Achieving Accessible Courthouses

byDave Yanchulis

CourthouseAccessAdvisoryCommittee.

ourthouses poseuniquechallengestoaccessibility. Most courtrooms feature a variety of elevated spaces including witness stands and judges’

bencheswithinareaslimitedbythewellofthecourt.Even in newconstruction,determiningthebestwaytoprovide access totheseandotherspacescanbechallenging.Al- though guidelinesfor courthouses were issued under the AmericanswithDisabilitiesAct(ADA)almostadecade

agoandlatermadepartoftheInternationalBuildingCode

(IBC),accessibilityhasbeenincrementalatbestandcom- plianceissuesremaincommon.

New guidancedevelopedbyanexpertpanel,theCourt- house Access AdvisoryCommittee,isnowavailableand provides effective strategies and solutions for integrating accessibility into the design of courthouses. The U.S. AccessBoard,whichmaintainstheADA Accessibility Guidelines(ADAAG),charteredthecommitteetopromote

greateraccesstocourthousesthroughthedevelopmentof

MembersoftheCourthouseAccess

AdvisoryCommittee:2004–2006

AccessibilityEquipmentManufacturersAssociation AdministrativeOfficeoftheU.S.Courts AmericanInstituteofArchitects

AmericanBarAssociation

ArizonaStateBarAssociation CaliforniaAdministrativeOfficeoftheCourts ConferenceofStateCourtAdministrators CookCounty(IL)Government

DavidCalvert,P.A. DisabilityRightsLegalCenter DistrictofColumbiaCourts DisabilitiesLawProject

HearingLossAssociationofAmerica

HDRArchitecture,Inc. Hellmuth,ObataandKassabaum,Inc. InternationalCodeCouncil

Lift-UDivision,HoganManufacturing

MichaelGravesAssociates

MichiganCommissionfortheBlind

MontanaAdvocacyProgram NationalAssociationforCourtManagement NationalCenterforStateCourts

NationalFireProtectionAssociation

NewHampshireGovernor'sCommissiononDisability

NinthCircuitfortheU.S.Courts ParalyzedVeteransofAmerica PSA-Dewberry,Inc.

StevenWinterAssociates,Inc. SuperiorCourtoftheDistrictofColumbia T.L.ShieldAssociates

TenthJudicialCircuitCourtofFlorida

U.S.DepartmentofJustice

U.S.GeneralServicesAdministration U.S.JudicialConference,Securitiesand FacilitiesCommittee

UnitedSpinalAssociation

32 BuildingSafetyJournal June2007

suchguidance. The35-membercommitteerepresentedanim- pressive cross-section of expertise and experience including courthousearchitects,judges,courtmanagersandrepresentatives from ICC and other codes and standards-setting organizations, disabilitygroupsandtheliftindustry,amongothers.

Overatwo-yearperiod,thecommitteeexamineddesignissues, toured different types of courthouses across the country and craftedaccesssolutionsbyconsensus.Itsrecommendations were submittedtotheAccessBoardlastNovemberandprovidede- tailed guidance on achieving accessible courthouses without compromisingtraditionaldesignfeaturesandrequisites. The committee’sreport,“JusticeforAll:DesigningAccessibleCour- thouses,”includesbestpracticerecommendationsrepresenting thestate-of-the-artinaccessiblecourthousedesign.Followingis a summaryof severalof themostwidelyapplicable recommendations. Thecommittee’sfullreportandrelatedinfor- mationareavailablefromthe AccessBoard’swebsite: .

RaisedAreas

Theleadingissueinaccessiblecourthousedesigniswheelchair accesstoraisedcourtroomareassuchasjuryboxes,witnessstands andjudges’benches.Forcourtstofunctionproperly,theseareas mustbeconfiguredandsufficientlyelevatedtoprovideadequate sightlines,decorumandsecurity.

JuryBoxesandWitnessStands

Juryboxesandwitnessstandsarerequiredtobefullyaccessible inall courtrooms so that people with disabilities can fulfill their responsibilitiesasjurorsandwitnesses.Witnessstandsaretypi- callyraisedonestepandcaneasilybeservedbyramps.Depend- ing upontheconfigurationandelevations,onerampcanoften serve both the witness stand and the jury box. Ramps must be permanent;therefore,portablerampsandflip-downortelescop- ingtypesarenotpermittedinnewconstruction.

