Accessible parking in a campus or shopping center

The ADAAG requires a minimum number of parking spaces per Table 2.

The ADAAG also requires that one of every 8 spaces be van accessible (with wider accesss aisle)

When designing a new campus of buildings or a parking garage, especially when they are only shell buildings, the question of how to disperse the accessible parking spaces can be daunting. You have to keep in mind what is the intent of the Standards.

4.1.1(b) Explains that you need to consider the following factors when making your decisions:

a) population being served


b) availability to user


c) location relative to distance and time


d) location relative to isolation and separation


e)function of the building or facility

f) equal treatment and opportunity

So this means that if you know more or less where your front doors will be located, then we need to try to locate the parking spaces in a logical place on the site close to the front doors, and in the same path of travel as the rest of the population. This may be just our best guesses sometimes.

Remember that the minimum number of accessible spaces is determined by the number of spaces in your parking lot, not your occupant load. Therefore it is also important to know where your parking lots are in relation to your buildings. If there is a parking lot along the perimeter of the site, but it is not close to a building, then the likelihood of needing an accessible space there is not very great.

On the other hand, if you have a parking lot close to your building, then count the spaces of that lot, and locate your accessible spaces so they are the shortest distance possible. Sometimes you might have to have more than the minimum in order to achieve the intended result of getting the spaces as close as possible to the entrances.  Keep in mind that the users are not able to travel very far using their wheel chair.

If you want more information, the Access Board will have a FREE Webinar on May 6th, 2010 about Parking and Passenger Loading Zones

More about accessible dressing rooms

I performed an inspection of a day spa where a dressing room was provided. The dressing room was not accessible .  Here is a summary of the requirements of an accessible dressing room per ADA 4.35

1. An accessible dressing room with a sliding or swing door requires a 180 degree turning circle
2. A dressing room requires a fixed bench (and I spoke about the layout of the bench on an earlier post)
3. The door cannot swing into the clear floor space of the dressing room

The dressing room in question
1. Had a door that swung into the clear floor space.
2. The bench was not fixed
3. and mainly, the room was 48"x56" wide (not large enough for a 180 degree turning)

The client wondered how they could fix this without much expense...in this case, they were able to remove the door which, per ADA 4.35.2, states

"...Turning space shall not be required in a private dressing room entered through a curtained opening at least 32 in (815 mm) wide if clear floor space complying with section 4.2 renders the dressing room usable by a person using a wheelchair."

So by removing the door and adding curtains the turning space issue will be resolved.
Remember that a dressing room is found any place that a space is designated for dressing and undressing.  It can be found in an exam room of a doctor's office, a restroom in gym or a treatment room in a spa/massage facility.  It may not be a traditional separate room, and if that is the case, the requirements of an accessible dressing room would still apply.

Disability Faux Pas

On my last Blog post about removing barriers from your home, my friend Wally Dutcher pointed out that I had made some disability blunders.  My description of my client refered to her as "wheelchair bound".  Wally uses a wheelchair and reminded me that he is not "bound" to his wheelchair, he "uses" his wheel chair.  If he were bound he would have to be untied before he went to bed.  So simple, and yet so commonly forgotten.
He sent me this website and I thought it was such good information on how best to speak with and speak about people with disabilities.

I generally do not interact with the patrons who are disabled that will be using the facilities that I review and inspect or sometimes the one's that I design.  I am most of the time assisting the general contractor, architect or building owner.  And most of the time the same people that I interact with are the same who make the same mistakes as I do.  So it's a vicious cycle of unintended mis-statements.  In an effort to be more sensitive to our friends who are disabled, here is an interesting table that I found on one of the websites that Wally sent.

Removing the barriers from your home…..

A client called me to help her renovate her house because her mother was coming to live with her. Her mother suffers from Multiple Sclorosis and uses a wheel chair. The challenge was how to upgrade her entire house to make it possible for her independent mother to move around without her daughter’s help, and also not break the family’s budget. We decided to use the seven principals of  Universal Design to assist.

The first thing we had to do was figure out a way to get her into the house. She lived in a slightly sloped site which had two steps up to the doorway and the main floor was 6” above the porch. We had to create ramp and also keep water from draining into the house since the porch and the main floor would be on the same level. Since steps already existed, and they had a large front yard, we were able to create a nice ramp out of stained concrete that worked with their landscape.

Once we were in the house there were two other barriers to remove: the kitchen and her bathroom. The bathroom was not that difficult. There was enough room for her to move around (typically 5’ turning diameter of area on the floor), but we had to enlarge the door to 36” for her mother to wheel herself in. We added grab bars and a seat at the bathtub. We also had to provide some grab bars at the toilet. And we had to change the faucet and sink with one she could readily reach and wheel herself under. We had some manufacturers, like Great Grabz that we recommended that would not be too expensive, yet make their bathroom a nice space.

