When it comes to running a business there are so many different factors to consider. Keeping your employees happy should be a top priority. Some workers require special accommodations to access and move around the office. To prevent them from filing an ADA lawsuit, you need to be aware of their unique challenges.

What is an ADA lawsuit?

ADA stands for Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA  allows people with disabilities to sue public places that don’t provide equal access. They file these claims through the federal court system. Investigations into ADA violations can also be filed through the Justice Department.

The ADA doesn’t permit plaintiffs to collect monetary damages. However, they receive compensation through the payment of attorney fees. If the Department of Justice sues you, you won’t have to pay their attorneys fees. However, if you lose, you may have to pay compensatory relief or civil penalties.

How to Prevent One

California and Florida have the highest number of ADA cases. In 2017, California accounted for 2,933 of the ADA filings of the 4,961 across the nation. This might have been because California state law allows a plaintiff to add a monetary claim for damages.

To ensure your business is protected, here are some steps you can take to avoid an ADA lawsuit.

1.  Start With Your Parking Lot

Before you even evaluate the inside of your building, consider the exterior. Make sure your parking lot has the correct number of accessible parking spots with proper signage. For example, if you have 26 to 50 parking spaces, you need at least two accessible parking spots. These parking spaces need to be located as close to the main entrance as possible and on level ground.

Also, ensure your sidewalks are compliant with ADA guidelines. You may need to add a ramp leading into the main entrance for wheelchair access.

2.  Have an Accessible Route to Your Front Entrance

Make sure all paths to the entrance are free from any excess slopes, steps or steep ramps. You want to ensure people with disabilities can easily maneuver the route. Also, make sure your doors are wide enough to allow wheelchairs to pass through effortlessly.

Keep in mind at least 60% of public entrances in newly built construction need to be accessible. Some features of accessibility include communication systems and signage.

3.  Check Your Entryways

Your entryway must comply with multiple ADA standards. These include measurements for clearance, types of door surfaces, and landing features. For example, your door must provide at least 32 inches of clear width. This is measured between the face of the door and the opposite stop.

Following these guidelines can help you to prevent a drive-by lawsuit. This is when a person notices a violation when driving by the exterior of the building.

4. Measure Your Bathrooms

Public restrooms are essential places to make sure you follow all ADA requirements. Some common guidelines address the proper height of coat hooks, paper towels dispensers, and mirrors. Also, watch out for any unwrapped pipes or misplaced handle grab bars.

The ADA requires you to place grab bars at the back and side of toilet fixtures. Other bathroom guidelines include easy-to-use flush controls and enough space to navigate a wheelchair.

5. Ask a Professional

If you’re unsure if your business meets ADA requirements, check with a professional. They can come up with a cost-efficient plan to help you comply with the guidelines. The ability to prevent a lawsuit outweighs the price of hiring an ADA consultant.

To find the right one, make sure they are up to date on the latest regulations. Also, look into their experience and ask for references. You want to ensure they have a plan to increase your ADA compliance. This plan may consist of:

• Conducting a site audit
• Identify the needs of those affected by vision impairments
• Understanding changes that need to be made and how to implement them
• Testing the site after adjustments have been made
• Setting up an ongoing monitoring system

How to Prevent an ADA LawSuit

It is essential your office space can accommodate everyone, especially those with disabilities. This way, you can prevent any unexpected lawsuits. Follow these steps to ensure your company’s workplace is accessible for all employees and complies with ADA standards.

Perhaps best known for her groundbreaking work with chimpanzees, Dr. Jane Goodall revolutionized the way scientists study the natural world challenging how people picture scientists, both in terms of research techniques and gender roles in the field.

A special exhibit, Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall, at the Field Museum explores her life from her early years as an intrepid young woman with a dream to learn about animals in Africa, to her years establishing herself as a renowned scientist in Gombe National Park, Tanzania, to her present role as an activist, mentor and advocate for creating a better world for all life on Earth.

“Becoming Jane gives such a personal look at Dr. Goodall,” says Jaap Hoogstraten, the Field Museum’s director of exhibitions. “She’s a figure that’s changed the way that we see animals and inspired countless people to help protect our planet, and we’re excited to bring her story, and some of her personal belongings, to the Field.”

