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BO O KMARK AND SHARE RELAT ED RESO URCE PAGES
by the WBDG Accessible Committee Last updated: 11-03-2010
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal..." - Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
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Accessible
OVERVIEW
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Aesthetic Challenges Aesthetic Opportunities Within This Page Overview Emerging Issues Relevant Codes and Standards
In daily life, as we maneuver thro ugh so ciety, no thing is mo re Major Resources impo rtant yet taken fo r granted mo re o ften than access. Fo r millio ns o f peo ple with disabilities, the access that mo st o f us take fo r granted is difficult, impo ssible, o r achievable o nly with the interventio n o f a third party. We live in what is co nsidered an independent so ciety, yet independent access to pro grams, facilities, and emplo yment are no t easily achievable by many. Physical access is histo rically the arbiter o f success and the so urce o f o ppo rtunity in educatio n, emplo yment, and so cial freedo m. Thus, accessibility is a civil rights issue fo r many peo ple with disabilities and fo r o ur so ciety. See the Histo ry o f Accessible Building Design to learn mo re.
Assessment Tools for Accessibility Balancing Security/Safety and Sustainability Objectives Daylighting VIEW ALL RELAT ED (20 ) VIEW RESO URCE PAG E INDEX
SPAC E T YPES D ESIG N D ISC IPLIN ES PR O D UC T S & SYST EMS
Def init ion and Goals of Accessible Design If we live lo ng eno ugh, all o f us may eventually have a disability that requires a mo dificatio n o f the built enviro nment. The number o f Americans having a disability is pro jected to gro w rapidly as o ur po pulatio n ages. One o utgro wth o f this is that the line between who is and who is no t a perso n with a disability will (Courtesy of Bill Brack) steadily ero de. We must redefine and redirect o ur traditio nal understanding o f designing fo r accessibility to no t o nly include tho se perso ns permanently disabled, but also tho se tempo rarily disabled due to an injury as well as any o ther po tentially debilitating co nditio n. PDFmyURL.com
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The Accessible branch o f the WBDG is designed primarily to pro vide insight and raise awareness o n accessible design issues. Fo r info rmatio n abo ut co mpliance with accessibility guidelines and standards fo r a particular go vernment o r public facility, co ntact the Department o f Justice o r the U.S. Access Bo ard . The Access Bo ard is an independent federal agency devo ted to accessibility fo r peo ple with disabilities. Key respo nsibilities o f the Bo ard include develo ping and maintaining accessibility requirements fo r the built enviro nment, transit vehicles, teleco mmunicatio ns equipment, and electro nic and info rmatio n techno lo gy; pro viding technical assistance and training o n these guidelines and standards; and enfo rcing accessibility standards fo r federally funded facilities. Fo r additio nal reso urces, see the Access Bo ard's Links Page. Principles and a pro cess that suppo rt accessible design include: Laws, Co de s, and St andards Kno w what laws apply and which standards they reference: Pro ject develo per (go vernment vs. private entity) Pro ject use (residential, retail, o ffice, etc.) Funding so urces (public vs. private) Building type (new co nstructio n vs. reno vatio n) Ho using type (Single family vs. multifamily) Ho using o wnership (Co ndo vs. rental) Planning f o r Acce ss Co nsider access early in the pro cess and thro ugho ut all phases o f the pro ject. Identify co nflicts and synergies in co ntext with o ther design o bjectives Examples might include: bo llards as a way to address safety/security and its impact o n access and aesthetics ramps vs. stairs fo r functio nal and access and aesthetics, etc. retro fitting a histo ric building to meet access and histo ric preservatio n issues at the same time cho o sing sustainable materials, such as pervio us pavers, co nsider the type o f paver selected. Tho se which must be installed with gaps o r spaces between them may no t be suitable fo r use o n accessible ro utes. Pro vide Equal Acce ss Accessible design benefits all o f us at so me po int in o ur lives. The go al o f accessible design is to pro vide equal use o f the built enviro nment fo r all peo ple. Plan f o r Fle xibilit y: Be Pro act ive Being pro active by planning fo r flexible design features and pro ducts will increase the likeliho o d o f pro viding equal access o ver the life cycle o f the facility. Note: Information in these Accessible pages must be considered together with other design objectives and within a total project context in order to achieve quality, high-performance PDFmyURL.com
