The Education Management Corporation, a for-profit higher-education company, has agreed to improve accessibility to 19 of its campuses for people with disabilities, in order to settle a dispute over compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act with the U.S. Justice Department, the federal agency announced today.

It’s the first time the department has reached such an agreement over leased campus facilities, according to a news release issued by the department. The department reached similar agreements two years ago with Colorado College and with the University of Chicago.

It is also the first such settlement with a for-profit college, the release says. Under the agreement, the corporation will make 19 Brown Mackie campuses in 10 states easier to access for people with disabilities. If the company lacks the authority to make needed physical changes at a facility, it must inform its landlord of the accessibility problems, according to the release.

The release quotes Grace Chung Becker, acting assistant attorney general in the department’s Civil Rights Division, as commending the company’s efforts. “We hope that other schools will follow suit,” Ms. Becker said. —Kate Moser