Accessibility of Facilities

1. The Americans with Disabilities Act

When organizations design facilities, they must also design for accessibility. Accessibility means that people with disabilities have free and full access to the same programs, services, and areas as everyone else. In facilities design and management, this means that workers with disabilities have full access to all workspaces and other areas like restrooms, cafeterias, break rooms, etc.

Accessibility is important for several reasons. First, accessibility is the law. Many countries, including the United States, have laws related to accessibility in public and private facilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed in 1990, prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in jobs, schools, transportation, and many other parts of life. The act defines someone with disabilities as:

• Someone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, or a history of impairment
• Someone who is perceived by others as having an impairment (for example, someone that has severe burns on their face)

EXAMPLE

A business that can only be reached by stairs is considered discriminatory by the ADA regardless of the organization's intentions.

While accessibility is the law, it is also ethical and beneficial to the organization to be inclusive. By ensuring there are accessible facilities, people with disabilities, older people, and those with temporary injuries can fully move about the building in a manner consistent with everyone else.

Ensuring accessibility, besides following the law and offering inclusion to employees and customers, can:

• Allow for diverse participation from all, creating a richer workplace
• Broaden the customer base, as accessible facilities can attract more customers
• Benefit everyone, such as features designed for accessibility like automatic doors, which benefit those entering a building carrying something heavy
• Lessen insurance costs because accessibility facilities may lower the risk of accidents

1. Employment, meaning those with disabilities cannot be discriminated against in terms of employment.
2. Public service, meaning that state and local governmental have access to all services, such as public transportation.
3. Service accommodations, including restaurants, hotels, theaters, doctor’s offices and all other services open to the public.
4. Telecommunications, meaning that technical accommodations or alternative communication methods are available to people with disabilities. Examples include captioning for video, image descriptions for websites, and TTY (teletypewriters) which allow deaf people to use the telephone through text transmissions. Modern technologies have both extended accessibility and added to the responsibilities of organizations.
5. Anti-retaliation, meaning if a person with disabilities asks for accommodation, they cannot be retaliated against, such as an employee demanding accessibility being described as “uncooperative” in a performance review.

• Accessible routes: Routes or paths from parking areas, public transportation stops, public streets, and sidewalks must be accessible and free of obstructions, and have the appropriate width, slope, and surface.
• Entrances: At least one entrance to a building must be accessible, such as including a ramp, wider doorways, and automatic doors.
• Parking: Parking spaces for accessibility must be provided in sufficient number and located near the accessible entrances and must be signed.
• Elevators: Buildings with multiple floors must have elevators, with a few exceptions.
• Restrooms: They must have wider stalls, grab bars, lower sinks, and appropriate space for maneuvering a wheelchair.
• Signage: Signs must have tactile characters and be placed at appropriate heights. This includes room numbers, exit signs, and restroom signs.
• Doors: Doors must have a minimum clearance, and handles and latches must be operable with one hand.
• Seating: Seating—like in theaters and sports complexes, for example—must have wheelchair space with companion seating, to allow for multiple viewing angles.
• Alarms: Emergency alarms must have both audible and visual signals.

EXAMPLE

The Bay Area Rapid Transport (BART) system in the San Francisco-Oakland area had to make changes to the elevator system due to a lawsuit. The plaintiffs involved in the lawsuit stated BART had failed to ensure full equal access, which violates ADA. BART responded by renovating its elevators and escalators and agreed to dispatch a repair person within 1 hour after such items are reported to be broken down.

While building designers and architects are often familiar with ADA laws, the facilities manager should also be aware of these laws as well. They can do this by:

• Understanding ADA standards for accessible design
• Understanding state and local regulations for ADA, as sometimes these can have more stringent requirements
• Conducting regular accessibility audits to identify and address barriers
• Ensuring all accessibility features, such as elevators and restrooms, are in good working order
• Providing training to employees on ADA requirements and how they can assist those with disabilities

terms to know

Accessibility

Ensuring people with disabilities have free and full access to the same programs, services, and areas as everyone else.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

A sweeping 1990 federal law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities.

2. Universal Design

While ADA aims to create accessible environments, the concept of universal design takes a different approach to accessibility that is more holistic. Universal design is a set of principles that aim to make products and environments as usable by as many people as possible without the need for specialized design and adaptation (CEUD, n.d.). While this isn’t required by law like ADA, considering universal design (UD) in all approaches can promote social inclusion, market expansions, and improved customer experiences.

big idea

The concept behind universal design is that by designing with a broad idea of accessibility, environments, products, services, and communications are not only accessible to everyone, but more convenient and enjoyable to those who do not identify as having a disability.

There are seven principles of UD (Burgstahler, 2021).

As you can see, UD principles go above and beyond the requirements of ADA, and for facilities design, can ensure inclusion for all. While we’ve been addressing UD in the context of physical environments, UD should also be part of digital environments and considerations when creating websites and other technologies. For example, Microsoft implements UD in its software by integrating narration, magnifiers, and high contrast modes so the user can choose what works best for them.

think about it

Take a look around and consider your environment, the tools within reach, and the digital device you are using to take this class. What do you see that suggests universal design? What improvements could be made?

From a facilities manager perspective, there are a few things that can be done even in existing physical environments to implement UD. For example, in workspace design, such as an office or workstation, allowing for flexibility in workspaces, including adjustable height chairs and desks, can accommodate the needs of many. Ensuring clear controls for lighting and other systems can meet the goals of UD. Adequate and adjustable lighting can assist those with variable vision needs. Facilities managers, when choosing furniture such as break room furniture, can choose items that have a variety of heights and armrests, so even those people with variable heights can choose what works best for them. In addition, ensuring items are not stored too high can accommodate a variety of needs and preferences.

As we’ve seen throughout this challenge, facilities design and layout is a multifaceted process, with organizational requirements such as forecasting demand and ensuring capacity but also consideration of the people who work there in terms of safety, comfort, and accessibility.

term to know

Universal Design

A set of principles that aim to make products and environments as usable by as many people as possible without the need for specialized design and adaption.

REFERENCES

Burgstahler, S. (2021). Universal Design: Process, Principles, and Applications. DO-IT: Disability, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology. www.washington.edu/doit/universal-design-process-principles-and-applications

Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (n.d.) About Universal Design. Centre for Excellence in Universal Design. universaldesign.ie/about-universal-design