Assessing Accessibility: An Investigation into Variations in ADA Compliance Across the US

Departing from prior research focused on employment and legal interpretations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), this research examines the impact of demographic, economic, disability prevalence, and political factors on state-level variations in physical accessibility (PA) and mental healthcare accessibility (MHA) across the United States. PA is operationalized using the National Center for Access to Justice's Disability Access Index, which evaluates state adoption of 29 essential policies. MHA is measured by the ratio of residents to mental healthcare providers from the 2020 County Health Rankings. Using multivariate regression analysis on data from sources such as the US Census Bureau and Pew Research Center, this study hypothesizes that states with stronger economies and higher secondary education levels will exhibit better PA and MHA; that higher disability prevalence will correlate with improved accessibility; and that political factors such as conservatism rates and veteran population will exhibit more complex relationships. Key findings reveal that while education levels positively influence both PA and MHA, unexpected correlations emerged, including a strong negative association between veteran population and PA, and a statistically significant negative impact of conservative political ideology on MHA. These results underscore the need for nuanced policy interventions considering the intersections of sociopolitical factors shaping accessibility outcomes.