|
Accommodation
ADA Technical Requirements
Options for Employers
ADA Technical Requirements
The specifications
that apply most directly to document filing are requirements for clear
space, forward reach, side reach and knee clearance requirements for
accessibility of wheelchairs.
Clear floor or ground space
for wheelchairs
The EEOC would consider a filing area that provides a 2.5 feet by 4
feet of clear floor or ground space accessible by a single, stationary
wheelchair and its occupant. The employer may position this minimum
clear floor or ground space for forward or parallel approach to the
filing area.
Forward reach
If clear floor space permits access only from
the front, the ADA requires that you should not have to reach higher
than 48 inches. If they are approaching it from the side, they should
not have to reach higher than 54 inches and no lower than 15 inches
from the floor.
If there is an obstruction - like
a counter over which they must reach, the high forward reach requirement
is based on how far users are expected to reach without bending. If
it requires them to reach less than 20 inches without bending forward,
the 48 inch height requirement remains as if there were no obstruction.
If it allows them to reach between 20 and 25 inches without bending
forward, then the high reach requirement is 44 inches.
If clearing an obstruction requires
them to reach more than 25 inches, however, then the facility would
not be considered accessible because this would be difficult for a wheelchair
bound worker to reach without bending forward.
Side reach
For parallel or side approach, there are similar
considerations. Since the side approach enables the person to get closer
to the equipment, the maximum forward height is 54 inches. Likewise,
the low forward reach is nine inches, since the side approach would
allow a little more flexibility.
If there is an obstruction, the
person must not be required to reach more than 24 inches without bending
to the side, no higher than 44 inches and no lower than nine inches.
Knee clearance
In addition to changing forward and side reach requirements, obstructions
such as countertops also impact approach. The space beneath the obstruction
must be between 27 and 34 inches. Low enough to enable maximum reach
without bending forward, high enough to allow the user to maneuver underneath
it. Likewise, if there is forward access to the equipment, the space
below obstruction must be deep enough not to interfere with forward
reach requirements.
|
