3 Accessibility Mistakes That Cost Businesses Big — and How to Avoid Them

About a year ago, I was brought in by a client after their project was finished.

They had just completed a beautiful remodel — new finishes, updated layout, modern fixtures. The space looked great. Then a customer filed an ADA complaint.

Here is what went wrong.

Mistake 1 — They Ignored Path of Travel Upgrades

They added a new entrance but did not upgrade the route from the parking lot to meet accessibility requirements. The entrance itself was compliant. The path to get there was not.

It seemed minor until the complaint arrived and the required rework added weeks to the schedule and thousands to the budget — on a project that was supposed to be done.

Path of travel is not just what is inside your suite. It is the entire accessible route from where a person parks to where they sit down. All of it has to work together.

Mistake 2 — Their Parking Was Not Compliant

They had an accessible stall, but the slope exceeded the maximum 2% cross-slope and the signage did not meet ADA requirements. Those small details became big liabilities.

A parking stall that looks level is often not when measured with a digital level. A 2.1% slope is a violation. A missing van-accessible designation is a violation. These are exactly the details a plaintiff's attorney is trained to find.

Mistake 3 — They Treated Accessibility as an Afterthought

Instead of consulting early, they brought me in at the end — when changes meant ripping out and replacing brand-new work.

The result was thousands in additional costs, a delay in operations, and a hit to their reputation with the contractor, the landlord, and their customers.

The Pattern Is Predictable

The three mistakes above are not unusual. They are the standard pattern for businesses that treat accessibility as a checkbox at the end of a project rather than a design consideration from the beginning.

Accessibility is not just about avoiding lawsuits. It is about protecting your investment and ensuring your space works for everyone who walks through your doors.

The fix is always cheaper before construction than after. Bring in a CASp early — before the design is set, before the permit is pulled, before the contractor is priced. That ten-minute conversation at the beginning of a project can save a six-figure problem at the end.

What is the most common accessibility oversight you have seen in your industry?

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