Photo Courtesy of Great Grabz Inc.

(this photo shows a rug in front of the toilet, which would not be a good universal design or accessible accessory for the bathroom because a wheelchair could not easily manuever through it)

In the kitchen, where we had the most challenges, we decided to spend a bit more money. We could have left all the cabinets in place and just replaced the sink area where her mother could wheel herself under it. But that would only solve half of the problem. She would still need help reaching items above her reach range. What we did was a part of the kitchen cabinets were replaced with a brand new type of system called “adjustable cabinets”. With a push of a button, the entire upper cabinets were lowered for ease of reach, and then would go back up to their original position. The sink was also changed as we did in the bathroom. The appliances were left as is, but we might go back and replace them with easier to use and easier to reach products. At the end of our transformation, both the client and her mother were happy with the result.

Credit: Accessible Design & Consulting,

There are around 30 million of Americans that are restricted by a wheel chairs or walkers. This causes challenges for them to move around in their own home. The number of people with disabilities is expected to grow to 50 million by the year 2020. Removing architectural barriers is one way to make it possible for people to feel a sense of independence and comfort while still living with their physical impediments. Removing architectural barriers is a team effort, from the client, the architect, and the manufacturers that make the products. This team has a long road ahead to remove all architectural barriers from our buildings, but we are definitely way on our way.

"Ten Tips for Accessiblity" list was translated to "Californian"

I found this on the Building Code Discussion Group of NAFFA International Inc website.  It was "translated" by ADA_Guy

see below for inclusion of some California appropriate considerations.


10 Accessibility Considerations When Beginning a Project

1. CODE RESEARCH

Before you begin your design, make sure you are aware which code you are required to follow based on the City/state you are designing in. (for example, some Municipalities require ( ANSI vs. ADA vs. CBC) .

2. HAVE A CHECKLIST

It is smart to have a checklist so you don't forget some part of the puzzle. The ADA and DSA have checklists that you can follow for assessments, scoping and design process.

3. HAVE TOLERANCES

When given a range, don’t use the lowest or tallest number. Give yourself some tolerances for construction imperfections. For example, a handrail can be between 34” and 38”, so a 36” tall handrail is acceptable.


4. GIVE YOURSELF WIGGLE ROOM

When designing toilet rooms, keep in mind what finishes will be on the wall. If the water closet must be 18” away from the finished wall, ceramic tile is sometimes 3/8” thick which can throw off the required clearances.


5. CHECK DOOR SWINGS

Remember that in a toilet room, a door cannot swing into the clear floor space of an accessible fixture, but clear floor spaces of fixtures can overlap each other. And the door swing can overlap the required turning space.


6. KEEP IN MIND THE USERS

When designing storage rooms, keep in mind that if a person in a wheel chair can enter the room and close the door behind them, then they must be able to turn around and go back out.

In cases where the storage room is 48” deep (allowing a wheel chair front access), try to either swing the door in so they can’t close it once they are inside; or create shelving that will make the room shallower and therefore will not create the ability to stay stuck inside.

7. UNDERSTAND COMMON USES

Most places in a facility that are used by more than one employee at a time, or by patrons or visitors to the facility are required to be accessible and meet the requirements of the Guidelines. This includes employee non-work areas like storage closets, restrooms, and break rooms. The mistake I see often is that most people believe that the ADA is only for non-employees. In reality, common use spaces that are also accessed by employees must comply.


8. DEFINE WORK AREAS

Employee work areas only have the requirement to be able to be approached, entered and exited. Everything else within the work area is exempted. For example sinks that are in work areas (per ADA 4.1.3) are not required to have knee clearances for wheel chairs. Though Break Rooms are not considered work areas, they are common use areas therefore do require the knee clearance. Sinks and Lavatories have different requirements for knee clearances. Be aware that the knee clearance below sinks is 27” and below lavatories is 29” below their respective aprons.

9. WATCH OUT FOR HAZARDS

In California, CBC prefers that disabled persons not have to wheel behind their cars. When possible, allow for an accessible route in front of the cars. A person in a wheelchair is lower than the driver's visual range and if they are wheeling behind a parked car, the driver may not see them if they are backing up.

Also, if there are any objects that are along the circulation path that are placed higher than 27" above the ground, they must not project more than 4" from the wall into the circulation path. Visually impaired people will not detect the object and could hurt themselves.


10. MAKE SURE EXISTING CONDITIONS COMPLY

In an alteration of an area containing a primary function the existing parking, accessible route, restrooms, drinking fountains and telephones must be brought up to compliance with ADA. This is not always part of the scope of work of the remodel, but nevertheless must become part of the total scope if it's not already compliant


Note: CBC has a 20% rule, which allows an exception for disproportionate cost if the amount of money required to fix the non-compliance items exceeds the total cost of the project by 20%, up to a threshold value based on ENR US20 Cities Average Construction Cost Index.