Photo by Hugo Van Lawick, Jane Goodall Institute

Widely known for her innovative approach to animal behavior research, Dr. Goodall traveled to what is now Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park and immersed herself in the natural habitat of wild chimpanzees.

Her work studying the lives of chimpanzees in the wild captured the imagination of the world. Rather than seeing the animals as subjects, she came to know them as individuals with personalities and emotions—a notion once rejected by the scientific world, yet now considered revolutionary. Her story—one of fearless determination, curiosity, the pursuit of knowledge and a passionate love of the natural world—has resonated with generations of people around the globe.

Highlights

Highlights of the exhibition include some of Dr. Goodall’s childhood belongings, including a beloved stuffed monkey, interspersed with stories about her as a budding naturalist, studying a chicken coop at age four.

The exhibition also features augmented reality interactives that invite visitors to try their hand at chimpanzee vocalizations, a hologram-like projection of Dr. Goodall sharing her memories of living among the chimpanzees, and a replica of her field research tent.

The exhibit

What: The Field’s newest exhibition, Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall

Where: Field Museum, 1400 S DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago

When: The exhibition runs now through September 6, 2021, presented in English and with a Spanish translation booklet

Admission: included with the museum upgraded ticket

About Dr. Jane Goodall

Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, is an iconic voice for holistic, compassionate, and sustainable solutions. Through her global advocacy as an ethologist and environmentalist, she is shaping attitudes and policy on issues ranging from human rights to the climate crisis, and inspiring action through the power of hope.

Jane Goodall was born on April 3^rd, 1934, in London, England. At the age of 26, Jane followed her passion for wildlife and Africa to Gombe, Tanzania. There, under the mentorship of paleoanthropologist Dr. Louis Leakey, she began her landmark study of chimpanzees in the wild. Her revelatory observation in 1960 that chimpanzees make and use tools rocked the scientific landscape and forever redefined our understanding of the relationship between humans and other animals.  

In 1977, Dr. Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), a global community-led conservation, research, and animal welfare organization to advance her vision of a better future for all. In 1991, Dr. Goodall created Roots & Shoots, JGI’s international youth program, now active in more than 60 countries, to develop the compassionate changemakers our world needs.  

From scientist to world-renowned activist, Jane has been a leader in the community-led conservation and animal welfare movements for decades.   

It’s not a coincidence that “Jim Shull” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll” almost rhyme.

At least not to me.

That’s because Shull, a former Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) executive creative director, designed the “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith” ride at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World, among many others. And like that ride, getting the chance to talk to him was a thrill.

The thing is, when I did, I quickly realized not only how passionate he is about his work, but that he doesn’t quite understand just how important he, and all the Imagineers, are to so many.

So, with that, below are 13 takeaways from our conversation (slightly edited for length and flow). And I’m guessing that, after you read them, you’ll want to watch our full conversation to learn more about the man and the magic he created − like the man whose vision he helped keep alive.

Takeaway #1: He designs with a child’s heart. “As a child in California,” Shull shared, “we’d make yearly trips to Disneyland. On my seventh birthday, instead of having a big party at home, my parents allowed me to take one friend to Disneyland. That’s, of course, when I began to learn the art of negotiation. And that’s also why, when I design, I do so with that 7-year-old child still within me.”

Takeaway #2: Disney brings us to tears – in a good way. I explained to Shull that I was surprised, and a little embarrassed, when I teared up from a sense of wonder while first riding the new Flight of Passage. After writing a column about the experience, I received many reader responses, from men and women alike, saying they felt the same way. When I shared this with Shull, he answered that he experienced a similar reaction, and in fact, made a point of telling the ride’s WDI creative lead, Joe Rhode, about the
effect the ride had on him.

Takeaway #3: The Imagineers start with story. At WDI, Shull and his team began new projects by completing the phrase, “Once upon a time ______.” Shull shared several examples: “We’d say, ‘Once upon a time, there was Mickey Mouse and he lived in a suburban house outside of Anaheim.’ Well, that became Mickey’s Toontown. Or ‘Once upon a time, Andy was playing with his toys in the backyard before he left them to go to lunch,’ and that became Toy Story Land. Or ‘Once upon a time, I wanted to go to a rock and roll concert and I was the biggest fan the band had so they got me a special VIP limo’ and that became ‘Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.”

