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Home > Design Guidance > Design Objectives > Accessible

Accessible

by the WBDG Accessible Committee

Last updated: 08-02-2012

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Overview

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal..."
- Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

In daily life, as we maneuver through society, nothing is more important yet taken for granted more often than access. For millions of people with disabilities, the access that most of us take for granted is difficult, impossible, or achievable only with the intervention of a third party. We live in what is considered an independent society, yet independent access to programs, facilities, and employment are not easily achievable by many. Physical access is historically the arbiter of success and the source of opportunity in education, employment, and social freedom. Thus, accessibility is a civil rights issue for many people with disabilities and for our society. See the History of Accessible Building Design to learn more.

Definition and Goals of Accessible Design

ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines

Illustration of the range of disabled people

(Courtesy of Bill Brack)

The U.S. Access Board issues accessibility guidelines under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). The Board's guidelines are the mandatory basis for accessibility standards issued by other Federal agencies authorized to establish accessibility standards under the ADA or the ABA. Until the Board's guidelines are adopted by one or more of these standard-setting agencies, they are not enforceable.

In 2004, the Access Board updated its ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines and published them in a single document containing three parts. Part 1 contains application and scoping for ADA covered facilities; Part 2 contains application and scoping for ABA covered facilities; and, Part 3 contains technical requirements common to both the ADA and ABA.

Diagram showing ADA Scoping and Requirements Chapters 1-2 (Part 1) and the ABA Scoping and Requirement Chapters 1-2 (Part 2) with arrows pointing to shared Common Technical Chapters 3-10 (Part 3)

ABA Standards

Federally owned and leased buildings are subject to the ABA. Other buildings that are designed, constructed, altered, or leased with federal construction dollars may also be subject to the ABA. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), U.S. Postal Service (USPS), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are the ABA standard-setting agencies. DOD, GSA, and USPS adopted Parts 2 and 3 of the Access Board's guidelines making them enforceable ABA Standards. HUD has not yet adopted the guidelines; consequently, non-military housing subject to the ABA must still comply with the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards first issued in 1984. All currently applicable ABA Standards are available online at www.access-board.gov/aba/.

ADA Standards

The ADA standards govern the construction and alteration of places of public accommodation, commercial facilities, state and local government facilities, and transportation facilities. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) establish the ADA Standards. Both agencies have adopted Parts 1 and 3 of the Access Board's guidelines. In their regulations DOJ and DOT included some additional requirements unique to facilities within their jurisdiction. DOJ's 2010 ADA Standards replaced the original 1991 ADA Standards and became effective on March 15, 2012. DOT's revised ADA Standards became effective in November, 2006. Both ADA Standards are available online at www.access-board.gov/ada/.

For more information, contact the U.S. Access Board for guidance on the ABA or ADA Standards currently in effect.

Principles and a process that support accessible design include:

Laws, Codes, and Standards

  • Know what laws apply and which standards they reference:
    • Project developer (government vs. private entity)
    • Project use (residential, retail, office, etc.)
    • Funding sources (public vs. private)
    • Building type (new construction vs. renovation)
    • Housing type (Single family vs. multifamily)
    • Housing ownership (Condo vs. rental)

Planning for Access

  • Consider access early in the process and throughout all phases of the project.
  • Identify conflicts and synergies in context with other design objectives
  • Examples might include:
    • bollards as a way to address safety/security and its impact on access and aesthetics
    • ramps vs. stairs for functional and access and aesthetics, etc.
    • retrofitting a historic building to meet access and historic preservation issues at the same time
    • choosing sustainable materials, such as pervious pavers, consider the type of paver selected. Those which must be installed with gaps or spaces between them may not be suitable for use on accessible routes.

Provide Equal Access

Accessible design benefits all of us at some point in our lives. The goal of accessible design is to provide equal use of the built environment for all people.

Plan for Flexibility: Be Proactive

Being proactive by planning for flexible design features and products will increase the likelihood of providing equal access over the life cycle of 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 buildings.

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Emerging Issues

Revision of ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines

The U.S. Access Board's guidelines issued under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) have been completely updated and revised. The updated guidelines were published as a final rule in the Federal Register in July of 2004. The guidelines under both laws have been combined into one document entitled Americans with Disabilities Act and Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Guidelines that contains three parts: a scoping document for ADA facilities, a scoping document for ABA facilities, and a common set of technical criteria that the scoping sections reference. As a result, the requirements for both ADA and ABA facilities are now more consistent.

Accessibility Standards

ADA

The following standard-setting agencies have published their new ADA standards, consistent with the updated ADA guidelines:

  • The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) published the "ADA Standards for Transportation Facilities" in the Federal Register in October 2006, effective for all new design, construction and alterations on November 29, 2006.
  • The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published the "2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design" in the Federal Register in September 2010, effective for all new design, construction and alterations except transportation facilities on March 15, 2012.

ABA

The following three standard-setting agencies* have published their new ABA standards, consistent with the updated ABA guidelines:

  • The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) published the "USPS Standards for Facility Accessibility" in the Federal Register in May 2005, effective for all owned and leased facilities on October 1, 2005.
  • The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) published the "ABA Accessibility Standard" in the Federal Register in November 2005, effective for all new design, construction and alterations of GSA owned buildings on May 9, 2006, all lease-construction on June 30, 2006 and all other leases on February 7, 2007.
  • The Department of Defense (DOD) adopted the "ABA Accessibility Standard for Department of Defense Facilities" by memorandum dated October 31, 2008, effective for all new design, construction and alterations on October 31, 2008.

