Animals?
Similarly, in Rose v. Springfield-Greene Cnty. Health Dep't, a monkey was not considered a service animal as the task it performed was not required for the day to day activities of the plaintiff. Id. (quoting Rose v. Springfield-Greene Cnty. Health Dep't, 668 F. Supp. 2d 1206, 1215 (W.D. Mo. Oct. 21, 2009)). The monkey provided merely comfort and support to the plaintiff, which is why it did not classify as a service animal under the ADA. Id. Note: After 2011, monkeys can no longer be service animals

28. Service Animals: CONCLUSION
Comfort animals would not classify as service animals under the ADA. To qualify as a service animal, the animal must be trained to carry out tasks related to a disability. However, public entities can make very limited inquiries regarding service animals and cannot ask for documentation for the service animals. Therefore, in most cases public libraries would have to entertain comfort animals in their premises.

29. Wheelchairs, Mobility Aids, and Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices
Covered entities must allow people with disabilities who use manual or power wheelchairs or scooters, and manually-powered mobility aids such as walkers, crutches, and canes, into all areas where members of the public are allowed to go.
Covered entities must also allow people with disabilities who use other types of power-driven mobility devices into their facilities, unless a particular type of device cannot be accommodated because of legitimate safety requirements. Where legitimate safety requirements bar accommodation for a particular type of device, the covered entity must provide the service it offers in alternate ways if possible.

30. Other Power Driven Mobility Devices
The rules set out five specific factors to consider in deciding whether or not a particular type of device can be accommodated.
Wheelchairs
Choice of Device
Other Power-Driven Mobility Device
Requirements Regarding Mobility Devices and Aids
Assessment Factors

31. Wheelchairs
Most people are familiar with the manual and power wheelchairs and electric scooters used by people with mobility disabilities. The term “wheelchair” is defined in the new rules as “a manually-operated or power-driven device designed primarily for use by an individual with a mobility disability for the main purpose of indoor or of both indoor and outdoor locomotion.”

32. Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices
In recent years, some people with mobility disabilities have begun using less traditional mobility devices such as golf cars or Segways®.
These devices are called “other power-driven mobility device” (OPDMD) in the rule. OPDMD is defined in the new rules as “any mobility device powered by batteries, fuel, or other engines that is used by individuals with mobility disabilities for the purpose of locomotion, including golf cars, electronic personal assistance mobility devices … such as the Segway® PT, or any mobility device designed to operate in areas without defined pedestrian routes, but that is not a wheelchair”.
When an OPDMD is being used by a person with a mobility disability, different rules apply under the ADA than when it is being used by a person without a disability.

33. Choice of Device
People with disabilities have the right to choose whatever mobility device best suits their needs.
For example, someone may choose to use a manual wheelchair rather than a power wheelchair because it enables her to maintain her upper body strength. Similarly, someone who is able to stand may choose to use a Segway® rather than a manual wheelchair because of the health benefits gained by standing.
A facility may be required to allow a type of device that is generally prohibited when being used by someone without a disability when it is being used by a person who needs it because of a mobility disability. For example, if golf cars are generally prohibited in a park, the park may be required to allow a golf car when it is being used because of a person’s mobility disability, unless there is a legitimate safety reason that it cannot be accommodated.

34. Requirements Regarding Mobility Devices and Aids
Under the new rules, covered entities must allow people with disabilities who use wheelchairs (including manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs, and electric scooters) and manually-powered mobility aids such as walkers, crutches, canes, braces, and other similar devices into all areas of a facility where members of the public are allowed to go.
In addition, covered entities must allow people with disabilities who use any OPDMD to enter the premises unless a particular type of device cannot be accommodated because of legitimate safety requirements.
Such safety requirements must be based on actual risks, not on speculation or stereotypes about a particular type of device or how it might be operated by people with disabilities using them.

35. Factors to Consider
In deciding whether a particular type of OPDMD can be accommodated in a particular facility, the following factors must be considered:
the type, size, weight, dimensions, and speed of the device;
the facility’s volume of pedestrian traffic (which may vary at different times of the day, week, month, or year);
the facility’s design and operational characteristics (e.g., whether its business is conducted indoors or outdoors, its square footage, the density and placement of furniture and other stationary devices, and the availability of storage for the OPDMD if needed and requested by the user);
whether legitimate safety requirements (such as limiting speed to the pace of pedestrian traffic or prohibiting use on escalators) can be established to permit the safe operation of the OPDMD in the specific facility; and
whether the use of the OPDMD creates a substantial risk of serious harm to the immediate environment or natural or cultural resources, or poses a conflict with Federal land management laws and regulations.

36. Policies of Use of OPDMD
In deciding whether a type of OPDMD can be accommodated, covered entities must consider all assessment factors and, where appropriate, should develop and publicize rules for people with disabilities using these devices. Such rules may include –
requiring the user to operate the device at the speed of pedestrian traffic;
identifying specific locations, terms, or circumstances (if any) where the devices cannot be accommodated;
setting out instructions for going through security screening machines if the device contains technology that could be harmed by the machine; and
specifying whether or not storage is available for the device when it is not being used.

37. Credible Assurance
An entity that determines it can accommodate one or more types of OPDMDs in its facility is allowed to ask the person using the device to provide credible assurance that the device is used because of a disability.
If the person presents a valid, State-issued disability parking placard or card or a State-issued proof of disability, that must be accepted as credible assurance on its face.
If the person does not have this documentation, but states verbally that the OPDMD is being used because of a mobility disability, that also must be accepted as credible assurance, unless the person is observed doing something that contradicts the assurance.

38. Staff Training
Ongoing staff training is essential to ensure that people with disabilities who use OPDMDs for mobility are not turned away or treated inappropriately.
Training should include instruction on the types of OPDMDs that can be accommodated, the rules for obtaining credible assurance that the device is being used because of a disability, and the rules for operation of the devices within the facility.

39. Library Privacy Act and Disabilities
"Library record" means a document, record, or other method of storing information retained by a library that contains information
that personally identifies a library patron, including the patron’s name, address, or telephone number, or
that identifies a person as having requested or obtained specific materials from a library.

40. Library Privacy Act Section 3(2)
(2) Unless ordered by a court after giving the affected library notice of the request and an opportunity to be heard on the request, a library or an employee or agent of a library shall not release or disclose a library record or portion of a library record to a person without the written consent of the person liable for payment for or return of the materials identified in that library record.

41. Library Privacy Act Written waiver.
Exception if a person responsible for the payment or return of the materials signs a written consent.
Mainly developed to assist parents in locating and returning child’s materials.
However, the waiver is not limited to the parent/child situation. It should also be used when an adult child with disabilities.

42. ADA Information
For more information about the ADA, please visit our website
or call our toll-free number.
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