Mayors Office on Disability City and County of San Francisco

1
Mayors Office on DisabilityCity and County of
San Francisco

• Discussion of Common Design and Construction
  Errors

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Subjects Covered Today

• Building Interior
• Doors
• Signage
• Stairways
• Elevators
• Toilets
• Service Counters
• Operating Mechanisms

• Exterior Accessibility
• Coordination of Design
• Walks
• Gates
• Projecting Objects
• Ramps
• Parking

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Interior of Building

• Doors
• Signage
• Stairways
• Elevators
• Toilets
• Service Counters
• Operating Mechanisms

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Effort to Operate Doors-Closers1133B.2.5, Title
24

• Interior and Exterior doors now must operate with
  5 pounds of force.
• Exception for required fire doors. They may
  require up to 15 pounds, but only if necessary to
  close and latch.

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Door Closers- Problems

• Door closers are frequently installed on doors
  for no apparent reason. Generally, only fire-
  rated doors require them.
• Large glass and / or steel doors are too heavy to
  meet code mandated pressure.
• Floor mounted closers may be difficult to adjust
  to required pressure.

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Door Closers - Solution

• Compensating devices or automatic door operators
  may be installed on most doors in lieu of the
  door pressure limits.

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Door Thresholds / Transitions1133B.2.4.1 and
1133B.7.4, Title 24

• Door Thresholds and Carpet Transitions
• Cannot exceed a height of ½ inch (total) above
  the landing.
• Cannot exceed a slope of 12.
• Vertical drops cannot exceed ¼ inch in height.

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Door Thresholds / Transitions
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Thresholds Transitions-Problems

• Some metal thresholds do not conform to ADA
  standards (too steep or too tall).
• Metal thresholds are raised above the landing
  causing the total drop to exceed ½ inch.
• Vinyl carpet transition strips exceed 1/2 inch
  height or slope of 12 due to conforming to
  adjacent materials.

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Door Swing Clearances1133B.2.4.2, Title 24
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Common Door Obstructions

• Door is placed too close to columns or pilasters.
• Door is placed in thick masonry or concrete walls
  and inset more than 8 inches from either face of
  wall.
• Door is placed in alcove and offset in wall is
  less than 18 or 24 inches due to framing error.

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Door Swing Obstructed by Column
Column
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Door Swing Obstructed by Pilaster
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Doors in Thick Walls or Alcoves Swing Side
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Doors in Thick Walls or Alcoves Push Side
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Door Hardware1133B.2.5.2, Title 24

• All hand operated hardware on doors must be
  accessible.
• The ADA Guidelines require that it be operable
  with one hand and not require tight grasping,
  tight pinching or twisting of the wrist to
  operate. Title 24 is similar.
• Title 24 also requires that it be operable with a
  single effort.

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Door Hardware-Problems

• Dead bolts with thumb turns are installed on
  doors.
• Manual edge or flush bolts are installed on the
  inactive leaf of double doors. These are not
  accessible due to shape and height and prohibited
  by 1003.3.1.8 of the CBC in occupied spaces.

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Accessible Door Hardware
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Gates1133B.1.1.4, Title 24

• All gates, including ticket gates, shall meet all
  applicable requirements for doors.
• Smooth 10 inch panel required at the bottom on
  the push side.
• Lever hardware is required.
• Level landings and swing clearances.
• Effort of open.

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Accessible Gates- Problems

• Chain link fence and tubular steel gates lack
  smooth 10 inch panel at the bottom on the push
  side. Sheet metal must be added.
• Metal gates lack accessible hardware. Traditional
  lift and- swivel gate hardware is not allowed.
  Lever hardware is available.
• Level landings and swing clearances frequently
  lacking in exterior locations.

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Required Tactile Signs

• Permanent Room Identification Signs
• Tactile Exit Signs
• Tactile Stair Level Identification Signs

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Location of Tactile Signs1117B.5.7, Title 24

• Next to doors, not on them
• Tactile elements centered 60 inches above the
  floor
• Tactile elements centered laterally 9 inches from
  the door jamb

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Permanent Room Identification1117B.5.1.2, Title
24
Permanent portion must be tactile.
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Tactile Exit Signs1003.2.8.6.1.1, CBC

• At grade level exterior exit doors

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Tactile Exit Signs1003.2.8.6.1.3, Title 24

• At doors leading to a grade-level exterior exit
  by means of an exit enclosure or passageway.

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Tactile Exit Signs1003.2.8.6.1.4, Title 24

• At doors from an interior room or space to a
  corridor that is required to have visual exit
  signs.
• Rooms having an occupant load of over 49 need
  this sign.

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Tactile Exit Signs1003.2.8.6.1.2, Title 24

• At doors leading to grade-level exits by means of
  a stairway or ramp.

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Tactile Stair Level ID Signs1003.3.3.13.1, Title
24

• Inside all exit stairways at each floor level
  next to stairway doors.
• All buildings two or more stories in height.

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Tactile Stair Level ID Signs

• When located at the exit floor, a raised five
  pointed star must be added to the left of the
  numeral.
• The star must be the same height as the numeral.
  Suggest 2 inch height.

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Non-Tactile Symbols1115B.5, 117B.5.8.1,
1117B.5.8.1.2, Title 24

• International Symbol of Accessibility. Required
  at all accessible entrances
• Circle and Triangle symbols on Toilet Room Doors.

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International Symbol of Access
Required at all accessible entrances
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Circle and Triangle Symbols

• Cannot generally be tactile
• No raised text, raised pictograms or Braille is
  allowed.
• Symbols must contrast with the door color.
• Circle should contrast with the triangle.

