July 19, 2004—The Access Boards guidelines issued under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) are to be completely updated and revised. The ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) cover the construction and alteration of facilities in the private sector (places of public accommodation and commercial facilities) and the public sector (state and local government facilities).
The accessibility guidelines issued under the ABA primarily address facilities in the Federal sector and others designed, built, altered, or leased with Federal funds. The guidelines under both laws are being updated together in one rule 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 will reference.
As a result, the requirements for both ADA and ABA facilities will be made more consistent. The rule also includes new scoping and technical provisions for accessible housing that derive from requirements for “Type A” dwelling units contained in the 1998 edition of the ICC/ANSI A117.1 standard, “Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities.”
On June 25, 2004, the guidelines were approved for publication by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The Board plans to publish the new guidelines on July 26, the 14th anniversary of the ADA’s enactment.
The board’s guidelines serve as the baseline for standards maintained by other Federal agencies that are used to enforce the ADA and ABA. These agencies include the Department of Justice and the Department of Transportation, which are responsible for ADA standards based on the Board’s guidelines. Under the ABA, standards are maintained by the General Services Administration, the Department of Defense, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Postal Service. These agencies will update their standards according to the Board’s guidelines and will indicate when the new standards are to be followed. Until then, the current standards remain in effect.
The Board established an advisory committee to conduct a complete review of ADAAG and to recommend changes. The ADAAG Review Advisory Committee consisted of 22 members representing the design and construction industry, the building code community, State and local governments entities, and people with disabilities. The Board held public hearings on the proposal in Los Angeles, and Arlington, VA. Over 2,500 comments were received on the proposal.
For more information, contact The Access Board.
