Hi, I've been reading a while but generally too shy to say anything but I have a couple of things no one else has mentioned - I'm sorry for the length, I wasn't sure what might stick out to someone else so I rambled?
My office is pretty decently accessible after the last refurbishment, we got an award for it, my manager was involved so I know a bit about what they looked at - I'm in England so I'm not sure what of this would be standard in the states, but and the most visible or talked about things are-
The passageway area in the open plan office is marked with contrast flooring (we have very low carpet because it helps with heating and noise levels, and if I remember correctly also helps with grip for people who are less steady on tiles/surfaces which can become slippery, but it's as low resistance for wheelchairs as carpet can be) - we have light grey for most of the floor, dark grey for walkways. Helps people with visual issues be able to navigate about but also stops encroachment by people trying to add desks or lockers or hat stands because it's obvious you're sticking something in the 'path', so a wide enough space stays free for wheelchairs. It's also wide enough you can pass a wheelchair coming the other way without either of you having to wriggle about the other. The thresholds between areas are flush with the flooring.
The flooring in the loos and kitchen is textured so there's grip, it's something like vinyl but with rough bits included.
Our desks are all wide enough to get two chairs or a chair and a wheelchair under each desk. That way people who transfer into a chair to work can keep their chair easily within reach, also allows for a translator/support person if an employee needs one - it also means you can have a visitor sit with you at your desk without encroaching on anyone's space most of the time, which is handy for all of us! It means there's space for any other aids like crutches or a walker to stay with the person, so they don't have to constantly sit in a corner or ask for others to hand them their belongings.
We have height-adjustable sinks in the kitchens - the sinks can come down to the right height for someone in a wheelchair or particularly short. (Plastic pipes mean the sink can go up and down at will!)
There are touch-pads to go through all the main doors. (Accessible toilets, doors to the lifts, doors to the stairwells.) Stairwells have a safe refuge point with alcove space for someone in a wheelchair or with other mobility difficulties to wait with two assistants in case of an evacuation of the building - there's an evacuation chair in each refuge, and a communication point so they can talk to building control during an evacuation.
There's no door on the kitchen (it's only got fridges and a microwave so it's fairly low risk in terms of fire). There's a fish-bowl mirror on the ceiling by the kitchen so you can see into it so you don't run into someone carrying a hot drink or hot food, which particularly helps if you can't maneuver fast.
Accessible toilets - automatic doors on touch pads, a pull-cord for summoning assistance, and a setup with rails that can come down on either or both sides of the toilet so people can do a left-transfer or a right-transfer as they need to (some people can only go one direction). The accessible toilets are single rooms with their own entrance lobby - means you can use them if something about the main loos is not accessible for you, particularly the sound of the hand driers. Sink reachable from the toilet in case you need to use it while sat on the toilet (it's a rather narrow sink to get it close enough without getting in the way).
Also the sink taps all have large lever-type on/off and swivel for hot/cold control, so you can do it with an elbow or wrist. Likewise, all the cupboards/lockers have big bar handles that you can get your hand about if you can't grip it. Lockers at different heights (we have large square lockers stacked in threes - people who struggle bending have higher ones, the middle ones are the right height for people in wheelchairs).
All the hand-driers are ones which blow when your hands are under them, not the ones you stick your hands into and pull them out of, as those can be particularly difficult if you're in a chair (the angles tend to be atrocious) or if you're maneuvering with crutches - and they're all strong enough you don't need to rub your hands together to dry them so you can use them one-handed. (This does mean they're really loud, hence the need to be able to get away from them in the accessible loo - it has one but as only one occupant is in there at a time no one else will turn one on.)
There's also an ambulant cubical in the men's and the woman's loos with rails but not large enough to take a chair.
Height-adjustable desks every other bank of desks as standard (we have a guy who is 6'6" in our team whose legs don't fit under the standard desks - going up can be as important as going down.) Monitors on adjustable arms so they can be raised, lowered, brought forwards or pushed back really easily while seated. Good desk chairs. There are a lot of people with footrests - I have an arm support which screws onto the edge of my desk because the arms of my chair are too wide for me to use while typing. There's a pretty high number of people with ergonomic keyboards or mice of varying kinds, and a couple of people dictating.
Braille on all doors/push pads, on the end of handrails on stairs (labeling the floors), and on the buttons in the lifts.
We have a ramp and a lift and a part of the stairs with handrails either side so you can get to the front of the building - and no revolving doors as they aren't accessible for a lot of people, so there's two sets of automatic double-doors to get in. The reception desk has sections at different heights, including wheelchair height and standing height, so everyone has somewhere they can see the receptionist and somewhere they can lean to sign in if they're a visitor.
