The Americans with Disabilities Act opened many places which were previously inaccessible.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) sets guidelines covering many aspects of daily life to enhance accessibility and usability of buildings and contents for individuals with disabilities. The ADA describes necessary accommodations and provides parameters for those accommodations. While the ADA addresses minimum requirements for compliance, users may go as far as desired in supplying accessibility.
History
Until 1973, even the Civil Rights Act failed to address discrimination against disability. Part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 touched on the problem. It defined reasonable accommodation as requiring an employer receiving federal financial assistance to take reasonable steps to accommodate an otherwise qualified person with a disability unless it would cause the employer undue hardship. Prior to the 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, many members of the public sector could discriminate at will.
Considerations
The ADA strives to make general life experiences such as working, shopping, dining and gathering reasonably available to all Americans. Under its auspices, owners must offset such physical barriers as curbs and stairs into public places and allow access with curb cuts and ramps. Washroom facilities must provide some stalls suitable for wheelchair or walker users as well. In general, some area of a public place must allow access and use by persons with disabilities but not necessarily all areas.
Guidelines
Drawer handles fall under section 4.25.4 of the ADA Standards for Accessible Design as hardware for storage facilities. Further detail comes from section 4.27.4: "Controls and operating mechanisms shall be operable with one hand and shall not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. The force required to activate controls shall be no greater than 5 lbf."
Practical Application
Routed drawer handles which meet the guidelines of the ADA include those with routed openings wide enough and deep enough to be usable by people with hands damaged by arthritis or other illness or who have suffered the loss of a hand. Shallow openings will fail to accommodate the act, unless aided by some mechanism which will assist in opening the drawer. Check with a disability advocacy group or occupational therapist for confirmation of whether a particular design will be considered accessible.
Tags: Americans with, Americans with Disabilities, allow access, with Disabilities, with disability