Wheelchair Accessibility Standards: a comparative study of standards in different countries with the help of the Internet

Rivano-Fischer Daniel, RPT, MSc

Post Graduate Program Lund University, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Sweden (2003)

Introduction
The United Nations General Assembly adopted in 1993 The Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. Although not a legally binding instrument, the Standard Rules represent a strong moral and political commitment of governments to take action to attain equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities. In Rule 5, which deals with accessibility, it is written: States should introduce programmes of action to make the physical environment accessible, further Such measures should be to develop standards and guidelines and to consider enacting legislation to ensure accessibility to various areas in society. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed by The United States Congress. The ADAs Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) became the standards for accessible design, establishing the minimum requirements for accessibility in buildings and facilities. Most published studies about wheelchair accessibility of buildings base their assessments in the American Standards ADAAG.

the one showing the closest equivalence among all sites with a difference of one millimetre between the ADAAG and the average of the other countries (table 2) Only two of the 19 standards were as complete as the American Standards (ADAAG), those from Canada and Lebanon. Ramps was the only area that showed full correspondence of items (100%) between the US and all other countries. Drinking Fountain was the area that showed least correspondence of items (43%) (table 3).
Table 2. Accessibility standards (or items), with their corresponding values for the US, and for the other countries expressed as an average, measurements in centimetres.
Accessibility Standards/Items What is the minimum amount of spaces criterion for accessible parking spaces? The accessible parking has to be signaled? What is the minimum width of the accessible parking (incl. aisle)? The accessible parking has to be in an accessible route? The accessible parking has to be as close to the building's entrance as possible? What is the maximum criterion for the ramp slope (ramps longer than 450 cm)? What is the maximum criterion for landing intervals in ramps? What is the minimum criterion for the width of the ramp (between handrails)? What is the minimum criterion for the length of the landing in ramps? There is criteria regulating handrails on ramps? There has to be at least one accessible Entrance principle? What is the minimum criterion for the width of the Entrances door? What is the maximum criterion for the height of the Entrances threshold? Are there regulations regarding doors hardware or opening force? Are there regulations regarding maneuvering clearances at doors? There has to be at least one accessible Toilet principle? What is the minimum criterion for the dimensions of a Toilet stall? What is the range criterion for the height of the Toilets seat? What is the maximum criterion for the height of the Toilets sink? Criterion for the toilet to have grab bars? What is the criterion for the centered height of the Elevators call buttons? What is the minimum criterion for the clear opening width of the Elevators door? What is the minimum criterion for the dimensions of the Elevator? What is the maximum criterion for the height of the floor buttons in the Elevator? There has to be a door protective and reopening device? At least one of the Public Telephone must be accessible? What is the minimum criterion for the clear floor space for accessible Telephones? What is the maximum criterion for the highest operable part of the Telephone? At least one of the Drinking Fountains must be accessible? What is the minimum criterion for the clear floor space for accessible Fountain? What is the minimum criterion for the height of the knee space for a Fountain? What is the maximum criterion for the height of the Fountains spout outlet? What is the minimum criterion for the continuous width of an Accessible Route? What are the minimum criteria for the width and length for 1800 turning space? What is the minimum criterion for the width for passing spaces (2 chairs)? What is the minimum criterion for the width of a curb ramp? What is the maximum criterion for a vertical difference in level changes? US 1/25 Yes 396.5 Yes Yes 1:12 900 91.5 152.5 Yes Yes 81.5 1.9 Yes Yes Yes 152.5x142 43 48.5 86.5 Yes 106.5 91.5 173x129.5 129.5 Yes Yes 76x122 129.5 Yes 76x122 68.5 91.5 91.5 152.5x152.5 152.5x152.5 91.5 1.3 Other 1/38 84% yes 355.3 79% yes 84% yes 1:13 798 108.4 136.3 100% yes 84% yes 84.6 1.5 95% yes 95% yes 89% yes 155.2x165.4 45.4 48.2 81.5 95% yes 106.2 84.8 143.8x117.2 109.3 47% yes 42% yes 107x126 117.5 32% yes 118x136 69 85.5 119.5 151x154 160x160 105 1.4

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to see how comprehensive the American ADAAG standards were when compared with standards from other countries.

Material and Method

Wheelchair accessibility standards posted in the Internet by government agencies or NGOs were included. The accessibility areas compared were Parking, Ramps, Entrance, Toilets, Elevators, Public Telephones, Drinking Fountains and Accessible Routes. A total of 37 standards within these 8 areas were used when comparing different countries. Inclusion criteria when choosing the Internet site: Only sites belonging to government agencies or NGOs (non government organizations). A minimum coverage of five of the eight accessibility areas (Parking, Ramps, Entrance, Toilets, Elevators, Public Telephones, Drinking Fountains and Accessible Routes) in the site. When more than one site for a country was found, then the site providing reference to the law of the country was chosen. As government sites were considered not only ministries or federal Departments sites, but also Municipalities and provincial governments agencies.

