ADA Requirements for Retail Stores And How to Offer More for Blind and Low Vision Customers

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation (like retail stores) and requires that customers with disabilities have equal access to goods and services.

In practice, this means everything from parking to the checkout counter must be accessible.

However, each state has varying laws and regulations that need to be adhered to so it’s important to always check local guidelines.

In this blog, we provide an overview of ADA requirements for physical retail environments and how stores can improve accessibility further for blind and low vision customers.

Contents

• What are the ADA Requirements for Retail?
• Key Areas to Consider
• Enhancing Accessibility for Blind and Low Vision Shoppers
• Real-Time Visual Assistance (Be My Eyes Service Connect & Service AI)

What are the ADA Requirements for Retail?

The ADA was created to protect disabled people against exclusion, with many businesses needing to adhere to specific standards for access. Retail is no different and physical stores fall under Title III of the ADA for compliance.

This title specifically relates to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability by public accommodations and in commercial facilities.

While there are regulations to follow here, it’s important to note that each state in the US has its own accessibility laws (sometimes stricter) that need to be adhered to, for this reason we won’t go into any detail on specific measurements covered in the ADA.

Key Areas to Consider

The ADA Title III covers a few key areas for accessibility and these are listed below. However, this is just a guide and no specific measurements are detailed due to varying laws mentioned prior…

• Parking: Accessible parking is the first point of contact for many shoppers with disabilities, so it’s critical to get this right.
• Store Entrances & Doors: Every customer should be able to enter your store without barriers. For most retail stores, there should be at least one accessible public entrance.
• Aisles & Path of Travel: Inside the store, accessible aisles and pathways ensure that customers using wheelchairs, scooters, etc. can browse freely.
• Counters & Checkout Areas: Point-of-sale counters and service desks must be usable by all customers.
• Product Shelving & Displays: ADA guidelines for retail extend to how merchandise is displayed, to ensure that customers with disabilities can locate and reach products.
• Restrooms: Many retail stores offer public restrooms, and these must have accessible facilities if they’re available to customers
• Changing Rooms: If your retail store has dressing rooms or fitting rooms (common in apparel stores), at least one must be accessible to customers with disabilities.

Enhancing Accessibility for Blind and Low Vision Shoppers

ADA compliance sets the baseline for accessibility, but unfortunately, shopping can still be extremely inaccessible for people who are blind or have low-vision. Just doing a weekly grocery shop can be incredibly difficult.

Thankfully, cutting-edge access technology can help forward-thinking retailers exceed standards and create a shopping experience that’s accessible, convenient, and welcoming to everyone.

One of the most impactful innovations for blind and low-vision shoppers is the emergence of smartphone-based and hands-free visual assistance through AI glasses. A leading example is the Be My Eyes platform, which retailers can integrate through our Service Connect and Service AI offerings.

Real-Time Visual Assistance (Be My Eyes Service Connect & Service AI)

These solutions allow an associate or AI to give helpful visual descriptions about whatever the smartphone camera sees.

Here’s how it works:

Through the Be My Eyes mobile app, a blind or low-vision shopper can connect via a live video call to a customer support agent at your company (this is Service Connect). The shopper points their phone camera (or smart glasses) at whatever they need help with. For example, finding a specific product on the shelf, reading a price or expiration date, or identifying the denomination of a bill, and the agent can see the live video feed and verbally guide the shopper in real-time.

This kind of immediate, one-on-one assistance can greatly enhance independence and confidence for a blind shopper; they’re able to browse products, do comparisons, and read ingredients, all using the app. This also equates to reduced need for customer service support from in-store employees.

On the other side is Service AI, Be My Eyes’ AI-driven virtual assistant. Instead of a human, the app leverages artificial intelligence (including image recognition and large language models) to interpret images and questions from the user. For instance, a shopper can take a photo of a product or a shelf through the app, and the AI, which has been trained on the retailer’s product catalog and information, will analyse it and provide information or answer questions in seconds.

As a real-world example, the UK’s leading grocery chain Tesco recently partnered with Be My Eyes to assist blind customers; one user demonstrated on TikTok how she could independently grocery shop with a combination of the app’s live video support and the store’s own accessible layout.

Watch the video below and read the Tesco press release announcement here.

Finally, you can find out more about how technology can transform the retail experience for blind and low vision shoppers in our latest eBook.