Talking Stick - March/April 2011 - 9

March 2011 Marks Start of Revised ADA Guidelines
Campus housing professionals have long been concerned with improving accessibility for students with disabilities and with meeting standards put forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Department of Justice’s 2010 revisions to Titles II (public institutions) and III (non-profit institutions) of the ADA will begin to take effect on March 15, 2011, for all newly constructed and altered facilities, and full compliance with 2010 standards will be required beginning one year later. Several of the changes being implemented will affect housing construction and operations on campuses across the country. The new regulations include specifications for how the act applies to “housing at a place of education,” a category not addressed in previous versions. Residential facilities in this category fall under the provisions of “transient lodging” and are subject to the following requirements: For facilities with at least 25 beds, •	 At	least	5	percent	of	rooms	must	have	clear	floor	space	to	 accommodate mobility impairments, and •	 At	least	2	percent	of	rooms	must	be	designed	to	 accommodate communication impairments. For facilities with at least 50 beds, •	 If	common	bathing	facilities	are	provided,	at	least	one	 shower with roll-in capabilities and a seat must be included (one for each gender if facilities are separate for men and women); •	 Kitchens	in	housing	units	or	on	floors	containing	 accessible rooms must meet 2010 accessibility standards; and •	 Any	housing	unit	with	multiple	bedrooms,	one	or	more	 of which includes mobility features, must have an accessible route throughout the unit. Apartment or townhouse-style facilities reserved for graduate or faculty housing are not subject to these provisions if they don’t contain common-use areas for educational programming. Rather, they fall under the 2010 requirements for residential facilities. The new regulations also restrict the definition of a service animal to “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.” This definition now excludes other species (except miniature horses), as well as animals that serve purposes other than those specified. Regulations are included that disallow questions about the nature or extent of an individual’s disability, but they do need to provide for two questions to determine whether or not an animal qualifies as a service animal. The regulations also address ADA compliance in relation to other local, state, and federal laws. To learn more about specific provisions and requirements, visit http://edocket.access.gpo. gov/2010/2010-21821.htm and http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/201021824.htm. —Lily Birkhimer
MARCH + APRIL 2011

LINCOLN BARBOUR

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http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-21821.htm http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-21824.htm http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-21821.htm http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-21824.htm

Talking Stick - March/April 2011

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