Takeaway #4: Lights, cameras, design! Shull explained how WDI’s approach is to pair up Imagineers with projects they are passionate about, knowing that will bring the most to the project and ultimately the guests − and also why the term “casting” is used by Disney for its talent selection and assignment process: “It’s called ‘casting’ because WDI originated in the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California,” Shull explained. “In a movie studio, you develop stories; have a creative team flesh them out; have people put together your crew, set, and technology budget; and then build a team that will deliver your movie. Well, since WDI came from that background, that history, that DNA, casting is very much part of that.”

Takeaway #5: Disney guests are the true judges of a ride’s success. Shull gathered initial feedback on his rides during “soft openings,” where first cast members and then guests were invited, and then on the formal opening days for all guests. “I would also engage team members who weren’t technically in creative roles,” Shull said, “like those in estimating, scheduling, and finance, since they also brought a valid point of view.” In the project’s planning stages, Shull added, he would spend hours every day thinking about how the ride would appeal to people, including those from different cultures.

Takeaway #6: It’s a small world. Really small. Shull talked about the common themes he found with people around the globe, “In reality, people are people. For example, when I explained the Toy Story Hotel concept to Bob Iger [Walt Disney Company executive chairman, chairman of the board, and former CEO] and the rest of the Imagineering Team, I said I wanted to do something ‘child-like, but not childish.’ And I thought that Toy Story Hotel and Toy Story Land would appeal across cultures because everyone is, or has been, a child, and everyone is playing, or has played, with toys.”

Takeaway #7: Dream on… then make it real. Shull shared a personal
example of the thoughtful approach Imagineers bring to planning rides: “First, I thought, well, I’m a fan of music and rollercoasters, so I saw the potential of fusing them in one ride, since they’re both about kinetic action and energy. Next, I realized that, though I’m not a musician and would actually be embarrassed to try to play an instrument or sing, I am still very interested in music. I also believed that many others, including Disney guests, feel the same way. So, I wondered how I could eliminate the potential embarrassment our guests might feel of going into the world of music, a world that they wouldn’t normally enter, and help them feel safe – and that became ‘Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith.’”

Takeaway #8: I don’t want to miss a thing… when looking at Studio C. Shull shared Aerosmith’s first reactions after experiencing the ride for the first time: “They were blown away. The guys just loved it and rode it over and over. From the beginning, in fact, they embraced the project. So much so that, when you go through the queue for that ride, and you see the ‘Studio C’ setup, there are a lot of props in there that Aerosmith gave us. They also sent their studio technicians to Orlando so I could work with them to set up that scene. The goal was to make it authentic and sincere, to the point where it feels as if the band could step into that studio and actually do a recording.”

Takeaway #9: Keep your glasses on or you might miss something. Shull shared two main design criteria he and his ride engineering team followed in creating “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith”: “I wear glasses. So, one of the criteria I had was that the coaster needed to be dynamic enough to be exciting but not so dynamic that I’d have to remove my glasses – like some other coasters make you do. Another criterion was that it had to be re-rideable, meaning that, after I rode it, I’d want to ride it again and again. A lot of rollercoasters want the record for most dynamic, most thrilling, or most aggressive. I just wanted it to be thrilling, but not terrifying.”

Takeaway #10: Many happy – and safe – returns. In talking about the intense pre-launch sequence of “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith,” Schull explained that, though that sequence is an example of the Imagineers intentionally creating a moment of anxiety for guests, overall they want guests to know that, at Disney, they’ll be safe. “I believe in ‘safe journeys and safe returns,’” Shull explained. “You’re invited to do something you want to do but maybe wouldn’t do in real life. Like with the ride ‘Soarin,’ if you don’t want to hang glide in real life and I told you, oh you can do it safely, well you might want to. It’s the promise that you’ll be protected and return safely, and that when you do return, you’ll learn something both about the narrative you just experienced and yourself.”

