http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/taman3.html#III-1.5000
III-1.5000 Religious entities. Religious entities are exempt from the requirements of title III of the ADA. A religious entity, however, would be subject to the employment obligations of title I if it has enough employees to meet the requirements for coverage.
III-1.5100 Definition. A religious entity is a religious organization or an entity controlled by a religious organization, including a place of worship.
If an organization has a lay board, is it automatically ineligible for the religious exemption? No. The exemption is intended to have broad application. For example, a parochial school that teaches religious doctrine and is sponsored by a religious order could be exempt, even if it has a lay board.
III-1.5200 Scope of exemption. The exemption covers all of the activities of a religious entity, whether religious or secular.
ILLUSTRATION: A religious congregation operates a day care center and a private elementary school for members and nonmembers alike. Even though the congregation is operating facilities that would otherwise be places of public accommodation, its operations are exempt from title III requirements.
What if the congregation rents to a private day care center or elementary school? Is the tenant organization also exempt? The private entity that rents the congregation's facilities to operate a place of public accommodation is not exempt, unless it is also a religious entity. If it is not a religious entity, then its activities would be covered by title III. The congregation, however, would remain exempt, even if its tenant is covered. That is, the obligations of a landlord for a place of public accommodation do not apply if the landlord is a religious entity.
If a nonreligious entity operates a community theater or other place of public accommodation in donated space on the congregation's premises, is the nonreligious entity covered by title III? No. A nonreligious entity running a place of public accommodation in space donated by a religious entity is exempt from title III's requirements. The nonreligious tenant entity is subject to title III only if a lease exists under which rent or other consideration is paid.
One of my pet peeves is Deaf and hearing people have a lot of misconceptions of interpreters and their roles on the job. Over the summer, I took an RID approved workshop about interpreting. I learned one main thing: Interpreters ARE underpaid! With or without benefits, they are still underpaid! If interpreters are paid 35 to 50 bucks an hour, they only get to see less than 14 bucks income and profit in return!! They have a lot to worry about, working the right number of hours, making sure the evaluation and licensing fees are paid for, to sign up and pay for the workshops to get the required earned credit units for recertification every two years or so, paying any of the medical bills incurred from interpreting, paying for the gas to travel from one interpreting assignment to another, paying for the parking fees at business or school parking lots.. The list could go on! More than half of what interpreters make goes back to making sure the interpreters themselves are certified. It sure doesn't seem to be fair, but that's the way it is right now. The workshop's presentator researched that if things were fair 100% for interpreters, they would be working the top paying jobs in the world, earning approximately 90 dollars an hour plus benefits! End of the line: Interpreters are underpaid, period. They have every right to bitch and complain about having no benefits or not earning enough income on the job! After I took that workshop, I had better respect for the interpreters and made myself shut up about them complaining about low pay and no benefits.
