Enhancements to accessibility requirements are impacting both the national building code and its accessibility standard.

United Spinal Association’s Accessibility Services team represents its members and clients on the International Code Council’s national accessibility standard – A117.1 and in the development of accessibility related requirements within the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Existing Building Code (IEBC).

The current codes cycle will result the 2009 IBC and IEBC and the 2008 edition of A117.1. The building codes are updated every three years with 18 month supplements and the reference standard is updated every five years.

Their have been many changes that will impact how design professionals plan for access for people with disabilities. Highlights on what to expect:

A117.1 – 2008

Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities

• Requirements for Visitable or Type C Units (see detailed article on these basic access requirements to single-family homes within this edition of Access Quarterly)
• Bed height requirements for accessible hotel rooms so guests with disabilities have a location for portable bed lifts
• Elimination of storage requirements within kitchens of Type A dwelling units.
• Elimination of 60 inch turning diameter within walk-in closets of Type A dwelling units.
• Maneuvering Clearance will be required on the inside of the entrance door to a Type B unit.
• Drinking fountains will no longer be permitted to provide only a parallel approach.
• Saunas and Steam rooms will be required to provide accessibility features.
• Requirements for Variable Message Signs for people with visual disabilities.
• Accessible locations will be required within the rear 60% of a movie theater.
• Electrical panel boards are required to be served by an accessible route within dwelling units.

The entire first public comments draft of the A117.1 – 2008 is available on http://www.iccsafe.org/cs/standards/a117/2008/draft_1/

INTERNATIONAL EXISTING BUILDING CODE

• 2% Type A units when 20 or more dwelling units are altered.
• Type B units when buildings undergo a complete change of occupancy.
• Clarification on the accessibility required for additions to Historic Buildings

INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE

• 2% Type A units when 20 or more dwelling units are altered.
• Clear requirements in Live/Work Units (business is on the first level of the home)

As this process moves forward, Accessibility Services will keep you updated. Should you wish to learn more about the developing accessibility requirements of the IBC, IEBC or A117.1 please contact Dominic Marinelli at dmarinelli@unitedspinal.org.

Type C (Visitable) Dwelling Units Criteria to be Included in the 2008 ANSI A117.1

The ANSI A117.1 standard will soon include design criteria for visitability features that could be adopted by municipalities or via state/local ordinance for implementation across the country. The inclusion of visitability criteria in A117.1 is the culmination of the efforts of an International Code Council (ICC) working group (originally convened in 2006) charged with developing model code guidelines for housing not covered by the Fair Housing Act, i.e., for new one- to three- family dwellings, which would be suitable for adoption by local jurisdictions, whether a given jurisdiction intended to apply it to all new houses or within a narrower scope. The working group includes disability advocates as well as members from federal agencies like the US Access Board and HUD. These guidelines, now known as Type C (Visitable) Units, were favorably recommended by ICC in a January 2008 vote to be published for a period of public comment, after which they will be formally accepted, modified or rejected.

The purpose of the Type C technical requirements is to provide a model for accessibility that can be adopted to apply to new houses not covered by the Fair Housing Act. Local authorities are encouraged to consider exemptions where conditions such as extreme topographical conditions warrant them. To date, more than 30,000 houses in the U.S. have zero-step entrances, wider interior doors, and a few additional basic access features as a result of local requirements (which differ). Requirements provided within the Type C criteria are intended to provide consistency throughout the country. Some municipalities which have adopted a visitability policy/ordinance include: Atlanta, GA; Freehold, NJ; Austin, TX; Irvine, CA; Urbana, IL; Visalia, CA; San Mateo County, CA; Howard County, MD; Albuquerque, NM; San Antonio, TX;  Onondaga County, NY;   Southampton, NY; Naperville, IL; Pima County, AZ; Long Beach, CA; Iowa City, IA; Syracuse, NY; Bolingbrook, IL; Escanaba, MI; Chicago, IL; St. Louis County, MO; Houston, TX; Pittsburgh, PA; St. Petersburg, FL; Toledo, OH; Auburn, NY; Prescott Valley, AZ; Scranton, PA; Arvada, CO; Rockford, IL; Montgomery County, MD.

It is important to note that the intent of the Type C unit is not to extend the Fair Housing Act to single family homes. The idea is that every home in a neighborhood can have the most important accessible features needed so that people who have a disability can visit the home and those who incur a disability can remain living in their homes while they plan and make additional renovations they might need. So the application of visitability is based on widespread, i.e. universal, application to primarily owner occupied dwellings.