Ten Tips for Accessibility Design

Below are ten tips that I've given to my clients to assist them  in desiging for accessibility.

1. CODE RESEARCH
Before you begin your design, make sure you are aware which code you are required to follow based on the City you are designing in. (for example, some Municipalities requires ANSI vs. ADA) Click here to see which Code has been adopted by State.  Remember that you have to use the most stringent between ADA and whatever other code/guidelines your municipality is using.



2. HAVE A CHECKLIST
It is smart to have a checklist so you don't forget some part of the puzzle.  The ADA has a checklist that you can follow for assessments and design process. 


3. HAVE TOLERANCES
When given a range, don’t use the lowest or tallest number. Give yourself some tolerances for construction imperfections. For example, a handrail can be between 34” and 38”, so a 36” tall handrail is acceptable.

4. GIVE YOURSELF WIGGLE ROOM
When designing toilet rooms, keep in mind what finishes will be on the wall. If the water closet must be 18” away from the finished wall, ceramic tile is sometimes 3/8” thick which can throw off the required clearances.

5. CHECK DOOR SWINGS
Remember that in a toilet room, a door cannot swing into the clear floor space of an accessible fixture, but clear floor spaces of fixtures can overlap each other. And the door swing can overlap the required turning space. There is an exception given in Texas and in ANSI for single user restrooms. Click here for the Technical Memo

6. KEEP IN MIND THE USERS
When designing storage rooms, keep in mind that if a person in a wheel chair can enter the room and close the door behind them, then they must be able to turn around and go back out. In cases where the storage room is 48” deep (allowing a wheel chair front access), try to either swing the door in so they can’t close it once they are inside; or create shelving that will make the room shallower and therefore will not create the ability to stay stuck inside.

7. UNDERSTAND COMMON USES
Most places in a facility that are used by more than one employee at a time, or by patrons or visitors to the facility are required to be accessible and meet the requirements of the Guidelines.  This includes employee non-work areas like storage closets, restrooms, and break rooms.  The mistake I see often is that most people believe that the ADA is only for non-employees.  In reality, comon use spaces that are also accessed by employees  must comply.

8. DEFINE WORK AREAS
Employee work areas only have the requirement to be able to be approached, entered and exited.  Everything else within the work area are exempted.  For example sinks that are in work areas (per ADA 4.1.3) are not required to have knee clearances for wheel chairs. Break Rooms are not considered work areas, therefore do require the knee clearance. Sinks and Lavatories have different requirements for knee clearances. Be aware that the knee clearance below sinks is 27” and below lavatories is 29” below their respective aprons.

Break rooms are not considered work areas (that is where you take a "break" from work, therefore do require the knee clearance.

9. WATCH OUT FOR HAZARDS
In Texas, TAS does not allow any person to wheel themselves behind parked cars. When possible, allow for an accessible route in front of the cars. A person in a wheelchair is lower than the driver's visual range and if they are wheeling behind a parked car, the driver may not see them if they are backing up.

Also, if there are any objects that are along the circulation path that are placed higher than 27" above the ground, they must not project more than 4" from the wall into the circulation path.  Visually impaired people will not detect the object and could hurt themselves.

10. MAKE SURE EXISTING CONDITIONS COMPLY
In an alteration of an area containing a primary function the existing parking, accessible route, restrooms, drinking fountains and telephones must be brought up to compliance with ADA.  This is not always part of the scope of work of the remodel, but nevertheless must become part of the total scope if it's not already compliant

Note: ADA has a 20% rule, which allows a deference of compliance if the amount of money required to fix the non-compliance items exceeds the total cost of the project by 20%.

Texas approved Barrier Free CEU courses for architects and interior designers

I have been asked by several people where they can get the Texas required Barrier Free CEUs for their architectural and interior design license.  Below are a few courses I am giving in Dallas Texas

April 21
"Understanding the New ADAAG"
AIA Procrastinator's day at 2:00 p.m.

April 27
"A Practical Look at the Accessibility Standards"
AIA Dallas Lunch and Learn

May 4th
"Understanding the New ADAAG"
Texas Association for Interior Designers at 2:00 p.m.

August 13th
"Understanding the New ADAAG"
METROCON10

I am also writing  two courses for Wiley and Sons based on my new book "The ADA Companion Guide: Understanding the ADA and ABA".
I will be posting this course as soon as it comes online.

Curious about the upcoming changes to the ADAAG?

The Department of Justice informed TRASA (Texas Registered Accessibility Specialist Association) in February that the 2004 ADAAG is expected to be signed into law by the end of 2010. I know, I know...we've been hearing this since 2004, but hopefully it will happen this year. This newsletter will give you some examples of what to expect.