Wheelchairspaces are required within the defined area of witness stands and jury boxes (removable seats can also occupy these spaces). Sufficient turning space must be provided in witnessstandsandjuryboxesthatareaccessedbyrampsorlifts with entry ramps so that people using wheelchairs can exit in a forwardmanner. Verticalaccesstojuryboxescanbeavoidedif front-rowseatingandtherequiredspacesareprovidedatfloor level,andasideapproachispreferablebecauseentrancefromthe front often requires that a gate in the rail or millwork be operated whilemaneuveringintoandoutofthearea.

Judges’BenchesandClerks’ Stations

Access isalsorequiredtojudges’benchesandstationsforclerks andothercourtpersonnel.ADAAGpermitsverticalaccessto suchareastobeprovidedafterconstructionasneeded.Underthis “adaptability”option,therequisitespaceandotherfeaturesthat

UseofLifts

BoththeADAAG andtheIBCgenerally limittheuseofplatformliftsbutallowthem incourtrooms, andtheyhavebecomea common meansofprovidingaccessto witness standsandjudges’benches.After examining in-service lifts, reviewing detailed inputfromtheliftindustryand consultingadditional resources including a governmentsurveyofcourtroominstal- lations, theCourthouseAccessAdvisory Committee identifiedanumberofimpor- tantconsiderations.

Commonissuesaffecting lift perform- ance includeplatform deflectionand downwardsettlement; interlock malfunc- tions; andoperationrequiringassistance suchastheremoval ofsteps,platforms or millwork. By design, most courtroom lifts requirevariancesfromapplicable standards such asAmerican Society of Mechanical EngineersA18.1,Safety Standard forPlatformLiftsandStairway Chairlifts (although it is anticipated that the 2008editionofthe standardwill includenewspecifications fortheseand othertypesoflow-riselifts).

The committee’sreportdescribesavail- able lifttechnologiesandprovidesrecom- mendations for improved performance and compliance.Theseincludeproper specification oftheinterfacebetweenlifts and anysurroundingmillwork,independ- ent operation,theprovisionofback-up power (requiredforliftsthatarepartofan accessible meansofegress),andappro- priatemaintenance.◆

June2007 BuildingSafety Journal33

AchievingAccessibleCourthouses(continued)

facilitatelaterinstallationoframpsorliftsmustbeincluded incourtroomdesignandconstruction.

ItisimportanttonotethattheIBCdoesnotrecognizethis option and requires full access to these areas, which the CourthouseAccessAdvisoryCommitteeendorsedasabest practice.Asecondaryrecommendation,intendedtoreduce the needforlaterretrofits,callsforfullaccesstothese spacesinatleastonecourtroomofeachtypewithinacourt- houseandadaptableaccessintherest.

Forpurposesofdecorumandsecurity,thecommittee’s reportrecommendsthatverticalaccessbeprovidedina mannerthatallowsjudgestoentercourtroomsatbench level. Thiscanbeachievedbylocatingrampsorliftsinthe securedcorridoroutsidethecourtroom(whichalsofrees-up spaceinsidethecourtroom).Iframpsorliftsproviding accesstothejudge’sbencharelocatedinthecourtroom, wallsorpanelsshouldbeusedtomakethemlessvisible.

Spectator Areas

Likeotherassemblyareas,spectatorareasincourtrooms must include wheelchair spaces integrated into the seating footprint.Inaddition,allcourtroomsmustbeequippedwith assistivelisteningsystems.TheCourthouseAccessAdvi- sory Committee’s report provides informationon available technologies and ways to accommodate spectators with sig- nificanthearinglossaswellasthosewhoaredeaf.◆

DaveYanchulisisCoordinatorofPublicAffairsfortheU.S.AccessBoard,anindependentfederalagencythatdevelopsandmaintainsaccessibilityguidelinesandstand-ardsforthebuiltenvironment,transportationvehicles, telecommunicationsequipment,andelectronicandinfor- mationtechnologyundertheADAandseveralotherlaws, andenforcesdesignstandardsthatcoverfederallyfunded facilities.