buildings. BACK TO TO P
EMERGING ISSUES Revision of ABA and ADA Accessibilit y Guidelines The U.S. Access Bo ard's guidelines issued under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) have been co mpletely updated and revised. The ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) co ver the co nstructio n and alteratio n o f facilities in the private secto r (places o f public acco mmo datio n and co mmercial facilities) and the public secto r (state and lo cal go vernment facilities). The accessibility guidelines issued under the ABA primarily address facilities in the federal secto r and o thers designed, built, altered, o r leased with federal funds. The guidelines under bo th laws have been co mbined into o ne rule entitled Americans with Disabilities Act and Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Guidelines that co ntains three parts: a sco ping do cument fo r ADA facilities, a sco ping do cument fo r ABA facilities, and a co mmo n set o f technical criteria that the sco ping sectio ns will reference. As a result, the requirements fo r bo th ADA and ABA facilities will be made mo re co nsistent. The updated guidelines were published as a final rule in the Federal Register in July o f 20 0 4. This pro vides info rmatio n o n the ado ptio n o f enfo rceable standards based o n these guidelines under the ADA and ABA. The federal agencies are revising their standards so that they are co nsistent with the updated guidelines. Fo r the ADA, the respo nsible agencies are the U.S. Department o f Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department o f Transpo rtatio n (DOT). The respo nsible agencies fo r the ABA are the U.S. Po stal Service (USPS), the Department o f Ho using and Urban Develo pment (HUD), the General Services Administratio n (GSA), and the U.S. Department o f Defense (DOD). Until an agency revises its standards, the current standards will remain in effect. The updated guidelines have been ado pted by the General Services Administratio n fo r Federal ABA facilities o ther than po stal, ho using, and military facilities, by the Department o f Transpo rtatio n fo r transpo rtatio n facilities, and by the United States Po stal Service fo r po stal facilities. The updated guidelines have no t yet been ado pted by the DOJ fo r places o f public acco mmo datio n, co mmercial facilities, and all o ther state and lo cal go vernment facilities, o ther than transpo rtatio n. The updated guidelines also have no t been ado pted by HUD. Fo r mo re info rmatio n, co ntact the U.S. Access Bo ard fo r a Guide to ABA & ADA currently in effect.
Building Inf ormat ion Modeling A Building Info rmatio n Mo del (BIM) is a digital representatio n o f physical and functio nal characteristics o f a facility. As such, it serves as a shared kno wledge reso urce fo r info rmatio n abo ut a facility fo rming a reliable basis fo r decisio ns during its life cycle fro m inceptio n o nward. BIM has the po tential to truly integrate accessibility into a pro ject by co nsidering accessibility early and thro ugho ut all phases o f the pro ject.
Wheeled Ant hropomet ry PDFmyURL.com
Wheeled Ant hropomet ry Anthro po metry is the study o f the dimensio ns and abilities o f the human bo dy. The IDEA Center in Buffalo started a majo r lo ng-range pro gram to establish a database o n the anthro po metry o f wheeled mo bility in 19 9 9 . This pro gram was initiated as part o f the Rehabilitatio n Engineering Research Center o n Universal Design at Buffalo . The U.S. Access Bo ard also began suppo rting the effo rt in 20 0 1.
Accessible Design and t he Relat ionship t o Sust ainable Design As we strive to ward who le building design, we beco me mo re aware o f the relatio nship between accessible and sustainable design. Simply put, buildings are no t sustainable if they are no t accessible. Accessible and sustainable design are intrinsically co nnected thro ugh the design pro cess. Fo r example, when lo cating buildings o n a site to o ptimize so lar o rientatio n, accessibility o f the building entrance(s) must be taken into co nsideratio n. Will o ptimal so lar o rientatio n create a co nditio n that results in building entrances which are lo cated o n a circuito us ro ute fro m site arrival po ints? Accessibility must also be co nsidered when selecting sustainable building materials. Fo r example, pervio us pavers may be specified to increase water infiltratio n, but if the installatio n o f the pavers results in wide spaces between them o r an unstable gro und surface, then accessibility is no t achieved.