* The Department of Housing and Urban Development has not yet adopted its new ABA accessibility standard, and is still using the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS).

For more information, contact the U.S. Access Board for a guide to ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines and the online versions of the current ADA and ABA accessibility standards in effect for the standard-setting Federal agencies.

Building Information Modeling

A Building Information Model (BIM) is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. As such, it serves as a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions during its life cycle from inception onward. BIM has the potential to truly integrate accessibility into a project by considering accessibility early and throughout all phases of the project.

Wheeled Anthropometry

Anthropometry is the study of the dimensions and abilities of the human body. The IDEA Center in Buffalo started a major long-range program to establish a database on the anthropometry of wheeled mobility in 1999. This program was initiated as part of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Universal Design at Buffalo. The U.S. Access Board also began supporting the effort in 2001.

Accessible Design and the Relationship to Sustainable Design

Whole building design must consider the relationship between accessible and sustainable design. Simply put, buildings which are not designed to be accessible are not sustainable. A sustainable building is sensitive to the environment and to its users. Designing buildings for equitable use by the greatest number of people can be achieved by complying with regulatory accessibility requirements, incorporating Universal Design and Visitability concepts, and adaptable design features.

For some time now, federal, state, and local laws and codes have required accessible design in most building types. When required accessibility is not incorporated at the onset of design or during construction, the risk of complaints of non-compliance and even litigation exists. The result could include required retrofits. Retrofitting buildings due to lack of accessibility compliance, which can create unnecessary waste and energy, is not consistent with the goals of sustainability.

Photo of faucet with automatic activation and shut-off feature

Automatic lighting and fixture controls are a "win-win" for both sustainability and accessibility.

The concepts of Universal Design and Visitability are being incorporated into designs to make buildings usable to the greatest number of people. Universal Design focuses on performance-based design concepts which seek to create enabling environments for as many types of people as possible, not necessarily only those with disabilities. Universal Design and Visitability are becoming aligned with sustainable design and green building. For example, LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND) includes a Universal Design and Visitability credit which provides credit for including Universal Design and Visitability features into projects. The Global Universal Design Commission, Inc. (GUDC) is developing voluntary Universal Design standards to encourage the design of buildings for all people. At the local level, Columbus, Ohio's AWARE Green/Universal Design Manual, the City and County's green performance standards for federally-funded residential rehabilitation and construction projects, includes mandatory universal design standards.

Graphic depicting the three prongs of access: environmental, social, and economic issues

The three prongs of access: environmental, social, and economic issues are also in alignment with sustainability models.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Sustainability and accessibility are intrinsically linked in the design process. For example, when locating buildings on a site to optimize solar orientation, accessibility of the building entrance(s) must be taken into consideration. Will optimal solar orientation create a condition that results in building entrances which are located on a circuitous route from site arrival points? Accessibility must also be considered when selecting sustainable building materials. For example, pervious pavers may be specified to increase water infiltration, but if the installation of the pavers results in wide spaces between them or an unstable ground surface, then accessibility is not achieved.

Classroom Acoustics

Acoustical performance is an important consideration in the design of classrooms. Research indicates that levels of background noise and reverberation, little noticed by adults, adversely affect learning environments for young children, who require optimal conditions for hearing and comprehension. Poor classroom acoustics are an additional educational barrier for children who have hearing loss and those who use cochlear implants, since assistive technologies amplify both wanted and unwanted sound. Children who have temporary hearing loss, who may comprise up to 15% of the school age population according to the Centers for Disease Control, are also significantly affected, as are children who have speech impairments or learning disabilities. Kids whose home language is different than the teaching language are also at additional risk of educational delay and failure. For more information, see the U.S. Access Board's site on classroom acoustics.

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Relevant Codes, Standards and Guidelines

Codes and Standards

Guidelines

Laws and Regulations

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Major Resources

WBDG

Aesthetics, Cost-Effective, Functional / Operational, Historic Preservation–Comply with Accessibility Requirements, Productive, Secure / Safe, Sustainable

Federal Mandates, Legislation, etc.

Organizations

Federal Agencies

The major resource for guidance on accessible design is the U.S. Access Board (Access Board). The Access Board is an independent federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities. Key responsibilities of the Board include developing and maintaining accessibility requirements for the built environment, transit vehicles, telecommunications equipment, and electronic and information technology; providing technical assistance and training on these guidelines; and enforcing accessibility standards for federally funded facilities. For additional resources, see the Access Board's Links Page.

Publications

  • The 1995 Accessible Building Product Guide by John P.S. Salmen and Julie Quarve-Peterson. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1995.
  • Access by Design by George A. Covington and Bruce Hannah. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1996.
  • The Accessibility Checklist—User's Guide by Susan Goltsman, ASLA, Timothy A. Gilbert, ASLA and Wohlford, Steven D. Berkeley, CA: MIG Communications, 1992.
  • The Accessible Housing Design File by Barrier Free Environments, Inc. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2010.
  • The ADA Answer Book by Building Owners and Managers Association International (BOMA). 1992.
  • Homes for Everyone Universal Design Principles in Practice by the Office of Policy Development and Research, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, April 1996.
  • The Principles of Universal Design, Version 2.0 by The Center for Universal Design. North Carolina State University: 01 Apr 1997.
  • Universal Design Handbook, 2nd Edition by Wolfgang F.E. Preiser and Korydon H. Smith. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, September 17, 2010.

Training

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