UpdateontheNew

ADAandABAStandards

n the coming months, the U.S. Department of Justice(DOJ)intendstopublishanoticetoadopt newstandardsbasedonupdatedguidelinesissued

bythe U.S.Access Board which will apply to most facilities covered by theAmericans with Disabilities Act (ADA), includingplacesof publicaccommodation, commercial facilities, and state and local government facilities. New standards are already in place for trans- portationfacilitiesunderthe ADA andformostfederal facilities, which are covered by an earlier law, theArchi- tecturalBarriersAct(ABA).

The AccessBoardupdatedtheADAandABAguide- linesjointlytomakethemmoreconsistent.Inaddition, the AccessBoardharmonizedtheguidelineswithcom- panionprovisionsintheInternationalBuildingCode (IBC) and applicable referenced standard, ICC/ANSI A117.1,AccessibleandUsableBuildingsandFacilities, aswell as with other model building codes and industry standards(see“2006IBC‘SafeHarborUpdate’”by

KimberlyPaarlbergformoredetailsonIBCandA117.1 harmonization).Onceallofthenewstandardshavebeen adopted, a highly uniform level of accessibility will be specified across the broad spectrum of facilities encom- passedbytheADAandABA.

TheDOJ’supcomingnoticeregardingtheupdateof theADAstandardswillbeavailableforpubliccomment. Inviewofthecommentperiodandotherregulatorysteps thatmustbecompleted,finalactionislikelyatleasta year away. Until the new standards take effect, the

34 BuildingSafetyJournal June2007

current standardsaretobefollowed.UnderDOJregu- lations, private sector facilities must meet the original ADA standards,whichhavechangedlittlesincetheir initial publication in 1991. State and local governments have the option of following either theADAstan- dards—althoughcertainprovisionsdonotapply—or theUniformFederal AccessibilityStandards(UFAS), whichwereissuedearlierundertheABA.

TheFutureisNow

Itisimportanttonotethattransportationfacilitiesand most federally funded facilities are already covered by updatedaccessibilitystandards.

TheU.S.DepartmentofTransportation(DOT),the otherstandard-settingagencyundertheADA,adopted newstandardseffectiveNovember2006whichapplyto transportationfacilitiescoveredbytheADA,including railstations,busstopsandstations,andairports. These standardsareessentiallythesameastheupdated ADA guidelines but include some limitedrevisions or clarifi- cationsconcerningprovisionsforaccessibleroutes,bus

stops,railstationplatformsanddetectablewarningson curbramps.

Under the ABA, which applies to facilities de- signed,built,alteredorleasedwithfederalfunding, the GeneralServicesAdministration(GSA)adopted newstandardsknownastheABA AccessibilityStand- ards, which generally took effect in May 2006. These standards apply to most federally funded facilities exceptpostal,militaryandresidentialfacilities.The U.S.PostalService(USPS)hasupdatedthestandards that apply to facilities under its jurisdiction, which be- cameeffectiveinOctober2005. TheDepartmentof Defense (DOD) and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are still in the process of updating the standards for military facilities and housing.Untilthen,theUFAS—whichallfouragen- ciesjointlyadoptedin1984—governsthedesignof suchfacilities.

CopiesofthecurrentADA and ABA guidelinesand standardsareavailableontheAccessBoard’swebsiteat .◆

CurrentAccessibilityStandards

ADASTANDARDS
FACILITYTYPE / AGENCY / STANDARDSINEFFECT
placesofpublicaccommodation andcommercialfacilities / DOJ / originalADAstandards
stateandlocalgovernment / DOJ / originalADAstandardsorUFAS*
transportation / DOT / newstandardstookeffectNovember29,2006
*CurrentDOJregulationspermituseoftheADAstandards(althoughsomeprovisions,suchastheelevator exception,donotapply)orUFAS.
ABASTANDARDS
FACILITYTYPE / AGENCY / STANDARDSINEFFECT
federallyfunded(exceptpostal, military,andresidential) / GSA / newstandardstookeffectMay8,2006 (February6,2007forleasedfacilities)
postal / USPS / newstandardstookeffectOctober1,2005
military / DOD / UFAS
residential / HUD / UFAS

June2007 BuildingSafety Journal35