business writing

Business Writing –

h3 Collaborative Writing and Meeting at Work – exercise 9

Your company is planning to construct a new office, and you, together with other employees from your company, have been asked to serve on a committee to make sure that plans for the new building adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990. According to that act, it is against the law to discriminate against anyone with disabilities that limit “major life activities.?? walking, seeing, speaking, hearing, or working.

The law is expressly designed to remove architectural and physical barriers and to make sure that plans are modified to accommodate those protected by the law (for example, wider hallways to accommodate wheelchairs). Other considerations include choosing appropriate floor surfaces (reducing the danger of slipping), “placing water fountains low enough for use by individuals in wheelchairs and installing doors that require minimal pressure to open and close.”

After studying the plans for the new building, you and your team members find several problem areas. Prepare a group-written report advising management of the problems and what must be done to correct them to comply with the law. Divide your written work according to areas that need alteration— doors, floors, water fountains, restroom facilities. Each team member should bring in his or her section, for the group to edit and revise. The group should then prepare the final report for management.