Access to postal facilities.

§ 255.8 Access to postal facilities. (a) Legal requirements and policy —(1) ABA Standards. Where the design standards of the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) of 1968, 42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq., do not apply, the Postal Service may perform a discretionary retrofit to a facility in accordance with this part to accommodate individuals with disabilities. (2) Discretionary modifications. The Postal Service may modify facilities not legally required to conform to ABA standards when it determines that doing so would be consistent with efficient postal operations. In determining whether modifications not legally required should be made, due regard is to be given to: (i) The cost of the discretionary modification; (ii) The number of individuals to be benefited by the modification; (iii) The inconvenience, if any, to the general public; (iv) The anticipated useful life of the modification to the Postal Service; (v) Any requirement to restore a leased premises to its original condition at the expiration of the lease, and the cost of such restoration; (vi) The historic or architectural significance of the property in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, 16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.; (vii) The availability of other options to foster service accessibility; and (viii) Any other factor that is relevant and appropriate to the decision. (b) Inquiries and requests. (1) Inquiries concerning access to postal facilities, and requests for discretionary alterations of postal facilities not covered by the design standards of the ABA, may be made to the local postal manager of the facility involved. (2) The local postal manager's response to a request or complaint regarding an alteration to a facility will be made after consultation with the district manager or the area manager. If the determination is made that modification to meet ABA design standards is not required, a discretionary alteration may be made on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the criteria listed in paragraph (a)(2) of this section. If a discretionary alteration is not made, the local postal manager should determine if a special arrangement for postal services under § 255.7 can be provided.