Accessibility

Within the context of our Awareness Campaign ''A Giant Steps Towards Accessibility'' you will find information on accessibility standards on the five main topics:  parking, accessibility within the building, main entrance, installation and reception.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO FACILITATE ACCESSIBILITY TO YOUR ENTERPRISE

Last summer, more than 800 private and public establishments have been evaluated regarding the accessibility of their premises to clients living with a limitation. Our campaign ''A Giant Steps Towards Accessibility'' aims at creating awareness and bettering the accessibility standards to promote and facilitate the full access of the persons living with a limitation to enterprises in the Prescott and Russell Counties.

A form was developed for this purpose and five stars are awarded in five categories:

    ∗  Parking        

    ∗  Building accessibility

    ∗  Main entrance

    ∗  Internal layout

    ∗  Reception

The following system will give you a general idea as well as a detailed explanation to the reasons why your establishment lost a star.  We recommend you consult before doing any changes or improvements to your building in order to prevent any unnecessary loss of your time and money.

 PARKING

Any parking spaces reserved for people living with a limitation should be identified with a vertical sign, whose centre should be up between 1.5 m to 2 m above the ground.  Such signs should be installed on a post or on a wall.  (Signs are available at our office).

The minimum width of the parking should be 3.1 m and located as close as possible to the main accessible entrance.  Include a 1.5 m space for the access road in order to ensure enough space to manoeuvre in or out of the vehicle.  The parking should be on a flat, stable, non-skid, preferably paved surface.

 ACCESSIBILITY TO BUILDING

An obstacle free pathway to your building begins with the pavement of the street and the parking close to the accessible entrance.

Alleys must be obstacle free and be particularly mindful of branches, awnings or suspended items as blind persons or persons with a visual limitation have no way of perceiving obstacles at such height.

Avoid placing chairs, billboards, plants or any other objects on the pedestrian ways and the pavements.

Ramp: ideally, the access ramp is at the main entrance and located as close as possible to the parking.  It is preferable that it be covered with a roof, maintained and lit adequately.

The slope of the ramp should not exceed a 1:12 ratio.  The two sides of the ramp should have handrails.  Handrails must be at a minimum height of 865 mm (34'') and 965 mm (38'') from the surface of the ramp.

It is important that landings of 1,7 square meter (5'6'') are located at top and bottom of the ramp.  Each point where the ramp changes direction and at every 9 m (29'5'') length of the ramp, there will be a landing of 1.5 m (4'11'') long. These landings are important to allow a person in a wheel chair manoeuvre easily.  The railings protect and facilitate movement.  They should be 1.07 m (42'') high from the surface of the ramp.

MAIN ENTRANCE

We encourage installing as many accessible entrances as possible.   Make sure to provide an indication carrying the international symbol of accessibility to indicate the site of your entries and exits without obstacles.  Automatic doors are more expensive but much more practical and appreciated of all. 

The clear width minimum of a door is 850 mm (33 ½'') when the door is open.  We strongly suggest installing doors of a minimum width of 910 mm (36'').  

It is important that the threshold of the door has a landing of 1.5 m square thus facilitating the entry of people using a wheel chair or a three-wheel scooter. 

Full glass doors should have a color band or graphic elements of a minimum width of 50 mm (2'') placed at middle height, that is to say at approximately 1.3 m (53'') and 1.5 m (59'') from the floor so that people living with decreased vision do not run up against it.

The maximum force that a person must exert to open an outside door is of a push of 38 N (8,5 lb) and for an inside door is of a push of 22 N (4,9 lb).   For doors without automatic opening devices, you should provide a release close to the door of 300 mm (11 ¾'') beside the latch on the side of the door, which one pushes, and 600 mm (23 5/8'') beside the latch of the door which one draws, so that a person, using a wheel chair, does not block the opening of the door.

The thickness or the maximum height of the threshold of the door should be 13 mm (1/2''). When the thickness more than is recommended, the threshold of the door must be bevelled with an angle of 1:2.

INTERNAL LAYOUT

The corridors must be free from obstacles.  It is necessary to avoid placing chairs, billboards, filing cabinets, coat peg, plants or other objects in the surfaces of circulation.  All floor coatings must be non-skid, hard, flat and non-reflecting.  If you install fitted carpet, the fibres must be short and dense without producing static electricity.  Designs on the floors must not cause visual confusion.  The minimum width of corridors will be of 1.1 m (43 3/8'').

Well-patronized corridors should have a width of 1.6 m (63'') in order to allow two wheel chair users to meet.  If the corridors are narrower, it is necessary to arrange at every 30 m (98'4'') a plain surface of 1.6 m (63'') reserved for overtaking.   The slope of the corridor will not exceed 1:20, otherwise the corridor will be conceived like a ramp.

 Remember, people using a white cane cannot detect all the obstacles in their way, as such, the alley should not be blocked by objects of more than 650 mm (27'') in height or protrude of more than 100 mm (4'') into the hallway.

RECEPTION

Let us ensure that adapted services are already in place so that persons having a functional limitation do not have to make personal steps to obtain them.

Accessibility covers all aspects of life such as services, programs, information, documents, communication, employment, leisure, trips, culture, education, housing, health, professional opportunities and security.

One must envisage access to a guide animal and adequate installations for the animal in question, rest areas for persons living with a physical limitation, short distances towards the reception, a handrail along the course, broader openings and passages, counters, bulletin board and conveniences such as lower telephones and larger characters on the signs.

Persons living with a functional limitation need to be informed on the accessibility of the premises and the equipment they will encounter.   This information must be clear, precise and reliable in order to enable them to judge if they need assistance or not to use a structure or a service.  They know better than anyone their own capacities and limits; they will indicate their needs.

When a person with a handicap is accompanied, one must address them directly.  Certain people have difficulties communicating; that does not mean they have a comprehension problem. 

The handicap is always «situational».  The person in wheel chair, which lives in an adapted environment, will not be handicapped since he will be autonomous in his activities.  If there is no material adapted for an unspecified activity, it then becomes a «situation of handicap» since they must count on the good will of others for this activity.

That means a capacity to go to any desired place, to enter by the front door, to receive a respectful reception devoid of any condescending behaviours, to have the possibility to communicate and to enjoy a professional and interested conversation and an effective delivery of the information and services.