Keeping me on my toes...
November  2008
I like giving classes to architects who stay up late studying their Accessibility Standards.  They always keep me on my toes with their good questions.  Recently I gave a seminar and had these great questions thrown at me:
Table 9-Transient Lodging: Elements for the Hearing Impaired.
Do the elements listed in Table 9 have to be installed in separate rooms other than the one's required to be accessible by Table 8?
 
Section 9.1.2 Accessible units, Sleeping rooms and Suites speaks about the requirements in a hotel for how many guest rooms must be accessible for wheelchair users.  When we read further, it also explains that the same rooms that are made accessible for the wheelchair users must also be made accessible for the hearing impaired.
 
Then, when you read the next section (9.1.3),  It states that "in addition to" the accessible rooms having the elements for the hearing impaired, there needs to be separate rooms using Table 9 that also have the elements.
 
So as an example, if your hotel has 50 rooms,  then Table 8 requires that two of those rooms be fully accessible (including communication elements and mobility elements), and Table 9 requires 2 accessible elements located in two additional rooms.  Therefore the total number of accessible rooms required are really four (two for mobility and hearing and two just for hearing).
 
notification
In This Issue
Transient Lodging
Alternate Toilet Stalls
Inspector's corner: Flared sides at curb ramps
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Fig 30 (d) Alternate Stall Elevation
When discussing the "alternate" stall in a toilet room with six or more stalls, do we follow the plan Fig. 30 (b)? Or do we just follow the figure they refer to on the verbiage Fig. 30 (d)?
 
Section 4.22 Toilet rooms, tells us that if we have six or more stalls, then in addition to the accessible stall  "....at least one stall 36" wide with an outward swinging, self-closing door and parallel grab bars complying with Fig. 30(d) and 4.26 shall be provided...."
 
This is the stall that is required for people with mobility impairments not in a wheelchair (walkers, canes, braces, etc.).  They assume that if you have more than six stalls then the likelyhood of you having a patron with this disability is higher.
 
What the Standards are referring is only the elevation (Fig. 30d).  So the plan view shown on Fig. 30(b), although similar to the description, does not apply.  Therefore the depth and width of doors is not specified for this type stall.

Fig 30b
Fig. 30(b) Plan of an alternate stall (but not for the mobility impaired)
 
Fig 30d
Fig. 30 (d) Elevation of alternate stall mentioned in section 4.22
Inspector's corner: Flares on Curb Ramps
 
Curb ramps that don't cross an accessible route do not have to have flared sides.  The ramp shown on this photograph has flared sides that are not really required.  They could have just built a returned curb ramp per Fig. 12(b) because the accessible route is parallel to the ramp, and there is no accessible route perpendicular to the ramp.
 
 flares
This is the picture of the curb ramp with flared sides that are not located perpendicular to the path of travel.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This is Fig. 12b that shows a "returned" curb ramp (no flares)
If you have any questions on these or any other topics relating to accessibilty, feel free to contact me anytime.
 
Sincerely,
 
Marcela Abadi Rhoads, RAS #240
Abadi Accessibility
214. 403.8714