Require a comprehensive review of the Capitol grounds to determine accessibility challenges for individuals with disabilities conducted by the Architect of the Capitol, Sergeant at Arms, and the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights and implement a remediation plan.

The Capitol grounds should be accessible to all individuals, regardless of ability. After gathering feedback from various disability groups, the Committee determined that a broad review of the Capitol grounds was necessary to determine accessibility challenges. A comprehensive plan should be developed and implemented to ensure that persons with disabilities can access all buildings and spaces in the Capitol complex.

Thus, the Committee requires a comprehensive review of the Capitol grounds to determine accessibility challenges for individuals with disabilities conducted by the Architect of the Capitol, Sergeant at Arms, and the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights and implementation of a remediation plan. More specifically, the Committee recommends that the AOC, the Sergeant at Arms, and the OCWR should ensure that persons with disabilities are able to easily access the Capitol grounds. A comprehensive review was seen as a first step toward determining areas that are not currently accessible, followed by a plan for making any identified accessibility modifications.

The Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations echoed the Committee’s concerns about accessibility and included the following language in the report accompanying their Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill for 2020:

Figure 5.3: Accessibilty Reccomendations Including in the 2020 Legislative Branch Apppriations Bill  Accompanying Report

Source: LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2020 Accompanying Report. The full report can be viewed here.

The Committee’s recommendation, together with the Legislative Branch Subcommittee’s report language, points to the ongoing need to equalize access to the Capitol complex.