Accelerating Progress through Global Standards, Systems, and Tools

David Capozzi, Executive DirectorU.S. Access Board

Built Environment Standards

• 1961 ANSI A117.1 was the first accessibility standard in the U.S.

• It contained 6 pages of requirements and 2 figures

Built Environment Standards

• The current ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines contains 289 pages of requirements and 139 figures

Built Environment Standards

• ISO-21542: 2011 specifies requirements for the built environment including circulation, egress, and evacuation from buildings in the event of an emergency

Built Environment: Progress

• Since the first accessibility standard in 1961 – we have seen the widespread installation of curb ramps; showers; hi-lo drinking fountains; playgrounds; and accessible technology and communication devices

Built Environment: Progress

• Kalamazoo, MI – 1945: curb ramps constructed at the corners of three or four blocks by WWII veterans

• Urbana, IL – 1952: curb ramps for students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Berkeley, CA – 1972: first curb ramp in the city

Built Environment: Progress

Built Environment: Progress

Built Environment: Progress

Built Environment: Progress

Built Environment: Progress

• September 1969: America's first ATM at Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, NY

• Today, there are almost 2 million ATMs around the world

Built Environment: Progress

• May 1964, Robert Weitbrecht and James Marsters made the first long distance TTY phone call on a traditional telephone line

Information and Communication Technology Standards

• Congress first added section 508 to the Rehabilitation Act in 1986

• In October 1987, the Department of Education and GSA issued guidelines with functional performance specifications for input, output, and documentation access to electronic office equipment

• Although several agencies began to comply with the guidelines, application was inconsistent; the lack of an enforcement mechanism in the original legislation led to the 1998 expansion of section 508

Information and Communication Technology Standards

Information and Communication Technology: Progress

• The Macintosh: 1984, the first commercially successful product to use a graphical user interface (GUI)

• Windows 3.0: 1990, popularity of the GUI exploded

• IBM Screen Reader/2: 1992, offers blind users access to IBM OS/2’s graphical user interface

Information and Communication Technology: Progress

Information and Communication Technology: Progress

Mobility Devices: Progress

• 24 interrelated voluntary industry standards for mobility aids; harmonized world-wide through the ISO

Transportation Standards

• September 6, 1991: Access Board publishes the original ADAAG for Transportation Vehicles

• September 28, 1998: Board issues final rule for over-the-road buses

Transportation: Progress

• Walter Callow, a Canadian blind, quadriplegic veteran, invented the first wheelchair-accessible bus in 1947

• 1952: first wheelchair accessible fixed route bus system at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Transportation: Progress

Transportation: Progress

• In 1979, Seattle Metro ordered Flyer coaches with some of the first wheelchair lifts in the nation

• Since 2003 all new Metro buses have been low-floor

Tools

• technical assistance, training, webinars

Systems: Symbols of Access

• The International Symbol of Access (ISA) was designed by Susanne Koefoed in 1968

• It was modified by Karl Montan by adding a circle to the top of the seated figure, thus giving it a head

Systems: Symbols of Access

Systems

• Lawsuits against large chains of businesses have resulted in agreements to make improvements in building access in thousands of places across the country

• DOJ’s Project Civic Access has resulted in numerous cities and localities improving their facilities

Systems

• Texas: Texas Accessibility Academy– 3-day study of the Texas Architectural Barriers Act

and the 2012 Texas Accessibility Standards– Registered Accessibility Specialists review

construction documents for accessible design– all commercial construction over $50,000

Systems

• California: CASp Program – voluntary Certified Access Specialist Program– State certifies any person who meets specified

criteria as a Certified Access Specialist– experienced, trained, and tested individuals who

inspect buildings and sites for compliance with state and federal construction-related accessibility standards

Systems

• Civil Disobedience: ADAPT got its start at the Atlantis Community in Denver, CO, in 1983

Systems

• Implementation of laws and standards– Effects of the ADA on percentage of accessible

vehicles by mode

Year Bus Commuter Rail Heavy Rail Light Rail Trolleybus

1990 40.2 32.4 82.8 40.7 32.9

2013 99.8 86.8 100 88.4 100

Systems

• Implementation of laws and standards– Effects of the ADA on numbers of accessible

stations by mode

Mode ADA Accessible Non-ADA Accessible 2002 2012 2002 2012Bus 3,694 1,336 220 18Commuter Rail 631 832 519 412Heavy Rail 366 542 628 502Light Rail 458 725 182 69Trolleybus 5 5 0 0

Systems

• However, problems persist in compliance with other ADA requirements, such as maintaining lifts and ramps and announcing transit stops

• As of October 2008, 48 of Amtrak’s 481 stations are fully compliant with the ADA