Remove Protruding Objects from the Path of Travel

For the purpose of restroom design, the basic definition of a protruding object is anything that extends more than four inches from the vertical surface between 27 and 80 inches AFF. Generally this applies to paper towel dispensers, hand dryers and semi-recessed trash containers, but can include signs, wall sconces, shelves, window sills, etc. Keep protruding objects out of the path of travel by positioning signage a minimum of 80 inches AFF, locating protruding dispensers in corners outside of the path of travel, and exploring the growing number of restroom accessories that are being designed in thinner frames, eliminating the presence of protruding objects in the restroom space altogether.

Create an Accessible Route or Path of Travel

An accessible route is defined in the 2010 ADA Standard as a continuous, unobstructed path connecting all accessible elements and spaces of a building. It is essentially the path that a disabled person uses to enter any space and move through it to the last accessible fixture. In the case of a restroom, the accessible route is the path that a person with a wheelchair, cane or cast would use to open the door, enter the restroom, travel past the regular stalls to reach the wheelchair-accessible compartment and then traverse back to use the accessible sink, hand dryer and even the baby changing station before leaving.

The 2010 ADA Standard requires that a 36-inch minimum width must be maintained along the entire path of travel. While door swing is not allowed to impinge upon the mandated width of an accessible route, both designated clear floor space areas and turning space are allowed to overlap with the 36-inch-wide path of travel.

There is a common misconception that if a fully abled person can weave his or her way through a restroom to the wheelchair accessible stall, the path of travel mandate has been satisfied. In reality, the space must provide enough clear floor space, turning radius and under-counter clearance for a person with a wheelchair or cane to move through the space without being forced to maneuver around obstructions and without the threat of protruding objects creating potential safety hazards.

Eliminate Grasping, Pinching and Twisting

More than providing a person with a disability a safe and possible passage through a restroom to the accessible stall, the 2010 ADA Standard includes regulations that ensure that a person with a disability will be able to operate the various fixtures and accessories as well. Section 309.4 of the 2010 ADA Standard states that “operable parts shall be operable with one hand and shall not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting (GPT) of the wrist.” This mandated moratorium on GPT is intended to create restroom spaces where a person with a prosthetic hand can still open and secure compartment doors, turn sink faucets on and off, and operate hand dryers, paper towel dispensers and feminine napkin dispensers as needed.

Photo courtesy of The ASI Group ADA-compliant door handles must be able to be manipulated without requiring tight grasping, pinching or twisting of the wrist, making lever hardware a popular and compliant alternative to knobs that twist.

In order to create this GPT-free environment, lever handles and push buttons have become the popular operating mechanisms specified throughout restrooms, but creating a truly accessible restroom requires specifiers to think beyond basic product features to the total user experience. For example, there are feminine hygiene product dispensers that dispense napkins for one or two coins with the push of a button. While the push button dispensing mechanism is certainly compliant with the 2010 ADA Standard, some machines need a deposit to operate, which requires that a person be able to grasp a coin and drop it into the coin slot. It is noted that the scope of the ADA Standards is limited to the built environment. However people with disabilities that make GPT difficult [or problematic], may have issues manipulating personal property, such as coins, into a coin slot for pay-per-use dispensers, thus making a dispenser that is technically ADA compliant more difficult to use.

Selecting and Positioning ADA-Compliant Restroom Equipment

With the 2010 ADA Standards defining accessible design and the extensive variety of fixtures and accessories now available, which types of products, product features and placement tips best support the efforts of a specifier to create an ADA-compliant restroom?

Toilet Compartment Doors

There are many important ADA requirements that must be taken into account when selecting and positioning a toilet compartment door. For example, the placement of the compartment door is critical to ADA compliance. Section 604.8.1.2 stipulates “the stall door must be on the opposite wall/diagonal from the water closet and within 4 inches maximum from the stall corner.” The standard also mandates that toilet compartment doors not swing into the minimum required compartment area. This gives a specfier two options: either design toilet compartments large enough to accommodate the door swing in addition to the minimum required compartment area or specify that the toilet compartment doors will swing out of the toilet compartment. In addition, operable mechanisms on the door for opening and closing and also locking and unlocking must be able to be manipulated without requiring tight grasping, pinching or twisting (GPT) of the wrist. Specifiers should seek out doors that employ levers or sliders as their operable hardware.

Grab Bars

The ADA requires that grab bars be installed in both wheelchair accessible and ambulatory toilet compartments. While there are a few feature-specific requirements in the code, such as the requirement that the grab bars must be able to resist a 250-pound vertical load, the vast majority of the considerations that must be addressed for compliant design are concerned with location, location, location.

The 2010 ADA standard stipulates that grab bars shall be mounted between 33 inches and 36 inches AFF measured to the top of the gripping surface. In wheelchair accessible toilet compartments, grab bars shall be provided on the side wall closest to the water closet and on the rear wall. The side wall grab bar must be a minimum of 42 inches long and must be located 12 inches maximum from the rear wall. The rear wall grab bar shall be a minimum of 36 inches long and extend from the centerline of the water closet 12 inches minimum on one side and 24 inches minimum on the other side. Ambulatory stalls are equipped with two parallel grab bars to accommodate a person that is on crutches, using a walker, or who otherwise requires extra support to transfer onto the water closet. The size and placement requirements for these parallel grab bars mirror the requirements for the side-wall grab bar in the wheelchair accessible stall. The grab bars shall be 42 inches long minimum, located 12 inches maximum from the rear wall and extending 54 inches minimum from the rear wall.

Clearances above and below the grab bars are critical to their effective use. The 2010 standard requires a minimum clearance of 12 inches above the grab bar and a minimum clearance of 1.5 inches below. Specifiers must also ensure that there is exactly an inch-and-a-half clearance between the grab bar and the wall. This amount of space allows a person to get his fingers around the grab bar and establish a solid grip, but is narrow enough to protect an occupant from falling through. It is also mandated that grab bars are mounted onto walls with a smooth surface and cannot be positioned in a way that causes them to intrude upon the clear floor space required by another fixture or accessory.

When specifying the materials for either a wheelchair accessible or ambulatory toilet compartment, confirm that there is adequate backing in the wall or reinforcing in the partition panel to firmly anchor the grab bar in place.

While the focus of this article is compliance with the new 2010 ADA Standard, it is important to note that there are significant differences between the requirements outlined in the 2010 ADA Standards and many State codes. With some minor differences, the 2010 ADA Standards and ICC/ANSI A117.1 are in agreement.