Dealing with ADA compliance can be overwhelming at times. Even a simple trip to the store can become a task if it is not accessible for people with disabilities. But, the ADA makes clear that equal treatment is not synonymous with identical treatment, says Professor Robert Burgdorf Jr., one of the drafters of the original bill that became the ADA. “Letting every employee have an identical opportunity to use a restroom located up a flight of stairs may be ‘identical’ treatment but it is hardly equal treatment for a worker who uses a wheelchair.”
Listed below are a few items from The Office of Compliance’s ADA Office Checklist you may not have known:
- All staff know the location of the accessible building exit doors and the primary and secondary staging areas to be used during an emergency by individuals who are mobility impaired.
- Restrooms that are marked as ADA compliant have doors that require fewer than five pounds of force to open.
- Tactile signs indicating the office’s room number are in Braille, with raised and contrasting characters, mounted 60 inches above the floor on the latch side of the door. Nothing blocks access to tactile signage (e.g.,flags, sign-in stands, cabinets, etc).
- Doors to office suites are at least 32 inches wide. When an office has double doors that are fewer than 32 inches per door, both doors are able to be opened.
- Conference tables in public meeting areas are at least 27 inches high to allow for knee clearance for individuals in wheelchairs.
- Brochures and other documents available in the office waiting area are within reach (generally between 15” and 48”off the floor) for an individual who is in a wheelchair. Carpeting in hallways and all office areas open to the public is secured to the floor and has a pile of less than ½ inch.
The mission of Access Advocates is to make a positive difference in the lives of people with disabilities, primarily through a professionally-supported, personal relationship with caring advocates, and to achieve the tasks of making non-compliant buildings ADA compliant, one building at a time. We provide a solid foundation for those who have been discriminated against due to their disability, providing them with the necessary tools to attain the basic rights as that of an individual with no such disability with our committed staff and volunteers, professional leadership and standards of excellence.
To talk more about ADA compliance, or anything else access-related, please contact us today.