• Board Receives Input on Passenger Vessel Access at Public Meetings
• Conference Held on Digital Wireless Phones and Interference Problems
• Board Promotes Need for Research on Access at Rail Crossings
• Board Guides on Accessible Recreation Facilities Available in Print
• Other Publications New in Print or On-Line

Board Receives Input on Passenger Vessel Access at Public Meetings

Standard means of boarding passenger vessels and the interaction between vessels and shoreside facilities present unique challenges to accessibility.  It is a major issue the Board will address in guidelines it is developing for passenger vessels.  The Board held public meetings in New Orleans (August) and Seattle (September) to gather information and input on viable access solutions that will allow persons with disabilities independent access onto and off of large vessels such as cruise ships, dinner boats, ferries, and gaming boats.  Vessel designers and operators, pier operators, persons with disabilities, and others attended the meetings. In advance of the meetings, the Board toured vessels and boarding facilities at area ports.

Working from existing specifications for accessibility, such as criteria for accessible routes and ramps, the Board sought to identify any conflicts with design requirements for vessels and boarding facilities.  The Board also explored the feasibility and impacts of meeting these specifications in light of environ-mental conditions, such as the impact of tidal fluctuations on gangway slopes.  Based on feedback from attendees of the meeting, the Board has developed a preliminary framework for applying to boarding facilities and devices provisions for walking surfaces, ramps, doors and doorways, elevators and lifts.  Information gained in the meetings will help the Board tailor provisions specifically for gangways.  For example, the Board is considering allowing steeper slopes in certain conditions, such as where compliance with slope requirements for ramps would result in gangways of extreme length or where water levels fluctuate considerably. 

The Board will use this information to complete its deliberations on draft guidelines for passenger vessels. These guidelines will be made available for public comment once published. The guidelines being developed are based on recommendations from an advisory body the Board had established, the Passenger Vessel Access Advisory Committee, which investigated various issues concerning access to passenger vessels.  The committee’s recommendations, as contained in a report submitted to the Board, address many aspects of vessel accessibility.  The information gathered from the recent public meetings supplement these recommendations as they pertain to boarding access.

Seattle Visit Includes Briefings on Information Technology and Outdoor Environments
During its stay in Seattle, the Board also explored accessibility as it pertains to information technology and outdoor environments such as parks and trails.  In a visit to Microsoft headquarters, the Board was briefed by representatives from Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Cingular Wireless, and NCR Corporation on industry efforts to improve access to information technology. Presentations included information on how accessibility is mainstreamed into operating systems, other software, hardware and telecommunications products and services.  The Board also toured several area parks to learn more about ways of providing access to campgrounds, picnic areas, trails, and other outdoor sites. 

Conference Held on Digital Wireless Phones and Interference Problems

Digital wireless phones present significant compatibility and interference problems for people who use hearing aids and cochlear implants.  The Board assumed a lead role in organizing a conference on the subject held in September at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.   Sponsored by the Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR), the “Summit on Interference to Hearing Technologies by Digital Wireless Telephones” explored compatibility issues and potential solutions.  Digital wireless phones, unlike analog wireless phones, can emit interference caused by radio frequency from the antenna and magnetic interference from the battery leads and other electronic components.  Noises resulting from such interference, which were simulated at the conference, make them virtually unusable by people who use hearing technologies. 

Participants included representatives from the digital wireless phone and hearing technologies industries, disability organizations, research centers, and Federal agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Presentations were made on laws and public polices that address hearing aid compatibility, new technological developments and phone designs that reduce interference, and the results of laboratory and consumer testing.  Proceedings from the conference are posted on ICDR’s website at www.icdr.us/hearing/.

The conference proved timely in light of an FCC ruling issued a month before that directs wireless phone manufacturers and service providers to take steps to reduce the amount of interference caused by handsets.  Besides the FCC directive, improved compatibility will facilitate compliance with design requirements the Board has issued under the Rehabilitation Act (Section 508) and the Telecommunications Act (Section 255).  The Section 508 standards, which apply to information technology procured by the Federal government, require that minimized interference be taken into consideration in the procurement of telecommunications products.  The Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines require telecommunications manufacturers to make their products accessible where it is readily achievable to do so.

Board Promotes Need for Research on Access at Rail Crossings

Gaps in route surfaces can pose a hazard to persons with disabilities, particularly those who use mobility devices.  Design requirements, such as the Board’s ADA Accessibility Guidelines, generally limit the size of surface gaps to a maximum half inch width since wider gaps can trap the front wheels of wheelchairs.  However, a significantly wider gap (2½ to 3 inches) is typically needed along rail lines to accommodate the flanges of railcar wheels.  This large gap presents an entrapment hazard at pedestrian crossings. The danger is further aggravated where pedestrian and rail surfaces are uneven since wheelchair front casters are prone to turning sideways against vertical displacements, even slight ones.  There have been a number reports of persons using wheelchairs being caught at rail crossings because of the flangeway gap.  Some of these incidents were fatal.

The Board has prepared information on this subject in an effort to gain government funding for a major study on the issue that will help develop successful design solutions.  Research is needed on successful means of filling or bridging the gap at pedestrian crossings in a manner that accommodates railcar wheel flanges.  Solutions developed to date have not withstood the weights and speeds of travel common on freight systems.  In June, the Board participated in a workshop organized by the Federal Railroad Administration on research needs related to rail crossings.  The Board also will present information on the need for research on this subject at a meeting of the National Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Program to be held in early November in San Antonio by the Texas Transportation Institute. 

