Guidance on the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design

Analysis and Com menta ry on the 201 0 A DAStandards technical requirement. Section 404.3.6 of the Thresholds at Doorways. The 1991 2010 Standards includes an exception that Standards, at section 4.13.8, require the exempts automatic doors from the technical height of thresholds at doorways not to requirement for break out openings when exceed ½ inch and thresholds at exterior accessible manual swinging doors serve the sliding doors not to exceed ¾ inch. Sections same means of egress. 404.1 and 404.2.5 of the 2010 Standards require the height of thresholds at all Maneuvering Clearance or Standby Power doorways that are part of an accessible route for Automatic Doors. Section 4.13.6 not to exceed ½ inch. The 1991 Standards of the 1991 Standards does not require and the 2010 Standards require raised maneuvering clearance at automatic doors. thresholds that exceed ¼ inch in height Section 404.3.2 of the 2010 Standards to be beveled on each side with a slope requires automatic doors that serve as an not steeper than 1:2. The 2010 Standards accessible means of egress to either provide include an exception that exempts existing maneuvering clearance or to have standby and altered thresholds that do not exceed ¾ power to operate the door in emergencies. inch in height and are beveled on each side This provision has limited application and will from the requirement. affect, among others, in-swinging automatic doors that serve small spaces. 505 Handrails Commenters urged the Department to The 2010 Standards add a new technical reconsider provisions that would require requirement at section 406.3 for handrails maneuvering clearance or standby power along walking surfaces. for automatic doors. They assert that these requirements would impose unreasonable The 1991 Standards, at sections 4.8.5, 4.9.4, financial and administrative burdens on all and 4.26, and the 2010 Standards, at section covered entities, particularly smaller entities. 505, contain technical requirements for The Department declines to change these handrails. The 2010 Standards provide more provisions because they are fundamental life- flexibility than the 1991 Standards as follows: safety issues. The requirement applies only to doors that are part of a means of egress • Section 4.26.4 of the 1991 Standards re- that must be accessible in an emergency. If quires handrail gripping surfaces to have an emergency-related power failure prevents edges with a minimum radius of ¹/ inch. 8 the operation of the automatic door, a person Section 505.8 of the 2010 Standards re- with a disability could be trapped unless there quires handrail gripping surfaces to have is either adequate maneuvering room to rounded edges. open the door manually or a back-up power source. Department of Justice Guidance on the 2010 Standards: Titles II and III - 163