New ADA guidelines correlate with IBC.

WITH MANY BABY BOOMERS ENTERING THEIR 60s and encountering more health and mobility-related problems, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is certain to take on more importance than ever. As some join the 54 million men, women and children with disabilities in America, businesses will see

More than 15 years after the ADA was passed, many facilities remain inaccessible to those with disabilities. Often, a business owner only becomes aware of noncompliance following an accident or a complaint. As a result, business owners devote unnecessary time and money to defending themselves and their businesses, while the building's openings remain noncompliant.

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One area that has caused some confusion has been the differences in terminology and organization between ADA guidelines, model building codes and ANSI standards. In an effort to reconcile differences from the model building codes, including the International Building Code (IBC), the United States Access Board has updated the ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG).

The IBC, which a growing number of states and local jurisdictions are using, contains provisions for accessibility that cover much of the same areas as the original ADAAG, first set forth in 1991. It references the technical criteria of the ANSI A117.1 standard, a voluntary consensus standard issued by the American National Standards Institute. A side-by-side comparison of the new ADAAG, the original ADA standards and the IBC is available at the Access Board's website, www.access-board.gov/ada-aba/comparison/index.htm.

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The comparison includes an appendix containing requirements that were added to the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) by the Access Board, subsequent to the Department of Justice adoption of the Standards for Accessible Design in 1994, through September 2002. The DOJ is in the process of updating its ADA standards according to the new ADAAG, but until the material in the appendix has been incorporated in the DOJ accessibility standards, it is not enforceable.

Closing in on Compliance.

Although the latest guidelines aren't official yet, and differ from the original mainly in format or organization, it makes sense to become familiar with the changes and implement them before they become mandatory. Not only will this avoid questions as current and planned projects move toward completion while work on the changes is completed, but it also will ensure that they remain compliant and contemporary further into the future.

Many types of door hardware affect the ease of accessibility for a person with a disability. Doorknobs in public buildings have been replaced in large measure by lever trim that does not require the ability to grip and turn. Exit devices are designed so they make it easier to open a door. However, door closers and power operators are probably the most common types of hardware that are used to achieve ADA compatibility for openings.

For interior doors, a standard mechanical closer can provide the least costly path to compliance if the application allows using the size with the lowest power (size 1). This requires a force of less than five pounds to open the door, which meets ADA guidelines. Another approach is to use a closer with adjustable spring power, if it is set at the same maximum required opening force. For corridor doors, where the HVAC system may create a high pressure differential, this light force may not be sufficient to close and latch the door properly. In such cases, while a power operator probably should be used to meet ADA guidelines, it also is likely to provide greater convenience for all users.

For exterior doors neither ADA nor ANSI A 117.1 list an opening force limit for exterior doors. Because these doors may be subject to high wind conditions, a power operator is often the best way to ensure that the door operates effectively and still complies with ADA. When selecting a power operator, it may be necessary to consider product design and its effect on the application. Most power operator designs are driven by a motor and gears, which may or may not be separated by a clutch.

Power operators are available with features and options that can meet a variety of accessibility, aesthetic, security and life safety needs. Products that are designed primarily for automatic opening can be opened manually when needed. Even fully automatic sliding doors (high-energy doors) can be pushed open manually in an emergency. Many types of power operators also can be tied into a building's fire alarm system so they will fail-safe and close automatically if the alarm is activated. Under these conditions, they still can be opened manually to allow safe egress.

Business owners or others with questions regarding ADA accessibility can get more information at: the Americans with Disabilities Act Home Page (www.ada.gov), National Organization on Disability (www.nod.org), and the United States Access Board (www.access-board.gov).

