(a) Accessibility. A recipient shall operate any program or activity to which this subpart applies so that when each part is viewed in its entirety it is readily accessible and usable by handicapped persons. This paragraph does not require a recipient to make each of its existing facilities or every part of a facility accessible to and useable by handicapped persons.
(b) Methods. A recipient may comply with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section through such means as redesign of equipment, reassignment of classes or other services to accessible buildings, assignment of aids to beneficiaries, home visits, delivery of health, welfare, or other social services at alternate accessible sites, alteration of existing facilities and construction of new facilities in conformance with the requirements of § 1040.73 or any other methods that result in making its program or activity accessible to handicapped persons. A recipient is not required to make structural changes in existing facilities where other methods are effective in achieving compliance with paragraph (a) of this section. In choosing among available methods for meeting the requirement of paragraph (a) of this section, a recipient shall give priority to those methods that serve handicapped persons in the most integrated setting appropriate.
(c) Time period. A recipient shall comply with the requirement of paragraph (a) of this section within 60 days of the effective date of this subpart except that where structural changes in facilities are necessary, the changes are to be made as expeditiously as possible, but in no event later than three years after the effective date of this subpart.
(d) Transition plan. In the event that structural changes to facilities are necessary to meet the requirement of paragraph (a) of this section, a recipient shall develop, within 6 months of the effective date of this subpart, a transition plan setting forth the steps necessary to complete the changes. The plan is to be developed with the assistance of interested persons, including handicapped persons or organizations representing handicapped persons, and the plan is to meet with the approval of the Director, Federally Assisted Programs Division, Office of Equal Opportunity, DOE. A copy of the transition plan is to be made available for public inspection. At a minimum, the plan is to:
(1) Identify physical obstacles in the recipient's facilities that limit the accessibility to and usability by handicapped persons of its program or activity.
(2) Describe in detail the methods that will be used to make the facilities accessible;
(3) Specify the schedule for taking the steps necessary to achieve full accessibility under § 1040.72(a) and, if the time period or the transition plan is longer than one year, identify steps that will be taken during each year of the transition period; and
(4) Indicate the person responsible for implementation of the plan.
(e) Notice. The recipient shall adopt and implement procedures to ensure that interested persons, including persons with impaired vision or hearing, can obtain information concerning the existence and location of services, activities, and facilities that are accessible to, and useable by, handicapped persons.
[45 FR 40515, June 13, 1980, as amended at 68 FR 51347, Aug. 26, 2003]