b'THE STATE OF RETAIL DIAMONDSJEWELRYCOLORED DESIGN STONESRetailers fall under Title III of the ADA, which applies to physical businesses that are open to the public and are required to provide accommodations to customers with disabilities.This includes making sure customers can access the stores goods and services, communicate with employees, and bring in service animals.Retailers are required to make reasonable modifi-cations to their policies and practices to better serve customers with disabilities.For example, a customer with a service dog must be allowed to enter the store, regardless of a no-pets policy.Retailers are not required to make a fundamental alteration to the way they do business, like allowing all customers to bring in their pets.Though the ADA is a federal law, how its imple-mented can vary by state, with local governments able to set their own provisions equal to or exceeding those set by the ADA.President George H.W. Bush (center) signed the Americans IN-STORE ACCOMMODATIONS with Disabilities Act into law on As the ADA has been in place for nearly 35 years,July 26, 1990. (Image credit:[THE ADA] retailers likely are familiar with many of the in-storeNational Archives)IS BROADLY accommodations that need to be provided to cus- POPULAR tomers with disabilities, like wheelchair ramps andBECAUSE THERE accessible parking spots. Something she doesnt However, there are additional steps a jewelry retailer can take tolike, however, is when a storeARE SO MANY make its in-store experience more welcoming. associate overwhelms her withPEOPLE IN THIS Catarina Rivera, a disability advocate, speaker, educator, and thequestions and offers of help asCOUNTRY WHO, woman behind Blindish Latina on Instagram, began wearing hear- soon as she walks in the door. AT SOME POINT, ing aids as a child and was diagnosed with Usher Syndrome at age 17,A simple greeting is fine, WILL NEED a rare genetic disorder that causes gradual vision loss.but she needs time to adjustShe currently has 5 percent of her vision remaining. to new spaces. SOME KIND OF In an interview with National Jeweler, she shared her experiencesI can easily become over- ACCESSIBILITY with navigating retail stores and which accommodations she findswhelmed by a new space, and IHELP.helpful. only see a little bit when I enterSARA YOOD, I really like it when somebody helps me in a jewelry store, especiallya new space. I have to first learnJEWELERS VIGILANCE because everythings so small. Its really hard for me to see detail,the space, she says. COMMITTEEsays Rivera. A lot of times, blind peo-ple and low-vision people are presumed to not be independent and to be struggling when we may simply be pausing.It can also be frustrating and energy-draining to deal with people who make a fuss over her, she says.When offering help to a customer with a disability, Rivera suggests opening the conversation in a subtle way, like they would with any other customer, such as by asking if theyve found what theyre look-ing for or complimenting a piece theyre considering. Asking, Do you need help? can be a sore spot for some people with disabilities, she says.Clearly labeling the different sections of the store is helpful, she says, as she tries to assess which brand shes looking at or the price range of the pieces.Tech company NaviLens provides accessible QR codes for the visually impaired,Rivera suggests retailers also provide digital versions of text that like the one seen here on this All detergent. appears in the store as well as information in Braille, noting that Continued on page 1412 STATE OF THE MAJORS 2025'