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Chapter 7: The Americans With Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG)

Italicized text was added to the original Title III Technical Assistance Manual through supplements issued in 1993 and 1994.

Regulatory references: Appendix A to 28 CFR Part 36.

III-7.5000 Buildings New construction (ADAAG §4.1.3)

III-7.5100 General.

This section contains scoping requirements for new construction.

III-7.5105 Accessible route (ADAAG §4.1.3(1))

An accessible route must connect all accessible elements within a building.

III-7.5110 Stairs (ADAAG §4.1.3(4))

Interior and exterior stairs must comply if they go between levels not connected by an elevator, ramp, or lift.

III-7.5115 Elevators and platform lifts (ADAAG §4.1.3(5))

Elevators are required to serve each level in a newly constructed building, with four exceptions:

1. Exception 1 is the "elevator exemption" discussed above ( see III-5.4000).
2. Exception 2 exempts elevator pits, elevator penthouses, mechanical rooms, and piping or equipment catwalks
3. Exception 3 permits the use of accessible ramps instead of elevators at any time.
4. Exception 4 permits the use of platform lifts under certain conditions. Lifts must permit unassisted entry, operation, and exit.

III-7.5120 Windows (ADAAG §4.1.3(6))

There are currently no requirements for windows.

III-7.5125 Doors (ADAAG §4.1.3(7))

The following doors must be accessible:

1. At least one at each accessible entrance and at each accessible space;
2. Each door that is part of an accessible route; and
3. Each door that is required for egress.

Automated doors are not required. Because of a wide variety of factors that affect door usability, no specific force limit for exterior doors is identified, although standards are provided for interior doors.

III-7.5130 Entrances (ADAAG §4.1.3(8))

At least 50 percent of all public entrances must be accessible with certain qualifications. In addition, there must be accessible entrances to enclosed parking, pedestrian tunnels, and elevated walkways.

III-7.5135 Areas of rescue assistance (ADAAG §4.1.3(9))

Areas of rescue assistance (safe areas in which to await help in an emergency) are generally required on each floor, other than the ground floor, of a multistory building. An accessible egress route or an area of rescue assistance is required for each exit required by the local fire code. Specific requirements are provided for such features as location, size, stairway width, and two-way communications. Areas of rescue assistance are not required in buildings with supervised automatic sprinkler systems, nor are they required in alterations.

III-7.5140 Drinking fountains (ADAAG §4.1.3(10))

Where there is only one drinking fountain on a floor, it must be accessible both to individuals who use wheelchairs and to those who have difficulty bending or stooping (for example, by using a "hi-lo" fountain or a fountain and a water cooler). Where there is more than one fountain on a floor, 50 percent must be accessible to persons using wheelchairs.

III-7.5145 Bathrooms (ADAAG §§4.1.3(11); 4.22.4)

Every public and common use bathroom must be accessible. Generally only one stall must be accessible (standard five-by-five feet). When there are six or more stalls, there must be one accessible stall and one stall that is three feet wide.

III-7.5150 Storage, shelving, and display units (ADAAG §4.1.3(12))

One of each type of storage facility must be accessible. Self-service shelves and displays must be on an accessible route but need not be lowered within reach ranges of individuals who use wheelchairs.

III-7.5155 Controls and operating mechanisms (ADAAG §4.1.3(13))

All controls in accessible areas must comply with reach requirements and must be operable with one hand without tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist.

III-7.5160 Alarms (ADAAG §4.1.3(14))

Both audible and visual alarms are required when emergency warning systems are provided. ADAAG has detailed requirements concerning features needed for visual alarms, including type of lamp, color, flash rate, and intensity.

III-7.5161 Detectable warnings (ADAAG 4.1.3(15)).

The requirement for detectable warnings at certain locations is under review by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, and will be the subject of future rulemaking.

