A survey of the accessibility of chiropractic clinics to the disabled

Objective: To determine to what degree chiropractic clinics are complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which mandates that health care clinics be accessible to the disabled. Methods: A survey was developed and mailed to 200 chiropractic clinics in Orange and Los Angeles counties. The survey asked about the essential necessities for health care clinics to be accessible to the wheelchair-bound, the blind, and the deaf. It also sought to discover how many disabled patients these clinics were treating and the attitudes of practitioners and staff toward this population. Results: The response rate was 50.5%. Accessibility for the wheelchair-bound was high. Accessibility for the blind was limited by a lack of Braille signs. Accessibility to the deaf was limited by lack of telecommunications device for the deaf or use of sign language interpreters. Most clinics were treating few or no disabled patients and did not perceive a need to become more accessible. Conclusion: There appears to be poor compliance with the ADA in chiropractic clinics in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Although data are lacking, it appears likely that the disabled population is being underserved by the chiropractic profession. Education for chiropractors on the rights and needs of the disabled population is necessary to give this group equal access to chiropractic health care.