The three prongs of access: environmental, social, and economic issues are also in alignment with sustainability models. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Classroom Acoust ics Aco ustical perfo rmance is an impo rtant co nsideratio n in the design o f classro o ms. Research indicates that levels o f backgro und no ise and reverberatio n, little no ticed by adults, adversely PDFmyURL.com
affect learning enviro nments fo r yo ung children, who require o ptimal co nditio ns fo r hearing and co mprehensio n. Po o r classro o m aco ustics are an additio nal educatio nal barrier fo r children who have hearing lo ss and tho se who use co chlear implants, since assistive techno lo gies amplify bo th wanted and unwanted so und. Children who have tempo rary hearing lo ss, who may co mprise up to 15% o f the scho o l age po pulatio n acco rding to the Centers fo r Disease Co ntro l, are also significantly affected, as are children who have speech impairments o r learning disabilities. Kids who se ho me language is different than the teaching language are also at additio nal risk o f educatio nal delay and failure. Fo r mo re info rmatio n, see the U.S. Access Bo ard's site o n classro o m aco ustics. BACK TO TO P
RELEVANT CODES AND STANDARDS Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) ADAAG 10 4 "Reference Standards" sectio n ANSI A117.1 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities ASME A17.1 Safety Co de fo r Elevato rs and Escalato rs ASME A18 .1 Safety Standard fo r Platfo rm Lifts and Stairway Chairlifts Internatio nal Co de Co uncil (ICC)—ICC is the secretariat fo r the ICC/ANSI A117.1 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities, Internatio nal Building Co de, Internatio nal Existing Building Co de, Internatio nal Residential Co de Natio nal Fire Pro tectio n Asso ciatio n (NFPA)—NFPA 72 Natio nal Fire Alarm Co de , NFPA 50 0 0 Building Co nstructio n and Safety Co de, NFPA 10 1 Life Safety Co de Unifo rm Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS)—o nly DOT & DOJ with ABA autho rity BACK TO TO P
MAJOR RESOURCES WBDG Histo ric Preservatio n–Co mply with Accessibility Requirements
Federal Mandat es, Legislat ion, et c. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Fair Ho using Amendments Act o f 19 8 8 (FHAA) Fair Ho using Accessibility Guidelines Help America Vo te Act Sectio n 50 4 o f the Rehabilitatio n Act o f 19 73
Organiz at ions ADA&IT Technical Assistance Centers PDFmyURL.com
Adaptive Enviro nments Center fo r Universal Design U.S. Green Building Co uncil LEED fo r Neighbo rho o d Develo pment
Federal Agencies Department o f Ho using and Urban Develo pment (HUD) Office o f Fair Ho using and Equal Oppo rtunity (FHEO)—HUD enfo rces the Fair Ho using Act and has issued guidelines under this law (the Fair Ho using Accessibility Guidelines ) which co ver multi-family ho using. Info rmatio n is also available o n ho w to file a co mplaint with HUD under the Fair Ho using Act. HUD's website also addresses access under Sectio n 50 4 o f the Rehabilitatio n Act . Department o f Justice (DOJ) —DOJ o ffers technical assistance o n the ADA Standards fo r Accessible Design and o ther ADA pro visio ns applying to public acco mmo datio ns and co mmercial facilities, including businesses, no npro fit service agencies, and state and lo cal go vernment pro grams and services; also pro vides info rmatio n o n ho w to file ADA co mplaints. Many o f its technical assistance letters are available o nline. ADA Info rmatio n Line fo r do cuments, questio ns, and referrals: (8 0 0 ) 514-0 30 1 (vo ice) (8 0 0 ) 514-0 38 3 (TTY) Department o f Veterans Affairs (VA)— Accessibility Pro gram General Services Administratio n (GSA)—Natio nal Accessibility Pro gram U.S. Access Bo ard U.S. Air Fo rce— Air Fo rce Center o f Expertise fo r Accessibility U.S. Army—TI 800-01 Design Criteria, Chapter 7, Provision for Individuals with Physical Disabilities, Section 4, 20 July 19 9 8 . U.S. Navy—NAVFAC PDPS 94-01, Barrier Free Design Accessibility Requirements , 26 May 19 9 4 (Revised 1 June 19 9 7). U.S. Park Service U.S. Department o f Transpo rtatio n U.S. Po stal Service
Publicat ions The 1995 Accessible Building Product Guide by Jo hn P.S. Salmen and Julie QuarvePeterso n. New Yo rk, NY: Jo hn Wiley & So ns, Inc., 19 9 5. Access by Design by Geo rge A. Co vingto n and Bruce Hannah. New Yo rk, NY: Jo hn Wiley & So ns, Inc., 19 9 6 . The Accessibility Checklist—User's Guide by Susan Go ltsman, ASLA, Timo thy A. Gilbert, ASLA and Wo hlfo rd, Steven D. Berkeley, CA: MIG Co mmunicatio ns, 19 9 2. The Accessible Housing Design File by Barrier Free Enviro nments, Inc. New Yo rk, NY: Jo hn Wiley & So ns, Inc., 20 10 . The ADA Answer Book by Building Owners and Managers Asso ciatio n Internatio nal (BOMA). 19 9 2. PDFmyURL.com
Mechanical Lift Analysis (Accessibility Method for Accommodation of Physically Disabled People in the U.S. Courthouse Courtrooms) The Principles of Universal Design, Version 2.0 by The Center fo r Universal Design. No rth Caro lina State University: 0 1 Apr 19 9 7. Universal Design Handbook by Wo lfgang F.E. Preiser and Elaine Ostro ff. New Yo rk, NY: McGraw-Hill Co mpanies, 20 0 1. BACK TO TO P
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