       NEW ADAAG           DOJ STANDARDS FOR         INTERNATIONAL
                           ACCESSIBLE DESIGN         BUILDING CODE

CHAPTER 4: ACCESSIBLE                            ANSI Chapter 4.
ROUTES                                           Accessible Routes

401 General                                      ANSI 401 General

404.3 Automatic and      4.13.12 Automatic       ANSI 404.3 Automatic
Power-Assisted Doors     Doors and               Doors. Automatic
and Gates. Automatic     Power-Assisted Doors.   doors and automatic
doors and automatic      If an automatic door    gates shall comply
gates shall comply with  is used, then it shall  with Section 404.3.
404.3. Full-powered      comply with ANSI/BHMA   Full powered
automatic doors shall    A156.10-1985. Slowly    automatic doors shall
comply with ANSI/BHMA    opening, low-powered,   comply with ANSI/BHMA
A156.10 (incorporated    automatic doors shall   A156.10 listed in
by reference, see        comply with ANSI        Section 105.2.4.
"Referenced Standards"   A156.19-1984. Such      Power-assist and
in Chapter 1).           doors shall not open    low-energy doors
Low-energy and           to back check faster    shall comply with
power-assisted doors     than 3 seconds and      ANSI/BHMA A156.19
shall comply with        shall require no more   listed in Section
ANSI/BHMA A156.19 (1997  than 15 lbf (66.6N) to  105.2.3.
or 2002 edition)         stop door movement. If  EXCEPTION: Doors,
(incorporated by         a power-assisted door   doorways, and gates
reference, see           is used, its            designed to be
"Referenced Standards"   door-opening force      operated only by
in Chapter 1).           shall comply with       security personnel
                         4.13.11 and its         shall not be required
                         closing shall conform   to comply with
                         to the requirements in  Sections 404.3.2,
                         ANSI A156.19-1984.      404.3.4, and 404.3.5.
                                                 See also IBC
                                                 1008.1.3.2
                                                 Power-operated doors
                                                 and IBC 1008.1.3.3
                                                 Horizontal sliding
                                                 doors

404.3.1 Clear Width.     4.13.5 Clear Width.     ANSI 404.3.1 Clear
Doorways shall provide   Doorways shall have a   Opening Width.
a clear opening of 32    minimum clear opening   Doorways shall have a
inches (815 mm) minimum  of 32 in (815 mm) with  clear opening width
in power-on and          the door open 90        of 32 inches (815 mm)
power-off mode. The      degrees, measured       in power-on and
minimum clear width for  between the face of     power-off mode. The
automatic door systems   the door and the        minimum clear opening
in a doorway shall be    opposite stop (see      width for automatic
based on the clear       Fig. 24(a), (b), (c),   door systems shall be
opening provided by all  and (d)). Openings      based on the clear
leaves in the open       more than 24 in (610    opening width
position.                mm) in depth shall      provided with all
                         comply with 4.2.1 and   leafs in the open
                         4.3.3 (see Fig.         position
                         24(e)).
                         EXCEPTION: Doors not
                         requiring full user
                         passage, such as
                         shallow closets, may
                         have the clear opening
                         reduced to 20 in (510
                         mm) minimum
                         NOTE: Figures 24(a)
                         and 24(b) illustrate a
                         32 inch minimum
                         opening on a hinged
                         door, with Figure
                         24(a) demonstrating
                         that the measurement
                         is taken from the face
                         of the door to the
                         opposite stop.
                         Figure 24(c) shows a
                         32 inch minimum clear
                         width of a sliding or
                         pocket door, measured
                         from the leading edge
                         op the open door to
                         the opposing
                         stop/jamb.
                         Figure 24(d)
                         illustrates the same
                         measurement for a
                         retracted
                         folding/accordion
                         door.
                         Figure 24(e)
                         illustrates a doorway
                         without a door. The
                         clear width is 32
                         inches minimum, and
                         the maximum depth of
                         the opening is 24
                         inches.

404.3.2 Maneuvering                              ANSI 404.3.2
Clearance. Clearances                            Maneuvering
at power-assisted doors                          Clearances.
and gates shall comply                           Maneuvering
with 404.2.4.                                    clearances at
Clearances at automatic                          power-assisted doors
doors and gates without                          shall comply with
standby power and                                Section 404.2.3.
serving an accessible
means of egress shall
comply with 404.2.4.
EXCEPTION: Where
automatic doors and
gates remain open in
the power-off
condition, compliance
with 404.2.4 shall not
be required.

Ron Ratell is an expert on regulations relevant to the Americans with Disabilities Act and can be reached at (317) 805-5704 or via email at ron_ratell@irco.com.