Takeaway #11: He finally found his canvas. Shirt cardboards play an important role in Shull’s early career. After asking him about this intriguing coincidence that I first heard about on a WDW Tales podcast, Shull shared the following: “As an only child who also stuttered, I was very introverted. We also lived on a hill and there were 39 steps to our front door, so we didn’t get a lot of visitors. Fortunately, my father was an advertising executive and wore starched white shirts that had cardboards in them. Why was that fortunate? Because, at age five or six, I started drawing on them, giving me a way to express myself. Then my father decided to build a swimming pool, so one day, a dump truck left a mountain of sand behind our house. Of course, sand is a perfect tool to design and build with, and because I loved Disney, I started doing that. Then, I convinced my father to give me a piece of his garage and I built a train set and learned about rock work. So, it’s not so much one straight line, it’s an accumulation of life experiences that, when there is an opportunity to use those experiences, I’d find myself in the right place.”

Takeaway #12: What happens after “happily ever after.” In Jim’s case, it keeps going. Since leaving Disney, Shull has brought his design expertise to other companies. “I started getting notes from people asking if I’d like to talk about a project,” Shull explains. “And, if it was a project I liked, I’d agree. I have also started using social media more. Now, of course, I didn’t start my life saying, this is where I see myself in 2021, but it’s an accumulation of life experiences and always saying yes to things that led me to where we are right now. Of course, it’s important to note the critical role WDI played in his life. “WDI is a world-class, one-of-a-kind organization,” Shull added. “There’s nothing, to my knowledge, that equals what they do. I was fortunate to be part of that for over 33 years.”

Takeaway #13: It all started with a ________. At the end of our conversation, I asked Shull to complete the famous Walt Disney quote (“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing ─ that it was all started by a mouse.”) about his own career. His answer: “It all started with a story. It doesn’t matter what the story is, how long or short it is, or where you live… or anything about you. Everything I have ever done starts with a story. Everyone has a story. I would encourage them, in whatever form they want, to find their story, and be brave enough to tell it and pursue it.

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Follow Jim Shull on Twitter: @JimShull

Watch full Coincidental
Conversations™ interview with Jim Shull

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Contact me at [email protected] and learn more at jameswarda.com.

Comments Note: All comments are reviewed. Any that are considered to be a personal attack or hate speech will be removed. In my blog, I always try to be respectful. I expect the same from my readers, both in responses to me, and about or to each other. And, again, thank you for reading.

@2001-2021, James R. Warda. All rights reserved.

My family always called it the Outer Drive. As a five-year-old, I remember the traffic jam around the S-curve as my uncle swore his way to Hyde Park for a Passover Seder as the Palmolive Building beacon glowed on us.

Aliotta, Haynes, Jeremiah romanticized it and immortalized it–there ain’t no road just like it…slippin’ by on LSD.

And if it changes–if it becomes DuSable Drive, c’est la vie. I will learn to live with it. After all, it is not the first landmark in Chicagoland to endure a name change, and it will not be the last.

Here, in no particular order, are 10 more-or-less successful name changes in our history.

1. First, the boomerang: The above mentioned Palmolive Building was renamed Playboy Tower in 1965, but is back as Palmolive since about 2001.
2. The AON Building, that drab white tower downtown? It started life as the Standard Oil Building, and was AMOCO for awhile, too!
3. Guaranteed Rate Field, quite a mouthful, was originally New Comiskey Park, but is most fondly remembered as The Cell (U.S. Cellular Field,) home to the World Champion White Sox of 2005.
4. One exception to c’est la vie. Willis Tower will be Sears Tower FOREVER. ‘Nuf said.
5. Wonder why O’Hare International Airport’s designation is ORD? Goes back to humble origins as Orchard Field. Though shouldn’t that have made it ORC?
6. What exactly did Mayor Jane Byrne do to justify renaming the Circle Interchange as the Jane Byrne Interchange. Perhaps she could look down on the jammed junction during the month she “lived” in Cabrini-Green.
7. Northwestern University’s Dyche Stadium, named in perpetuity for the Dyche family, is now Ryan Field. Go ‘Cats!
8. Will Boystown really become Northalsted? I’m not betting on it.
9. Been to 875 N. Michigan Ave lately? What a naming comedown for the late John Hancock Building. Why not talk to Lin-Manuel Miranda and sell him the naming rights to Hamilton Tower?
10. Drive down Pulaski Avenue much. That was once Crawford, a name it retains as it goes through the northern suburbs.

Names come and go. I won’t fret about another name change in the City of Big Shoulders, Windy City, Second City. It’s how you live it, not what you call it.

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