My name is Dr. Steven Rattner. Currently, a resident of Potomac, MD, I have been deaf since birth. I am President of a practice in General Dentistry that was started in 1986. Presently, I have nine employees and two dentists working for me. Dental offices are located in College Park and Germantown, Maryland.

When I first opened the College Park office, the common area of the building where the dental office is located in the first floor of a condominium high rise building. I needed to make several requests to the condominium association to make the common area and lobby accessible.

After several years, the board of the association finally approved my request and implemented the modifications with minimal cost. These modifications included making the public restroom and the sidewalk ramp accessible to people with disabilities. I am proud that the condominium association is making efforts to comply with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Adding the notice provision is a threat to my future as a deaf person who may request an interpreter for continuing education in dentistry as well as for other activities. For instance, a large reputable dental software company was offering a class on enhancement of the dental software that my office is currently using. The company denied my request for a sign language interpreter for the class that I signed up. The company officers were unfamiliar with the ADA.

After much discussion, the officers realized that they were wrong and approved my request. However, it was too late to arrange for an interpreter for the course and I had to wait six months for the next session.

After hearing that a proposal is being presented before your committee on the "90 Days notice provision attached to the ADA", I was concerned. Therefore, I decided to reschedule my appointments to be here to testify. I believe that this provision is not needed because the ADA is already ten years old and functionally protecting people with disabilities. Adding this notice provision would be like opening a can of worms. I understand that Clint Eastwood may be coming here to testify on the behalf of this provision. Surprisingly, he is known as an enforcer of the law in his famous movie, "Dirty Harry" and a former mayor of Carmel, California. Does he practice what he preaches?