The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Its main purpose is to promote exclusivity in public spaces and commercial facilities. It's necessary to understand what is necessary to stay compliant so that if necessary you can complete a commercial remodel and avoid issues with the law.
Historical Context
The act was passed in 1990. This federal civil rights law prohibits the discrimination of people with disabilities in public life. This includes places like jobs, schools, transportation, public accommodations, and telecommunications agencies. The act saw significant updates in 2010, which addressed gaps in earlier standards.
Why is This Important?
ADA standards are not something you can dismiss or ignore. The reason why is because of lawsuits. Hundreds of business owners have been sued due to noncompliance. You may have to pay up to $75,000 for a first-time offense. You’ll also have to pay legal bills. It’s a lot easier to do the work and get compliant.
Scope of ADA Door Compliance
This act has a number of requirements which we will discuss in the article below. For example, some of these include requirements for door width, hardware, thresholds, force requirements, and maneuvering clearances.
Key ADA Door Requirements
Door Width and Clearance Specifications
Minimum Clear Width
All doors must have at least 32 inches of clear opening when the door is open at 90 degrees. “Clear opening” refers to the horizontal space between the two sides of the door frame when the door is fully opened. Basically, the gap that a person passes through. Doors which are deeper than 24 inches require a minimum width of 36 inches. Door “depth” refers to the depth of the doorway in which the door is set.
Maneuvering Clearances
There are a variety of scenarios what the ADA outlines for the required clearance around a door for best accessibility. These clearance requirements depends on what type of door it is. If it is a swinging door, there are certain measurements and if its a sliding door, it's another. Such terms that are necessary to know are parallel clearance which is basically the space to the right and left of the door that needs to be open space. And perpendicular clearance which is the clearance in front of the door that needs to be open space. Again, these requirement differ depending on the type of door, for as you can imagine a swinging door needs more perpendicular clearance than a sliding pocket door.
Thresholds
Newly constructed thresholds must have a maximum of ½ inch height. Thresholds cannot be too high for someone in a wheel-chair to roll over them. Existing doors can have up to ¾ of an inch if they are beveled with a 1:2 slope.
Door Hardware Requirements
Operation
Doors must be capable of being operated with one hand. You’ll also want to avoid door handles which require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting.
Height Range
Doors handles should be placed a maximum of 34-48 inches above the finished door. To put it simply, the door handle shouldn’t be so high that a person in a wheelchair cannot reach it.
Examples of Compliant Hardware
When choosing door hardware, opt for lever handles, push plates, and automatic door openers. These make it easier for disabled people to open doors. For example, push plates let you open doors without turning the handle.
Door Force and Closing Speed
Force to Open
Interior doors must have a maximum opening force of 5 pounds. Exterior doors should typically be between 8.5 and 10 pounds. The main rule is that you want to avoid heavy doors that are difficult to open. All doors, whether they are interior or exterior, should be easy to open for disabled people.
Closing Speed
Doors must close slowly. It should take about 5 seconds for the door to close from a 90-degree open position to within 12 degrees of the latch. You don’t want a door which can shut or bang closed quickly.
Adjustments for Compliance
If you’re using a door closer, then it must have an adjustable sweep and latch speed. The sweep is a valve located inside of the door closer. The latch is the metal arm which connects the door closer to the door frame. By adjusting these, you can control the speed at which the door closes. The goal here is that you don’t want the door to close too fast.
Common Challenges in ADA Compliance and Their Solutions
Addressing Heavy Doors
Do your doors require heavy force to open? You can solve this by adjusting door closers, installing automatic operators like electrical door openers, or replacing the door with lighter materials. You can also spray the door hinges with WD-40. Stiff hinges can make doors difficult to open. WD-40 will solve this problem.
Inaccessible Hardware
If your door has a knob or thumb latch, then you’ll have to replace these. Knobs are great for kitchen hardware but not good for ADA compliance. Thumb latches are a type of door handle. With these handles, you have to press a button with your thumb to unlatch the door. This can be difficult for people with disabilities. Better alternatives include lever handles or other compliant hardware.
Insufficient Clearances
Many buildings have obstructions or inadequate space for maneuvering. For example, you may have potted plants or other items placed beside doors. These obstructions can prevent people in wheelchairs from getting through the door. In order to be ADA compliant, you’ll have to reconfigure entryways and remove these barriers. You can also install swing-clear hinges. These hinges allow doors to swing completely out of the frame opening. This creates more space for people and objects to pass through.
Adjusting Doors to Improve Accessibility
Measuring and Testing
Test your door with force gauges or alternative tools like fish scales. This will help you determine if your doors are compliant with force and speed requirements.
Making Adjustments
Door closers
You can adjust the latch or sweep speed of door closers using a 1/8-inch Allen wrench. With this tool you can fine-tune spring tension and achieve the desired closing force.
Thresholds
These should be replaced or modified to meet height and slope requirements. Wooden thresholds can be planed down. A carpenter can help you with this. You may also want to remove thresholds altogether.
Preventative Maintenance
Regular Inspections
Doors should be inspected for compliance. Look for things like warping, loose hinges, and damaged hardware. These things can all make doors harder to open. Also make sure that components are lubricated and aligned. A well-lubricated door is easier to open.
Enhancing Accessibility Beyond Compliance
Installing Ramps or Lifts
Ramp standards
Along with making your doors ADA compliant there are also other ways to help disabled people. For example, you may also want to install a ramp in your building. Just make sure that it has a slope of no steeper than 1:12. This isn’t an official standard, but anything steeper could make the ramp difficult for disabled people.
You should also install handrails as an added safety feature. This is a good idea if you have a slope greater than 1:20 and a rise of over six inches.
Lifts
Lifts are a good idea if you’re dealing with a multi-level entrance or a building where ramp space is unavailable.
Automatic Door Solutions
Benefits
These doors have many benefits for disabled people. The biggest is that they fully eliminate the need for manual operation. They also enhance convenience for all users. With this in mind, you may want to install automatic sliding doors in your building.
Standards
Just note that automatic doors must comply with ANSI/BHMA standards. These are performance standards for hardware which ensure that it’s safe, reliable, and effective. A contractor can help you install doors which meet these standards.
Signage and Alternative Entrances
Signage Guidelines
Alternative entrances should be clearly marked. You want to make sure that people can figure out where they need to go. So, be sure to place signs at inaccessible entrances with directions to alternatives. Also make sure that you’re using international accessibility symbols.
Resources for ADA Compliance
Official Guidelines
If you’re looking for further clarification, then check out the 2010 ADA standards for accessible design. This contains detailed tables and diagrams for door specifications. You can also contact the U.S. Access Board. This is an independent agency of the United States government which develops and maintains ADA standards. They can provide you with technical assistance and advice.
Consulting and Support Services
There are also companies which provide architectural consulting as well as compliant products. These people can also inspect your premises for compliance. These inspections are a good idea if you’re still unsure. If you’re looking for this service, then don’t hesitate to contact us.
There’s also something called The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR.) This organization provides grants and programs to people who want to make accessibility upgrades.
Conclusion
ADA-compliant doors ensure equitable access and enhance user experience for everyone. This is why it’s so important that you regularly assess and upgrade door systems. By doing this you’ll meet ADA standards and provide accessible spaces for all individuals. Need help installing ADA complaint doors? Contact us to learn more about our commercial remodeling services or call us at 212-920-9163.