III-7.5165 Signage (ADAAG §§4.1.3(16); 4.30.7)

Different requirements apply to various types of signs:

1. Signs designating permanent rooms and spaces (e.g., men's and women's rooms, room numbers; exit signs) must have raised and Brailled letters; must comply with finish and contrast standards; and must be mounted at a certain height and location.
2. Signs that provide direction to or information about functional spaces of a building (e.g., "cafeteria this way"; "copy room") need not comply with requirements for raised and Brailled letters, but they must comply with requirements for character proportion, finish, and contrast. If suspended or projected overhead, they must also comply with character height requirements.
3. Building directories and other signs providing temporary information (such as current occupant's name) do not have to comply with any ADAAG requirements.
4. New symbols of accessibility identifying volume control telephones, text telephones, and assistive listening systems are required.
5. When pictograms (pictorial symbols) are used as a sign to designate a permanent room or space (e.g., a men’s or women’s room), they must be accompanied by an equivalent verbal description placed directly below the pictogram. The field used for the pictogram must be at least six inches in height (not counting the space used for the verbal description), and the verbal description must employ Braille and raised characters.

III-7.5170 Telephones (ADAAG §4.1.3(17))

This section establishes requirements for accessibility of pay phones to persons with mobility impairments, hearing impairments (requiring some phones with volume controls), and those who cannot use voice telephones and need "text telephones" (referred to in the Department's rule as telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD's)):

1. One accessible public phone must be provided for each floor, unless the floor has two or more banks of phones, in which case there must be one accessible phone for each bank.
2. All accessible public phones must be equipped with volume controls. In addition, 25 percent, but never less than one, of all other public phones must have volume controls.
3. One TDD or text telephone must be provided inside any building that has four or more public pay telephones, counting both interior and exterior phones. In addition, one TDD or text telephone (per facility) must be provided whenever there is an interior public pay phone in a stadium or arena; convention center; hotel with a convention center; covered shopping mall; or hospital emergency, recovery, or waiting room.

III-7.5175 Fixed seating (ADAAG §4.1.3(18))

At least five percent of fixed or built-in seating or tables must be accessible. Wheelchair seating spaces in assembly areas and restaurants are not subject to this requirement but, rather, are covered by specific requirements for "assembly areas" and "restaurants."

III-7.5180 Assembly areas (ADAAG §4.1.3(19))

This section specifies the number of wheelchair seating spaces and types and numbers of assistive listening systems required in assembly areas.

In addition to requiring companion seating and dispersion of wheelchair locations, ADAAG requires that wheelchair locations provide people with disabilities lines of sight comparable to those for members of the general public. Thus, in assembly areas where spectators can be expected to stand during the event or show being viewed, the wheelchair locations must provide lines of sight over spectators who stand. This can be accomplished in many ways, including placing wheelchair locations at the front of a seating section, or by providing sufficient additional elevation for wheelchair locations placed at the rear of seating sections to allow those spectators to see over the spectators who stand in front of them.

1. Wheelchair seating: Requirements for wheelchair seating are triggered in any area that seats four or more people. The number of wheelchair locations required depends upon the size of the assembly area. Dispersal of wheelchair seating is required in assembly areas where there are more than 300 seats. In addition, at least one percent of all fixed seats must be aisle seats without armrests (or with removable armrests) to allow for transfer from a wheelchair. Fixed seating for companions must be located adjacent to each wheelchair location.
2. Assistive listening systems: Certain fixed seating assembly areas that accommodate 50 or more people or have audio- amplification systems must have a permanently installed assistive listening system. Other assembly areas must have a permanent system or an adequate number of electrical outlets or other wiring to support a portable system. A special sign indicating the availability of the system is required. The minimum number of receivers must be equal to four percent of the total number of seats, but never less than two.

III-7.5185 Automated teller machines (ATM's) (ADAAG §4.1.3(20)

Where ATM's are provided, each must be accessible, except that only one need comply when two or more ATM's are at the same location. Accessible machines must have, among other features, accessible controls as well as instructions and other information accessible to persons with sight impairments. This can include Braille and raised letters and/or audio handsets, along with tactile keys.

The ADAAG standard now in effect provides that ATM's must meet the requirements for both a forward and a side approach. That standard, however, is under review by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, and is the subject of current rulemaking.

III-7.5190 Dressing and fitting rooms (ADAAG §4.1.4)

Where dressing rooms are provided, five percent or at least one must be accessible. Technical standards are provided for doors, benches, and mirrors, with less stringent standards for alterations.

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