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Ki Salehi still needs a tape measure and camera to assess a restaurant's compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
But an Internet-connected laptop computer loaded with an electronic form has replaced paper and pen in collecting information about the site's accessibility.
Called a field data collection tool, the program Salehi used this summer to help a restaurant chain report and measure its ADA compliance saves time and improves the quality of information, he said.
The tool was developed by Expesite, a Columbus company that has created a Webbased project management system to help companies expanding into multiple locations with real estate planning development and remodeling.
Expesite's client roster has been steadily growing with a focus on the restaurant, retail and banking industries. Customers now include Wendy's International Inc., Home Depot Inc. and Fifth Third Bank.
Salehi is a project manager for WD Partners Inc., a Columbus-based architectural and engineering firm that spun off Expesite into a separate company last year.
This summer Salehi and a co-worker visited about 100 locations of a restaurant chain across Ohio and in Pittsburgh to complete the ADA reporting.
A report for each location had 87 sections covering items from parking lots and counter heights to restrooms and public telephones.
With his laptop, Salehi navigated the form to answer questions about whether parts of the restaurant were in compliance. He...