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Stairway Handrail Extensions1133B.4.1, Title 24

• Extension at the top landing is equal to 12
  inches.
• Extension at the bottom landing is equal to one
  tread width plus 12 inches.
• Bottom extension must continue 12 inches before
  leveling off.
• There is no provision for bending stair handrail
  extensions.

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Stairway Handrail Extensions
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Handrail Extensions-Problems

• Stair is not designed so that handrail extensions
  can extend the full length without bending 90
  degrees.
• Bottom extension of handrails do not travel 12
  inches before leveling off.

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Stairway Handrail Extensions
X
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Elevator Controls1116B.1.9 1116B.1.13, Title 24

• Elevator car control buttons and hall call
  buttons must be illuminated with white light
  across the entire surface of the button.
• So-called vandal resistant buttons do not usually
  comply.
• Metal buttons with a lighted jewel in the middle
  do not comply.
• Solid metal buttons surrounded by a halo do not
  comply.

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Small Toilet Rooms Problems1115B.7.1, Title 24

• The clear space between the side of the toilet
  bowl and the side of the lavatory is not 28
  inches.
• There is no level space inside the room for a
  wheelchair measuring 30 by 48 inches to park and
  which allows the door to close.

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Fixture Clearance Inside Small Toilet Rooms
Room must be 81 inches wide to comply
40
In-Swinging Door at Toilet Stall or Room
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Other Toilet Room Issues1115B.2.1.2, 1115B.7.1.3
1115B.7.1.4, Title 24

• The center of the water closet must be placed
  approximately 18 inches from the near wall.
• The flush handle must be located on the side
  facing the wide clearance.
• Toilet partition doors must provide pull handles
  on both sides.

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Toilet and Flush Handle Location
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Service Counters1122B, Title 24

• Where fixed or built-in seating, tables or
  counters are provided for the public and in
  general employee areas, 5 or at least one must
  be accessible.
• The counter height must be between 28 and 34
  inches above the floor.
• The low counter must be 36 inches long. In food
  service areas, ADAAG requires a length of 60
  inches.
• A disabled customer must be able to reach across
  the entire counter to interact with an employee.

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Service Counters
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Service Counters
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Controls and Operating Mechanisms1117B, Title 24

• Controls must be operable with one hand and not
  require tight grasping, pinching or twisting of
  the wrist.
• Controls for heating, ventilating and air
  conditioning must be accessible if under the
  control of occupants.
• Unless HVAC is centrally operated or the
  thermostats are in lock boxes, they must comply.

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Exterior and Site Issues

• Lack of Coordination of design specialties
• Walkways Connecting all Facilities
• Site Slopes and Cross Slopes
• Slip Resistance of Walking Surfaces
• Gates (Already Covered)
• Projecting and Overhanging Objects
• Ramps
• Parking

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Exterior Site-Coordination1114B.1.2, Title 24

• All facilities on a given site must be connected
  with accessible routes.
• Architects, Landscape Architects and Civil
  Engineers frequently do not coordinate site
  pathways, slopes and elevations to make this
  happen.

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Exterior Site-Slopes1133B.7, Title 24

• Site slopes must be worked out so that exterior
  doors have level landings and connect to
  accessible paths.
• Walkways connecting accessible entrances and
  other features cannot slope more than 5 in the
  direction of travel or have cross slopes
  exceeding 2.

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Walkway Floor Surfaces1120B.2 1124B, Title 24

• Walking surfaces along accessible routes must be
  firm, stable and slip- resistant
• Glossy or smooth surfaces which appear slippery
  must be tested or a material spec provided to
  show a slip- resistant rating.
• The only standard available is from ADAAG and is
  0.6 co-efficient of friction for level paths and
  0.8 for ramps.

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Exterior Site-Signage1117B.5.8.1.2, Title 24

• All accessible routes must have signage at all
  major junctions to guide persons with
  disabilities.

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Exterior Site-Ramp Slope1133B.5.3, Title 24

• Architects and other designers commonly specify
  ramps with a slope of 112.
• Problem This sets the contractor up for failure.
  Given the tolerances inherent in concrete
  forming, portions of the ramp will exceed 112.

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Site Exterior-Ramp Landings1133B.5.4.1, Title 24

• Ramps require landings whenever there is a
  change of direction.
• This landing should measure 60 inches by 60
  inches, minimum, although not clear in Title 24.
• Shown clearly in new ADAAG.

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Site Exterior-Ramp Landings
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Projecting Overhanging Objects1133B.8.2
1133B.8.6, Title 24

• Obstructions overhanging a pedestrians way must
  be at least 80 inches above the walking surface.
• Objects projecting from walls more than 4 inches
  with leading edges between 27 and 80 inches high
  are prohibited without a barrier underneath.

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Projecting Overhanging Objects
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Examples of Projecting Objects

• Seismic braces
• Stair or escalator runs overhead
• Old style fire dept. connection standpipes on
  building façades.
• Equipment panels or fire extinguisher cabinets in
  corridors
• Equipment racks in parking garages
• Dropped soffits

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Parking1129B 1133B.8.5, Title 24

• Accessible parking stalls and loading aisles must
  not slope more than 2 in any direction.
• Curb ramps leading to loading aisles can no
  longer extend into the loading aisle.
• All paths of travel requiring a person to cross a
  vehicular way such as crosswalks must have
  truncated domes at each end.

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Loading Aisles-No ramps allowed
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Vehicular Crossing- Warnings
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Credits

• Signage graphics are from Accessible Signs and
  Wayfinding, prepared by Sharon Toji for the
  Division of the State Architect