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ADA FAQs
What is the ADA and how does it affect our lifts?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal
law that went into effect in 1991. The law is designed
to eliminate any discrimination because of disabilities.
The ADA covers many different areas of discrimination
but what affects our products is how the ADA addresses
accessibility. Under Section 504 of the ADA, the
Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance
Board, also known as "Access Board" was required to
develop and issue guidelines which would become the
final ADA accessibility standards. The American with
Disabilities Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) was
written and went into effect in January of 1992. These
guidelines were written to try and clarify how
architectural barriers should be eliminated and still
comply with the intent of the ADA. The ADA identifies
what needs to be accessible and refers back to ASME
standards as to what equipment can be used. Over the
passed few years, a committee has been working on
updating ADAAG so that it is more consistent with
available technologies and with the ASME standard. The
recommendations for the new ADAAG have been published
and submitted to the Access Board for adoption.
The NEW ADAAG has a
couple of changes on the acceptable use of platform
lifts to remove barriers but most important it new
recognizes ASME A17.1-2000, Part 5.2 for LU/LA elevators.
Does ADAAG permit platform (wheelchair) lifts as a means
of providing access?
Yes. Platform lifts are defined in Section 3.5 as an
accessible route and are covered in
Section 4.11.
Are platform lifts allowed in new construction?
Yes. Platform lifts complying with
4.11 and with local codes may be used to provide
accessibility to a performing area in an assembly
occupancy, to comply with the wheelchair viewing
position line-of-sight and dispersion requirements of
4.33.3, in incidental occupiable spaces and rooms
which are not open to the general public and which house
no more than five persons, including but not limited to
equipment control rooms and projection booths or to
provide access where existing site constraints or other
constraints make sue of a ramp or an elevator infeasible.
Will every building require an elevator, ramp or lift?
No. Existing buildings require only what is readily
achievable and can not cause a financial hardship on the
building owner. If a new or altered building has fewer
than 3 stories or is less than 3000 square feet per
floor, it does not need to be equipped with an elevator.
This exception does not apply to shopping malls or
offices of heath care providers. The ground floor,
however, must be accessible. If an elevator is installed
it must meet the ADAAG requirements.
Does ADAAG require any special requirements on platform
lifts?
Yes. A minimum clear floor or ground space of 30" x 48"
is required on vertical and inclined platform lifts. The
new ADAAG also requires platform lifts where the lift
does not allow a user to pass through the lift to have
power openers on the gates or doors.
Do
inclined platform lifts comply with the ADA?
Yes. The goal of the ADA is to improve accessibility. If
the inclined lift is the best alternative tot he
building owner, then that option should be taken. The
inclined platform lift provides unassisted entry and
exit from the lift and can physically be operated by the
rider.
Does the ADA allow key operation?
Yes. The ADA recognizes the need for keys. While Section
4.11 still stipulates that platform lifts shall
facilitate unassisted entry, operation and exit from the
lift, the preamble states that this does not preclude
the use of a key to operate a lift as long as the key is
readily available and allows for unassisted operation.
Are all of our lifts ADA approved?
No. The ADA does not approve anything! The ADA is
a civil rights law and the only way to get a ruling is
if someone files a complaint with the Attorney General.
Independent test laboratories such as UL or ETL now
inspect and test accessibility equipment to comply with
ASME standards. Any equipment that displays one of these
labels shows that the equipment has been inspected and
tested to these standards and has passed. Many states
require an independent laboratory label to be on
equipment and many states will relax their inspection
requirements if the equipment is labeled. There is a
great expense to have the equipment listed, but if it
allows our equipment to be more widely accepted and adds
to the creditability of quality, it is well worth the
added expense. |