According to Eleanor Smith with Concrete Change in Atlanta (a project dedicated to making all new homes visitable) "These (Type C) features have the potential for a tremendous boost to integration instead of isolation. Whether you’re an 8-year old with cerebral palsy hoping to go to her classmate’s party, or an older person with multiple sclerosis wanting to go to the family reunion, Type C criteria will prove beneficial. Additionally, these features make it possible for someone to come home from the hospital to recuperate after incurring short term disabilities that limit mobility.

” The technical criteria for a Type C unit have been summarized below (for the complete language of Type C Unit Criteria, please contact Jennifer Perry): jperry@unitedspinal.org

• At least one accessible entrance into the home which is accessed from a public street or sidewalk, a dwelling unit driveway, or a garage
• An accessible circulation path shall connect an entrance with a toilet room or bathroom, with one habitable space with an area 70 square feet minimum and with a food preparation area (if one is provided on the entrance level of the home).
• The toilet room/bathroom should have basic clearance at the water closet and reinforcements in the walls for the future installation of grab bars
• Doors with sufficient clear width (31 ¾ inches) shall be provided throughout the entrance level of the home
• Lighting controls and receptacle outlets shall be mounted within accessible reach ranges (with Exceptions)
• Clearances between all opposing base cabinets, counter tops, appliances or walls within food preparation areas (if provided on the entrance level) shall be 40 inches (1015 mm) minimum.

The design criteria listed above will be included in the ANSI A117.1 2008 edition, most likely under the heading of Section 1006 – Type C (Visitable) Units. This Section will follow the Sections in A117.1 that include the requirements for Accessible, Type A and Type B dwelling units. The success in having the Type C Unit criteria included in the ANSI A117.1 standard is that it truly promotes the goals of visitability – which is to provide all individuals with the ability to gain access into/out of a home and use the bathroom. These design features will in turn benefit many homeowners that may incur a temporary or long term disability. Much research has been done that supports the fact that constructing homes with these features is inexpensive and easy. Hopefully the inclusion of these requirements in the A117.1 standard will promote the design and construction of visitable homes nationwide.

As this process moves forward, Accessibility Services will keep you updated. Should you wish to learn more about the Type C dwelling unit proposal, please contact Jennifer Perry at jperry@unitedspinal.org. You can also visit the following websites to learn more about Visitability: www.concretechange.org and http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/~idea/

Department of Transportation’s Standards for Accessible Transportation Facilities New ADAAG versus existing ADAAG

As many are aware, the Department of Transportation (DOT) amended its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations applicable to transportation facilities under Part 37 (49 CFR Part 37) in the fall of 2006. The amendment adopting the new ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) the Access Board issued on July 23 2004 (69 FR 44084) became effective on November 29, 2006. Specifically, DOT adopted the ADA scoping and technical sections (Appendices B and D to 36 CFR Part 1191, including the index) with a few minor modifications. Thus, any entity constructing or modifying a transportation facility, such as a bus stop, rail station, or airport, must comply with the new ADAAG.

Any other project under DOT’s purview that is not a transportation facility would still need to comply with the existing ADAAG provisions. Therefore, if a passenger drop off area was being built or a public restroom was being renovated along a federal highway, existing ADAAG would apply. If a restroom was being built or renovated in a subway station, the applicable s

DOT modified the Access Boards new ADAAG in the following manner:

• Administrators are being given the discretion to permit broader applications of equivalent facilitation;
• Retained the structurally impractical exception in the existing ADAAG as it has been removed from new ADAAG so as not to conflict with language in the Department of Justice ADA regulations;
• Adopted language from the existing ADAAG emphasizing the distance a person with a disability must travel to use various important station elements must be minimized;
• Adopted language from the existing ADAAG that would keep in effect the requirements concerning detectable warnings at curb ramps located within transportation facilities;
• Added language requiring public entities that have control over construction specifications ensure that bus boarding and alighting areas comply with the required dimensions; and
• Adopted language from the existing ADAAG concerning the coordination of platform and rail car door height.

DOT also specifies that any project that was in progress (meaning actual construction had begun or the final design had received all necessary approval on or before November 29, 2006) would be in compliance if it had followed the provisions in existing ADAAG.

For additional information on accessibility requirements impacting public rights of way please contact Kleo King at kking@unitedspinal.org.

The purpose of detectable warnings, also known as truncated domes, is to alert someone with a visual disability that they are approaching a hazardous vehicular area or an area such as a platform that has a drop-off. Where and when they are required is a question that Accessibility Services staff is often asked.

