ADA Warns Against Fake Face Mask Exempt Cards

Published: Tuesday, June 30, 2020 - 1:10pm

You’ve probably seen it on social media: a face mask exemption card issued by the Freedom to Breathe Agency. The card is clearly fake, but businesses need to be mindful that some individuals can’t wear a face covering.

Democratic state Rep. Jennifer Longdon understands that there is a small percentage of people who can’t wear a face mask due to a disability.

“And those individuals should be able to go about their activities of daily living without being harassed," Longdon said.

Longdon can and does wear a mask.

“However, as a person living with a disability, I am well familiar with any number of individuals who decide they're going to skirt other issues — convenience, generally — by taking advantage of certain provisions of the Americans with Disability Act that people with disabilities rely on for survival and their ability to live in everyday life," Longdon said. 

JJ Rico, CEO of the Arizona Center for Disability Law, says if a person has a disability that prevents them from wearing a face mask, a business can make a reasonable accommodation.

“By either being able to enter the store without the mask, or by being provided an accommodation that could still allow them to access the goods and services of the store or the restaurant," Rico said. 

Services such as curbside pick-up or delivery.

What Is The Solution?

The statewide Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator is a big job, but the last time someone held the position was right before the Great Recession.

Longdon has tried to pass a bill that would reinstate the ADA coordinator. She says if we had one, "they could, you know, put out a business alert so businesses knew what their rights and responsibilities were in this moment. They could put things out through the media as well. Instead, you're talking to me."

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