Audit Objective 

Assess whether Town of Tonawanda (Town) officials could take additional steps to increase physical accessibility to programs and services provided at selected Town facilities.

Key Findings 

Of the 865 applicable physical accessibility components (components) we reviewed, we identified 132 components (15 percent) where Town officials could consider taking additional steps to increase physical accessibility at the selected Town facilities. Specifically: 

• 29 components at the Justice Court, such as spaces to accommodate wheelchairs in the courtroom seating area and at least one accessible restroom.
• 25 components at the Kenilworth Library, such as signs identifying van accessible parking spaces and properly secured carpets at the entrance.
• 22 components at the Town Hall, such as accessible ramps with handrails at the proper height and length.
• 19 components at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall (VFW Hall), which is owned by the Town and used for election polling, such as accessible parking spaces with access aisles and at least one van accessible space.
• 15 components at the Senior Center, such as signs at inaccessible entrances indicating the location of the nearest accessible entrance.
• 22 combined components at six other Town facilities, such as handrails at the accessible entrance ramp with a properly sized gripping surface.

Recommendation 

Town officials should assess the feasibility of taking additional steps to increase physical accessibility at the 132 components identified in this report. Town officials agreed with our findings and indicated they plan to initiate corrective action.