The signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26 1990, has brought heightened awareness to the often challenged lifestyles faced by members of the nation's largest minority group. There are roughly 49 million people in the USA with disabilities, surpassing the African-American or Spanish-speaking segments in mere numbers (Brady and Reich, 1994;Reedy, 1993). They possess at least one limitation in a major life function, such as performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working. For example, a person who is blind is substantially limited in the major life activity of seeing, while a person who is a paraplegic is substantially limited in the major life activity of walking (Harrison and Gilbert, 1992). Some are visibly disabled, such as those using wheelchairs, and some "invisibly" disabled, such as those with asthma and hearing impairments. However, just like nondisabled individuals, they need to acquire food, clothing, shelter, entertainment and other consumer products, yet the challenges they face are often found to restrict many aspects of "typical" consumer behavior.Title III of the ADA requires that "public accommodations" make facilities accessible to the disabled, covering a diversity of retail institutions, including restaurants, hotels, shopping centers or malls, laundromats, bakeries, grocery stores, gymnasiums, pharmacies, theaters, museums, libraries, parks, private schools and day care centers (Harrison and Gilbert, 1992;Reedy, 1993). More specifically, it specifies that no individual shall be discriminated against in the "full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privilege, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation operated by a private entity on the basis of a disability" (Harrison and Gilbert, 1992, p. 76). Coverage of establishments with larger than 25 employees became effective on July 26 1992, focussing considerable attention on necessary compliance by retailers. However, less time has been devoted to examining the feelings, perceptions, and reactions of disabled consumers to efforts which are made (and not made) to meet their needs and wants.