The reason for the confusion is the scoping differences that exist between the International Building Code (IBC) and the Americans with Disabilities Act Guidelines (ADAAG). The scoping for detectable warnings in the IBC is found in Chapter 11. The scoping requires detectable warnings on passenger transit platform edges that border a drop-off and that are not protected by platform screens or guards. There are no scoping requirements for detectable warnings in any other locations such as curb ramps. The technical standards for detectable warnings are found in the ICC/ANSI A117.1.

ADAAG requires detectable warnings be provided at hazardous vehicular areas and reflecting pools. The scoping requirements are found in Section 4.1.3(15) and the technical requirements are in Section 4.29. Platform edges that border drop-offs are not protected by platform screens or drop offs are also required to have detectable warnings.

The reason for some of the confusion may result from the suspension of the requirements for detectable warnings by the Access Board. From 1994 to July 26, 2001 the scoping requirements in ADAAG did not require detectable warnings for hazardous vehicular areas or reflecting pools. The detectable warning requirements boarding platforms in transit stations remained in effect during that time.

The requirements were suspended because of concerns regarding usability, maintenance issues, safety issues due to snow and ice and effectiveness of the warnings. Research was conducted during the suspension and it was determined by the Access Board that the appropriate requirements for detectable warnings should be addressed in public-rights-of–way guidelines.

The Access Board is in the process of developing public-rights-of way-guidelines. Presently, detectable warnings are required by the IBC only at passenger transit platforms. ADAAG requires detectable warnings at hazardous vehicular areas, reflecting pools and boarding platforms at transit stations.

For more information about the proposed public-rights-of-way guidelines please contact John Rooney at jrooney@unitedspinal.org or visit the US Access Board’s website - http://www.access-board.gov.

On January 1st, New York State’s updated building codes, which include the 2007 Building Code of New York State and the 2007 Existing Building Code of New York State, became mandatory for new construction. With the help of the state’s Department of State’s Division of Code Enforcement and Administration and its Technical Subcommittees, New York State has adopted the 2003 edition of the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Existing Building Code (IEBC), which reference the 2003 edition of the ICC/ANSI A117.1 as its technical guidelines for Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities.

United Spinal Association will contribute to educating state code officials of our state’s newly adopted building codes by working with the Department of State’s Educational Services Unit. We provide a brief overview of accessibility requirements during one of the six basic training programs required for initial certification of code enforcement personnel in New York State. Although the 2007 Building Code of New York State does not look too different from its previous edition, there are a few updates that we highlight during our overview.

2. Employee Work Areas

Our previous code required employee work areas to be located on an accessible route. The 2007 Building Code of New York State goes into more detail and requires areas to be designed and constructed so that individuals with disabilities can approach, enter and exit the work area. Not all employee work areas are required to be on an accessible route:

• Common use circulation paths, located within employee work areas that are less than 300 square feet in size and defined by permanently installed partitions, counters, casework or furnishings, shall not be required to be accessible routes.
• Common use circulation paths, located within employee work areas, that are an integral component of equipment, shall not be required to be accessible routes.
• Common use circulation paths, located within employee work areas, that are fully exposed to the weather, shall not be required to be accessible routes.

In addition to being required to be located on an accessible route, spaces and elements within employee work areas must also comply with the following:

• Where employee work areas have audible alarm coverage, the wiring systems shall be designed so that visible alarm notification appliances can be integrated in to the alarm system.
• Employee work areas must comply with accessible means of egress requirements, found in Section 1007.
• Work areas, or portions of work areas, that are less than 150 square feet in area and elevated 7 inches or more above the floor where the elevation is essential to the function of the space are exempt from all requirements.

3. Elevator Exceptions in Multi-Level Facilities
At least one accessible route shall connect each accessible level, including mezzanines, in multilevel buildings and facilities. The 2007 Building Code has added two new elevator exceptions to Section 1104.4:

• In air traffic control towers, an accessible route is not required to serve the cab and the floor immediately below the cab.
• Where a two-story building or facility has one story with an occupant load of five or fewer persons that does not contain public use space, that story shall not be required to be connected by an accessible route to the story above or below.

5. New Drinking Fountains Requirements
Section 602 of the ICC/ANSI A117.1-2003 not only includes requirements for accessible drinking fountains, but also includes requirements for drinking fountains used by standing persons and drinking fountains primarily used by children.

6. Dimensions for Children’s Use
Chapter Six of the ICC/ANSI A117.1-2003 includes specific dimensions for water closets, toilet compartments, toilet paper dispensers, and lavatories that are used primarily by children.