The American National Standards Institute includes criteria to make new homes visitable by people with disabilities.
By Jennifer Perry
“Visitability,” a growing movement focusing on making individual homes accessible by targeting the most fundamental, inexpensive features—getting in and out of the house and being able to use a bathroom—has gained important support from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The Institute’s accessibility standards, known as ANSI A117.1, will include design criteria for visitability features that could be adopted by municipalities or implemented by state or local ordinances across the country. ANSI A117.1 serves as the accessibility standard adopted by many jurisdictions nationwide since 1961 (see sidebar).
According to Concrete Change, a Decatur, Georgia, advocacy group (www.concretechange.org), “‘Visitability’ is a movement to change home construction practices so that virtually all new homes—not merely those custom-built for occupants who currently have disabilities—offer a few specific features that make the home easier for people who develop mobility impairments to live in and visit…The spirit of visitability is as important as the list of features. That spirit says, it’s not just unwise, but unacceptable, that new homes continue to be built with gross barriers—unacceptable, given how easy it is to build basic access in the great majority of new homes and given the harsh effects major barriers have on so many people’s lives. These easily-avoided barriers cause daily drudgery; unsafe living conditions; social isolation, and forced institutionalization.” Concrete Change maintains that, “No arguments are accepted that ‘We’ll build the house so a ramp could be added later.’”
Integration, Not Isolation
According to Concrete Change’s Eleanor Smith, “These features (formally known as ‘Type C [Visitable] Units’) have the potential for a tremendous boost to integration instead of isolation. Whether you’re an 8-year-old with cerebral palsy hoping to go to her classmate’s party, or an older person with multiple sclerosis wanting to go to the family reunion, [the new] criteria will prove beneficial. Additionally, these features make it possible for someone to come home from the hospital to recuperate after incurring short term disabilities that limit mobility.”
To date, more than 30,000 houses in the US have zero- step entrances, wider interior doors, and a few additional basic access features as a result of local requirements (which differ). Requirements provided within the Type C criteria are intended to provide consistency throughout the country.
The decision to include visitability criteria is the culmination of the efforts of a working group of the International Code Council (ICC), originally convened in 2006 and charged with developing model code guidelines for housing not covered by the Fair Housing Act (i.e., for new one- to three- family dwellings, which would be suitable for adoption by local jurisdictions). The working group includes disability advocates as well as members from federal agencies like the United States Access Board—an independent federal agency created in 1973 to ensure access to federally funded facilities and a leading source of information on accessible design- -and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The technical criteria for a Type C unit have been summarized below (for the complete language, please contact Compliance Specialist, Jennifer Perry at jperry@unitedspinal.org):
- At least one accessible entrance into the home from a public street or sidewalk, a dwelling unit driveway, or a garage.
- An accessible circulation path shall connect an entrance with a toilet room or bathroom, with one habitable space with an area 70 square feet minimum and with a food preparation area (if one is provided on the entrance level of the home).
- The toilet room/bathroom should have basic clearance at the water closet and reinforcements in the walls for the future installation of grab bars.
- Doors with sufficient clear width shall be provided throughout the entrance level of the home.
- Lighting controls and receptacle outlets shall be mounted within accessible reach ranges.
- Clearances between all opposing base cabinets, counter tops, appliances or walls within food preparation areas (if provided on the entrance level) shall be 40 inches minimum.
Jennifer Perry is compliance specialist for Accessibility Services.
ANSI A117.1: A Primer
Pivotal to establishing standards of accessibility for people with disabilities in the United States are technical guidelines known as A117.1, published by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). First published in 1961, these guidelines are periodically revised and updated and continue to evolve through a consensus process involving all directly affected interests. While compliance is voluntary, the ANSI A117.1 standard has been adopted as an enforceable code by many state and local agencies that regulate the design and construction of built facilities. Below is a brief introduction to ANSI and the A117.1 standard.
Founded in 1918, the American National Standards Institute serves as the coordinator of the U.S. voluntary standards, providing a neutral forum for the development of policies on standards issues and serves as a watchdog for standards development and conformity assessment programs and processes. The ANSI federation includes representatives of industry, standards developing organizations, trade associations, academia, professional and technical societies, government, labor and consumer groups, and other interested parties. The Institute does not write standards itself, but oversees creation, promulgation, and use of thousands of international norms and guidelines that directly impact businesses in nearly every sector: from acoustical devices to construction equipment, from dairy and livestock production to energy distribution, and many more.
According to the organization, “ANSI provides a forum where the private and public sectors can cooperatively work together towards the development of voluntary national consensus standards and the related compliance programs.
The Institute provides the means for the U.S. to influence global standardization activities and the development of international standards.”
In 1959, the President’s Committee on Employment of the Physically Handicapped and the National Society for Crippled Children co-sponsored the development of the first national standard for accessibility and in 1961 ANSI published ANSI A117.1—Making Buildings Accessible to and Usable by the Physically Handicapped.
The technical provisions of ANSI A117.1 are intended for “the design and construction of new buildings and facilities,” as well as the “remodeling, alteration, and rehabilitation of existing conditions.” Technical provisions delineate how features should be designed and installed. Information is largely based on anthropometric, ergonomic, and human performance data. ANSI A117.1 does not include “scoping provisions,” which describe where accessibility is appropriate; when it is required; and what features of a building, facility, or site must be accessible. Agencies and organizations that reference ANSI A117.1 must establish scoping specifi cations.
In addition to being adopted by many state and local agencies, the technical requirements in ANSI A117.1 are also referenced in the model building codes established by regional organizations such as the following:
• Building Officials and Code Administrators International (BOCA)
• International Conference of Building Offi cials (ICBO)
• Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI)
The upcoming 2008 edition of ANSI A117.1 will include design criteria for “visitability” in private homes.
