Making Public Buildings Accessible to the Handicapped: More Can Be Done

摘要

The Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 requires federally funded buildings to be accessible to handicapped persons. To oversee the actions of Federal agencies and insure that buildings are barrier free, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board was established by the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. Confusion exists among the Compliance Board and other agencies because of overlapping legal mandates and no clear definition of oversight and leadership roles. As a result, the Compliance Board has not been able to provide the leadership necessary to oversee agency actions in eliminating barriers for the handicapped. And agencies have been reluctant to take the steps necessary to remove barriers. GAO makes recommendations to resolve these and other issues.