I was hurt in 90' so I know all about the clause.   I'd look for a place to live in a city of 500,000 and couldn't get anything!   I even went to a building that was supposed to be for someone in a wheelchair.  Nice, a bit pricey, and after looking at it I felt it was great.  Except for the bathroom door!   That was hard to beleive then but I still see it now.  Lots of new places built to save a buck or consulting a standing mister know it all.  Thats one thing alot never want todo when planning.  And going out has caused me to not go anywhere just cause I'm tired of looking for a washroom istead of enjoying myself.  I've been in a helicopter but never a plane cause of the limits there and same with trains.  I guess I'm sick of being let down.  They all say they are wheelchair friendly but still very few are.  It sounds pretty bad to someone just getting used to this but at least it's alittle better than it was 20 years ago or more.

The ADA rules can seem overwhelming.....Here is the good news, there is no such thing as a"grandfather clause" in the ADA. There are however some rules regarding modification and structural integrity. The onus falls solely on the building owner. If you feel some entity is not meeting the requirements under the law, please report to the Department of Justice. They are the agency that enforces ADA law. The forms may be downloaded @ ADA.gov.Also new guidelines were put into effect March of this year. Hopes this helps.

I have recently had a setback in my recovery and am now in a wheelchair full-time.  I was going to post the exact same issue because it has come up so often in the last few weeks I could scream.  I went to a 90th birthday celebration at a church...no handicapped bathroom.  Two weeks later, a funeral..you guessed it ..no bathroom AND I had to be carried into the church because they had stairs and no ramp of any sort!  At the luncheon, I was thrilled to see they had a handicapped bathroom only to find that the door opened INWARD so there was no way to get the chair into the stall without leaving the door wide open.  SERIOUSLY???  What genius designed that? 
I have stopped going to friends houses because I can NEVER use their restrooms, although I wouldnt expect a single family home to be accessible.  I have a commode that I take to my families homes if I need it.  You are right.  It's 2012!  I'm very glad to read that there is no longer a grandfather clause.  I fully intend to start reporting some of these establishments....maybe we all should.