Understanding ADA Accessibility Standards

You probably have heard about accessibility requirements with regard to digital communication in your class. But how can it be useful for you in your real-life examples? When we talk about ADA, which is set up decades ago, we will mostly think of physical environments such as ramps, grab bars, accessible restrooms, and so on. In the past, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has seen numerous amendments. So, when putting together a website or blog of your own, you are encouraged to think about your Internet users, including those with disabilities, who may require features that will help them to properly view your site and redistribute its content. Today, digital communication is ubiquitous, it is therefore indispensable that every practitioner thinks about the creation of websites or blogs from the beginning, to focus on how effective they can be. There are ADA accessibility standards that can help you walk through this.

The ADA accessibility standards are not an end-all, be-all solution to make certain that a website or blog is 100% barrier free for anyone with a disability. However, they do provide some rather logical guidelines and starting points for those who are interested in ensuring the barrier-free accessibility of their sites or blogs. Overcoming electronic barriers is a crucial part of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Nearly every community in our country includes people with a wide variety of disabilities. This diversity reflects a wide array of people using wheelchairs or walkers, to those who have difficulty grasping items, writing, reading print or hearing messages. The ADA presents standards in response to this community. This article will help you to familiarize yourself with the ADA vertical grab bar requirements and make sure you understand the ADA compliance before you start building up your site or blog in real life.

Grab bars are intended to allow individuals using a mobility assistive device to transition safely between the wheelchair and the toilet or from a wheelchair or other mobility assistive device to a transfer surface at a tub or other bathing fixture or transfer surface. They assist in weight bearing and are used as a method to pull and push oneself up and off of a toilet seat or a transfer surface, and to slide laterally into or out of a vehicle. Grab bars must comply with four basic design criteria: height, placement, volumetric requirements (should not have a cross section greater than 1-5/8 inches and must have a circular shape to the grip area), and hand-grip opening. All grab bars, whether horizontal or vertical, must meet the following dimensional requirements. To meet ADA grab bar requirements, horizontal grab bars must extend at least 1-½ inches, but no more than 3 inches, beyond the end of all toilets without a wall or other partition. The location of the grab bars also needs to match the drawing requirements and proper security and attachment under section 304.3. The horizontal locations for grab bars are at the backs at either end, and anywhere in between the two ends. Additionally, all grab bars require some sort of support in order to maintain stability. Vertical grab bars will always run along the wall of the user’s side, approximately 2- inches from the wall (also must meet the same dimensional requirements as horizontal grab bars). Grab bars serving as wall-mounted toilet stalls should be placed either within 6 and 18 inches horizontally from the stall Door so the user will have a hand-hold anytime they are seated and near the door (for privacy or transferring) or grab bars should be located within 24 inches horizontally from the edge of the stall latch side wall. With the aim of trying to ensure that everyone has easy access to all parts of your site or blog, make sure to incorporate the ADA vertical grab bar requirements into your digital communication project and try to encourage others to do the same.