Improving the Accessibility of Buildings for People with
Disabilities
On the first page, we covered the International Building
Code and the accessibility standard ICC/ANSI A117.1. Now let's
talk about the federal laws and how the various laws, codes
and standards all relate to each other. Have a specific question
or want to go back and review? Just click on the related topic:
In the United States, several laws address accessibility
in buildings. Different federal agencies are involved in enforcement.
To keep it simple and help you navigate, here are some key
names and acronyms:
The
Access Board. The U.S. Architectural Transportation
Barriers Compliance Board, also known as the Access Board,
is an independent federal agency. Its purpose is to improve
accessibility for people with disabilities. It develops
the design criteria for buildings, transit, telecommunications
equipment, electronic and information technology.
The Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). The first
law to address accessibility in buildings, the ABA passed
in 1968. It addresses accessibility of federal buildings
and buildings designed, built or altered with federal money.
Such buildings include post offices, social security offices,
prisons and national park facilities. The Uniform Federal
Accessibility Standards (UFAS) provide minimum requirements
for construction and alteration of facilities covered by
the law.
The Fair Housing Act (FHA). This civil rights
law, written in 1968, prohibits discrimination based on
race, religion, sex or national origin. In 1988, the Fair
Housing Amendments Act expanded the law to include disabilities
and familial status. In 1990, The U.S. Dept. of Housing
and Urban Development released technical standards, the
Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines (FHAG), to help builders
comply with accessibility requirements.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This
civil rights law prohibits discrimination on the basis of
disability in places of public accommodation, employment,
transportation, government services and telecommunications.
It was signed into law in 1990. In 1991, the Access Board
published the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility
Guidelines (ADAAG) to explain how to make buildings comply
with the ADA. The U.S. Dept. of Justice enforces the accessibility
portion of the regulations.
The ADA-ABA Accessibility Guidelines (ADA/ABA Guidelines).
In 2004, the Access Board issued updated guidelines for
new and altered facilities covered by the ADA and the ABA.
To make compliance easier, the Access Board harmonized the
guidelines with the International Building Code and its
referenced standard, the ICC/ANSI A117.1 Accessible and
Usable Buildings and Facilities. The guidelines serve as
a baseline for legal enforcement. The intent is that the
ADA/ABA Guidelines will become the referenced accessibility
standard for the ADA and ABA, eventually replacing both
UFAS and ADAAG.
How does the IBC work
with the ADA?
The International Code Council's goal is to meet or exceed
the accessibility requirements found in the ADA/ABA Guidelines.
Updating
the ADAAG. This article, written by Access Board
staff, addresses the coordination effort between the Access
Board and the International Codes. It originally appeared
in the July/August 2004 issue of Building Safety Journal.
Emergency evacuation.
The IBC addresses how to evacuate everyone out of a building
in an emergency. This new release tells how the International
Codes comply with a court ruling on emergency evacuation
for persons with disabilities.
Accessible
Means of Egress. The ADA/ABA Guidelines reference
the IBC for accessible means of egress. What does this mean?
This brochure will tell you.
How does the IBC work
with the FHA?
The 2003 IBC is a 'safe harbor' document for complying with
FHA's accessibility requirements. This means the IBC meets
or exceed the requirements in the FHAG. So if a building complies
with the 2003 IBC, it complies with the FHAG.
2003 IBC
meets FHA accessibility requirements. The U.S. Dept.
of Housing and Urban Development evaluated the 2003 International
Building Code and found that the IBC meets FHA accessibility
requirements.
Final
Report of the HUD Review. The Final Report of the
HUD Review of the Fair Housing Accessibility Requirements
in the 2003 International Building Code (IBC).
Safe
Harbor Documents.This article provides an overview
of all the 'safe harbor' documents. It originally appeared
in the July/August 2004 issue of Building Safety Journal.
The
Vital Role of the Safe Harbor Codes. In this article,
the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) explains
the importance of coordinating the IBC with FHAG. It originally
appeared in the July/August 2004 issue of Building Safety
Journal.
Fair
Housing Act Design Manual. Published by HUD, the
Fair Housing Act Design Manual: A Manual to Assist Designers
and Builders in Meeting the Accessibility Requirements of
The Fair Housing Act offers guidance on compliance. Order
a copy or download the full text.
Most jurisdictions update their building codes on a regular
basis. Therefore, as new technologies and accessibility provisions
are incorporated into the IBC and adopted by jurisdictions,
they are built into new construction.
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