Results
Accessibility standards were found corresponding to 18 countries and one corresponding to the United Nations (table 1). Nine of the 19 sites were posted by government agencies, seven sites belonged to NGOs, and the remaining three sites referred to standards posted by NGOs in cooperation with that countrys government. Fourteen of the sites referred to the accessibility standards according to the countrys law, the other five sites posted standards in the form of recommendations. The standard establishing that there is criteria regulating handrails on ramps was found in all the 19 sites (100%). The standard stipulating that at least one of the Drinking Fountains must be accessible was the one least represented with only six sites including it (32%), followed by the standard that at least one of the Public Telephone must be accessible with eight sites, or 42%, including it. The standard defining the maximum criterion for a vertical difference in level changes was
Table 1. The URLs of the sites found posting accessibility standards for different countries.*
Country US Argentina Australia Canada Chile Colombia Denmark Finland Lebanon Malta Mexico Norway Peru Philippines Singapore Spain Sweden UK UN Uruguay URL http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/checklist/a16.html http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/checklist/pdf/a16.pdf http://www.cabtfe.es/sinpromi/asesoramiento/adapt/legislacion.htm ** Internacional http://www.dsc.wa.gov.au/content/Access/documents/arkfinal2001.pdf http://www.mcaws.gov.bc.ca/building/handbook/index.htm http://www.ciudadaccesible.cl/html/manualacc/manual.pdf http://www.mintransporte.gov.co/Servicios/Biblioteca/documentos/PDF/manual.pdf http://www.clh.dk/br95/bygpdf.pdf http://www.independentliving.org/docs4/konkkola94.html http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/designm/index.html http://www.knpd.org/knpdwelcome.shtml http://discapacidad.presidencia.gob.mx ** Manual de Recomendaciones de Accesibilidad http://www.deltasenteret.no ** Tilgjengelighetsmal http://www.conadisperu.gob.pe/Legal/normasnteu.htm http://www.unescap.org/decade/publications/z15007le/z1500712.htm#philippinesB http://www.dpa.org.sg/DPA/access/95toc.htm http://www.soloarquitectura.com/norbarrerasarquitectonicas.html ** Castilla y Leon http://www.hi.se/Tillganglig/kartl.PDF http://www.environ.ie/press/buildingaccess.html http://www.hdm.lth.se/bi/report/95no4/W%204-95.pdf http://www.unit.org.uy/Catalogo/catalogo_01.asp ** Area Tematica ** Accesibilidad

Table 3. The amount of the 37 accessibility items found in each of the 8 areas of different countries accessibility standards, using the US standards as baseline.
Area Country US Argentina Australia Canada Chile Colombia Denmark Finland Lebanon Malta Mexico Norway Peru Philippines Singapore Spain Sweden UK UN Uruguay Average 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 3 (60%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 5 (100%) 4.2 (84%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 2 (40%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 4 (80%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 4 (80%) 4.6 (92%) 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 3 (60%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 5 (100%) 3 (60%) 4 (80%) 4.6 (92%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 3 (60%) 5 (100%) 3 (60%) 3 (60%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 4 (80%) 4 (80%) 4 (80%) 4 (80%) 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 1 (20%) 5 (100%) 4.2 (84%) 3 (100%) 0 (0%) 2 (67%) 3 (100%) 2 (67%) 2 (67%) 0 (0%) 1 (33%) 3 (100%) 0 (0%) 2 (67%) 1 (33%) 3 (100%) 2 (67%) 3 (100%) 3 (100%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1.4 (47%) 4 (100%) 2 (50%) 4 (100%) 4 (100%) 1 (25%) 1 (25%) 0 (0%) 1 (25%) 4 (100%) 0 (0%) 4 (100%) 0 (0%) 1 (25%) 3 (75%) 3 (75%) 3 (75%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (50%) 1.7 (43%) 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 2 (40%) 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 4 (80%) 4 (80%) 4 (80%) 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 4 (80%) 4 (80%) 4 (80%) 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 5 (100%) 4 (80%) 2 (40%) 2 (40%) 3 (60%) 3.8 (77%) 37 29 31 37 26 32 27 29 37 29 35 27 32 32 33 34 27 21 15 28 Parking Ramp Entrance Toilet Elevator Phone Fountain Route Sum

Conclusions
These results indicate that the American Standards ADAAG is a very comprehensive set of accessibility standards when compared to those from other countries, validating its use in countries lacking their own standards, and its use as a baseline when analyzing existing or incumbent standards from other countries. The fact that Public Telephones and Drinking Fountains were the accessibility areas least represented among the 19 sites is probably a reflection of the way some societies see the wheelchair bound person as a mere transportation issue, rather than as a user of the public environment.
Contact Daniel Rivano-Fischer, E-mail: ivadani@hotmail.com

* Retrieved on March 2003 ** The site shows a download link to the Standards following the given keywords

Graphic Production: Ivanna Lizarriturri, Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University.