Orange County ADA manager urges removal of accessibility barriers, says county largely compliant

Nicola Norton, program manager for the Orange County Office on Disability, said the county enforces Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and encourages residents to report access problems so her office can investigate and fix them.

Norton told host Bill that her primary responsibility is ensuring that Orange County government programs, services, parks and recreational centers provide equal access. "As the ADA program manager, I ensure that Title II is enforced of the ADA, which is ensuring access, equal access for individuals that are disabled into our Orange County government programs, services, activities, our parks and recreational centers and their activities, as well," Norton said.

Why it matters: Norton said the county can address day-to-day barriers that keep people with disabilities from using public services and spaces. She gave a concrete example: if an automatic courthouse door is not working, someone should contact the Office on Disability so staff can investigate and work to fix access. "If an individual, let's say, for example, goes to the courthouse and those automatic doors that we now know and love isn't working and they're unable to gain access into the courthouse, they would contact my office," she said.

Norton said Orange County receives relatively few complaints about county services and that she is "happy to report" the county is doing well overall, though she noted that many accessibility problems persist in older private or "grandfathered" buildings that have not been updated to current barrier standards. "Yes, but you know, to create a a more livable environment for individuals with disabilities, I would encourage everyone really to start looking at their their buildings and how people are accessing," she said.

She described several everyday obstacles that can block access: lack of automatic door openers; restroom doors that swing in ways that are hard for people using wheelchairs, walkers or scooters to operate; toilet paper dispensers placed out of reach in accessible stalls; and sidewalk cracks that make travel unsafe for people with mobility or vision impairments. "There's so many different things that you could, you know, as an individual...If I'm walking down a street and on a sidewalk and I see this huge crack, I just want to scream because I know that individuals in a different situation...they're not able to get across there safely at times," Norton said.

Practical steps: Norton urged residents to tell business managers about observed barriers and to contact the Office on Disability about county facilities needing attention. She framed the issue as one that affects everyone over time: accessibility improvements help people with disabilities now and often benefit others later.

There were no formal votes or motions in this interview. The host closed by thanking Norton for the conversation and for the Office on Disability's work to keep Orange County accessible and inclusive.