About Inclusion Solutions

Access solutions for every marketplace.

Our Mission

To become the nation’s foremost access provider by working with people with disabilities, the business community and government to find practical products and services that help ensure inclusion.

Statement of Values

Inclusion Solutions is about building bridges. We believe that discrimination against and exclusion of people with disabilities is unacceptable in American society. We are working to produce common-sense solutions that balance a respect for the dignity of the consumers with the financial concerns of business people on matters of inclusion. Changing the perception of people with disabilities and promoting inclusion at all levels is our goal. We believe that while changing minds is more difficult than changing physical barriers, one can truly lead to the other.

The Issues

When the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law in 1990, millions of facilities around the country were inaccessible to people with disabilities. Title III of the ADA mandates that businesses provide reasonable inclusion of people with disabilities without creating an undue burden on the business. In the years since, progress has been made but much work needs to be done.

The mandates created several issues. Many disability rights advocates demand full compliance with the ADA without regard for the financial realities businesses face. The disability rights communities are numerous and often have varying interests. Groups are increasingly turning to litigation to highlight the problems and force compliance and costly settlements. And state legislatures are beginning to approach compliance issues with legislation mandating action.

"While universal design in the built environment is a truly rightful and noble policy goal, we currently live with structures, buildings and business processes that present accessibility challenges to people with disabilities.

"Inclusion Solutions bridges the current ‘built environment’ framework to a world that allows people with a variety of disabilities and limitations to participate in the mainstream of American society without waiting the many years for the physical environment to be built or re-built.

" ‘Readily achievable’ brings accessibility and fuller participation in the present by the inventiveness and creativity of Inclusion Solutions and its president, Pat Hughes."
-John Kemp, Partner, Law Firm of Powers, Pyles, Sutter & Verville, P.C., Washington, D.C.

Our Company History

We started Inclusion Solutions in 2000 to offer businesses affordable systems for providing access, and disabled customers a dignified means of entry. Changing perceptions of people with disabilities and promoting inclusion at all levels is our goal. As we worked with business owners and advocates we developed an understanding of the realities of both sides of this issue, and common-sense solutions emerged.

Inclusion Solutions founder Pat Hughes had previously founded the non-profit "Natural Ties" and served as its executive director. "Natural Ties" was dedicated to fostering relationships and friendships between people with disabilities and those without. Under his leadership the organization grew to include 14 chapters around the country.

Hughes' work on promoting social inclusion led him to realize that not only psychological barriers existed for the disabled but that real physical barriers impeded interaction—going out to a restaurant, shopping, or visiting an office. He began talking to business owners in his home town of Evanston, Illinois, and learned that some were aware of the access issues and some were not. Most were willing to make changes but had only been presented solutions that were beyond their economic means.

That understanding was the impetus for Inclusion Solutions.

First Products Introduced

Hughes was joined in 2000 by Hollister Bundy, formerly with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office in the Consumer Protection Division. There, Bundy served as Illinois’ lead attorney in the antitrust case of People v. Microsoft.

The initial focus of the company was on business accessibility issues and, working with owners and disabled advocates, we developed the BigBell™ system. When Congress passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002, and election jurisdictions were provided federal funds to improve polling place accessibility, we developed BallotCall™ products to address the barriers. Bundy focused on this aspect of the business and Inclusion Solutions soon became the nation’s leading resource for correcting polling place accessibility issues.

The following year the company came out with FuelCall™ to address the requirements of the ADA that gas stations must pump gas for disabled drivers when more than one attendant is on duty. Signage noting the days and times of the service are also required and the refueling must be done at self-serve prices. As the result of a lawsuit, the FuelCall™ system was purchased and installed at all gas stations on the Florida Turnpike.

The company continued to develop new products and election partnerships and began to engage in legislative and lobbying efforts. We became firmly established as a trusted national election resource.

In partnership with Culver’s restaurants, we launched a test of the OrderAssist™ system to permit deaf and hard of hearing customers to order at a restaurant/drive-thru from their cars.

Inclusion Solutions continues to work with disability organizations, business owners and government officials to make the accessibility goals a reality. Today, we have developed and market more than 300 products to help make facilities more inviting and welcoming to the 54 million people in this country with disabilities.

To learn more about our products, check out our News/Video section.

Use Us As A Resource

Our staff has years of experience speaking to organizations, business groups, government officials and others on issues of disability access. Please contact us if you feel a presentation from Inclusion Solutions would be useful to your organization, helpful for your advocacy efforts, an important addition to your trade show, etc. We are eager to share our expertise with you.

Call us toll-free at 1.866.232.5487 or click here to email.