Uh, sorry for the length of that! Hope some of it might be slightly useful.
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Date: 2019-04-19 10:12 pm (UTC)My office is pretty decently accessible after the last refurbishment, we got an award for it, my manager was involved so I know a bit about what they looked at - I'm in England so I'm not sure what of this would be standard in the states, but and the most visible or talked about things are-
The passageway area in the open plan office is marked with contrast flooring (we have very low carpet because it helps with heating and noise levels, and if I remember correctly also helps with grip for people who are less steady on tiles/surfaces which can become slippery, but it's as low resistance for wheelchairs as carpet can be) - we have light grey for most of the floor, dark grey for walkways. Helps people with visual issues be able to navigate about but also stops encroachment by people trying to add desks or lockers or hat stands because it's obvious you're sticking something in the 'path', so a wide enough space stays free for wheelchairs. It's also wide enough you can pass a wheelchair coming the other way without either of you having to wriggle about the other. The thresholds between areas are flush with the flooring.
The flooring in the loos and kitchen is textured so there's grip, it's something like vinyl but with rough bits included.
Our desks are all wide enough to get two chairs or a chair and a wheelchair under each desk. That way people who transfer into a chair to work can keep their chair easily within reach, also allows for a translator/support person if an employee needs one - it also means you can have a visitor sit with you at your desk without encroaching on anyone's space most of the time, which is handy for all of us! It means there's space for any other aids like crutches or a walker to stay with the person, so they don't have to constantly sit in a corner or ask for others to hand them their belongings.
We have height-adjustable sinks in the kitchens - the sinks can come down to the right height for someone in a wheelchair or particularly short. (Plastic pipes mean the sink can go up and down at will!)
There are touch-pads to go through all the main doors. (Accessible toilets, doors to the lifts, doors to the stairwells.) Stairwells have a safe refuge point with alcove space for someone in a wheelchair or with other mobility difficulties to wait with two assistants in case of an evacuation of the building - there's an evacuation chair in each refuge, and a communication point so they can talk to building control during an evacuation.
There's no door on the kitchen (it's only got fridges and a microwave so it's fairly low risk in terms of fire). There's a fish-bowl mirror on the ceiling by the kitchen so you can see into it so you don't run into someone carrying a hot drink or hot food, which particularly helps if you can't maneuver fast.
Accessible toilets - automatic doors on touch pads, a pull-cord for summoning assistance, and a setup with rails that can come down on either or both sides of the toilet so people can do a left-transfer or a right-transfer as they need to (some people can only go one direction). The accessible toilets are single rooms with their own entrance lobby - means you can use them if something about the main loos is not accessible for you, particularly the sound of the hand driers. Sink reachable from the toilet in case you need to use it while sat on the toilet (it's a rather narrow sink to get it close enough without getting in the way).
Also the sink taps all have large lever-type on/off and swivel for hot/cold control, so you can do it with an elbow or wrist. Likewise, all the cupboards/lockers have big bar handles that you can get your hand about if you can't grip it. Lockers at different heights (we have large square lockers stacked in threes - people who struggle bending have higher ones, the middle ones are the right height for people in wheelchairs).
All the hand-driers are ones which blow when your hands are under them, not the ones you stick your hands into and pull them out of, as those can be particularly difficult if you're in a chair (the angles tend to be atrocious) or if you're maneuvering with crutches - and they're all strong enough you don't need to rub your hands together to dry them so you can use them one-handed. (This does mean they're really loud, hence the need to be able to get away from them in the accessible loo - it has one but as only one occupant is in there at a time no one else will turn one on.)
There's also an ambulant cubical in the men's and the woman's loos with rails but not large enough to take a chair.
Height-adjustable desks every other bank of desks as standard (we have a guy who is 6'6" in our team whose legs don't fit under the standard desks - going up can be as important as going down.) Monitors on adjustable arms so they can be raised, lowered, brought forwards or pushed back really easily while seated. Good desk chairs. There are a lot of people with footrests - I have an arm support which screws onto the edge of my desk because the arms of my chair are too wide for me to use while typing. There's a pretty high number of people with ergonomic keyboards or mice of varying kinds, and a couple of people dictating.
Braille on all doors/push pads, on the end of handrails on stairs (labeling the floors), and on the buttons in the lifts.
We have a ramp and a lift and a part of the stairs with handrails either side so you can get to the front of the building - and no revolving doors as they aren't accessible for a lot of people, so there's two sets of automatic double-doors to get in. The reception desk has sections at different heights, including wheelchair height and standing height, so everyone has somewhere they can see the receptionist and somewhere they can lean to sign in if they're a visitor.
Uh, sorry for the length of that! Hope some of it might be slightly useful.