A study recently completed in Australia underscores the need for such research.  Sponsored by Victoria’s Ministry of Transport following two fatalities involving persons using wheelchairs at rail crossings, this project identified various hazards posed to people with disabilities, including uneven surfacing, insufficient warning times, the absence of visual and audible warnings, poor route configurations, and inadequate maintenance.  The project report, “Disability Access at Rail Crossings,” identifies some product and design solutions to these problems, but acknowledges the need for further study in developing successful gap-filler mechanisms or technologies.  The report is available on the Victoria Department of Infrastructure’s website at www.doi.vic.gov.au   under “Accessible Transport.”

Board Guides on Accessible Recreation Facilities Available in Print

New guides on access to various types of recreation facilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are now available in print from the Board.  The guides cover access to amusement rides, boating facilities, fishing piers and platforms, golf courses, miniature golf courses, sports facilities, and swimming pools, wading pools, and spas.  They are based on guidelines the Board issued last year as a supplement to its ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG).  While these guidelines are not yet enforceable as design standards under the ADA, they can be used as a reference addressing access since they provide more specifics than is found in the current standards.  The new guides are designed to help users become familiar with the guidelines, including the meaning and intent of specific provisions.  Single copies are available free from the Board and can be ordered at (800) 872-2253 (voice), (800) 993-2822 (TTY), or pubs@access-board.gov (e-mail).  On-line versions of the guides posted on the Board’s website last June are available at www.access-board.gov/recreation/guides/index.htm. 

• Accessible Amusement Rides (15 pages)

• Accessible Boating Facilities (16 pages)

• Accessible Fishing Piers and Platforms (12 pages)

• Accessible Miniature Golf Courses (9 pages)

• Accessible Golf Courses (11 pages)

• Accessible Sports Facilities (14 pages)

• Accessible Swimming Pools and Spas (20 pages)

Other Publications New in Print or On-Line

Accessible Temporary Events:  A Planning Guide (103 pages)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) covers access to temporary events, including street festivals, state and county fairs, carnivals, air shows, and sports tournaments, among others.  A planning guide on providing access to such events developed by the Center for Universal Design is now available.  The guide covers events planning and promotion, provision of auxiliary aids and services, and site accessibility, including access to attractions and exhibits, assembly areas, bathrooms, and parking.  The guide is available through the Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTAC), a federally-supported network of resource centers on the ADA.  Calling the DBTAC toll-free line at (800) 949-4232 (voice/TTY) will automatically connect you to the center serving your area.  Information is also available on the DBTAC website at www.adata.org.

Design for Accessibility: A Cultural Administrator’s Handbook (164 pages)
The National Endowment for the Arts has issued this how-to resource on providing access for persons with disabilities to arts, humanities, and cultural programs.  It provides guidance on all aspects of an arts organization, from planning and design to marketing and technical assistance. The handbook is designed to help cultural administrators in complying with requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires access to federally funded programs and services.  Information on best practices is included so that cultural service organizations can serve as a model in making their facilities, meetings, websites, print materials and activities fully accessible and inclusive to everyone. The guide is available on the NEA website at www.arts.gov/pub/access_pub.html.  Print copies are available for sale through the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies at (202) 347-6352 (voice), (202) 347-5948 (TTY), nasaa@nasaa-arts.org(e-mail), or its website at www.nasaa-arts.org.

Classroom Acoustics I (16 pages) and Classroom Acoustics II (16 pages)
The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) has updated and newly published guidance material on the importance of good acoustics in classrooms. Classroom Acoustics I: A Resource for Creating Environments with Desirable Listening Conditions, provides a general overview of the problems and solutions concerning classroom acoustics and can serve as a supplemental resource for architects, educators, and school planners for use in new construction or renovation of existing learning spaces.  Originally published in 2000, it was revised last May.  Classroom Acoustics II: Acoustical Barriers to Learning, a companion volume released last April, focuses on the need for quiet classrooms.  It provides information on the problems experienced by students and teachers as a result of excessive noise and reverberation in classrooms. References to over 150 resources on the subject are included.  Copies can be ordered from the ASA at (516) 576-2360 (voice/ relay), (516) 576-2377 (fax), asa@aip.org (e-mail) or through its website at http://asa.aip.org/classroom.html (an online version of Classroom Acoustics I is posted at http://asa.aip.org/classroom/booklet.html).

Technology Assessment of the U.S. Assistive Technology Industry (100 pages)
Assistive technologies encompass a wide range of products, such as hearing aids, wheelchairs and other mobility aids, braille computer displays, talking books, and others.  The industry manufactures more than 17,000 products, employs over 20,000 workers, and earned $2.7 billion in sales, according to a 1999 survey of 359 companies.  Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) issued a report assessing the assistive technology industry, which the Interagency Committee on Disability Research recently posted on its website at www.icdr.us. The report identifies challenges the U.S. industry faces in maintaining continued growth and innovation and outlines efforts industry, government, health insurers, and consumers can undertake to help overcome them.  For further information or print copies, contact Brad Botwin of DOC’s Bureau of Industry and Security at (703) 235-0050 (voice/relay) or bbotwin@bis.doc.gov (e-mail).

Access Currents is a free newsletter issued by the Access Board every other month by mail and e-mail. Send questions or comments to news@access-board.gov or call (800) 872-2253 ext. 0026 (voice) or (800) 993-2822 (TTY). Mailing address: 1331 F Street, N.W., Suite 1000; Washington, D.C. 20004-1111.