“I really appreciated the thoroughness and the response time. [PVA] was fantastic about getting back to me and explaining things in detail, providing diagrams, just making it easy to understand.”
When building or renovating your business, making the space accessible and inclusive is easy – if you know what you’re doing. However, it can be difficult to anticipate the needs of guests with mobility limitations and disabilities, as well as understand laws and regulations surrounding accessible public spaces, if you’re not already familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and accessible design. Good accessible design helps all visitors, including the elderly, parents with strollers, people making deliveries or rolling luggage, as well as wheelchair users.
That’s why Paralyzed Veterans of America offers accessible design consultations and resources to explain ADA compliance requirements to anyone willing and eager to make their space safe and inviting for everyone, including those with disabilities.
When Alan Butzer, owner of Tub Town in Collins, New York, was expanding his grocery store business to include a sit-down restaurant, he knew he needed the restrooms to be ADA-compliant. During a routine inspection during construction, the town code enforcement officer suggested Alan reach out to PVA for guidance.
“I had no idea of what the regs were for ADA bathrooms. I looked online, was kind of confused by the information available,” Alan said. “So, I sent a tentative plan, and they gave me some advice on how to tweak it so it would be compliant.”
After submitting his initial building plans for the restroom, PVA’s team made clear and concise suggestions for everything from “the height of the toilet seats, the placement of the handrails, and the spacing” of the stalls. Alan says he initially struggled to understand which set of regulations he was supposed to adhere to – ADA Standards for Accessible Design have been revised since their initial release in 1990 – but that PVA’s team broke down the necessary changes in clear terms so he could build with confidence.
Thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act, all new construction of public spaces must adhere to specific requirements to ensure visitors can access and utilize amenities like public restrooms. Alan says he understands the need for ADA compliance, and that his architectural consultant at PVA made it easy to understand and implement.
“It would be discouraging if you were in a wheelchair to go into someplace and need to use the restroom and not have one that was usable,” Alan said. “I really appreciated the thoroughness and the response time. [PVA] was fantastic about getting back to me and explaining things in detail, providing diagrams, just making it easy to understand.”
Paralyzed Veterans of America is the only Veterans’ service organization with on-staff architects. PVA architects are specialized in accessible design and are strong advocates for accessibility in architecture and construction industries. Our architecture team also helps to develop building codes and standards for the entire nation.
Although PVA architects don’t do the full design or drawings, if you need help making an accessible space for your home or business, please contact PVA Architecture at (202) 416-7645 or pvaarchitecture@pva.org.
Learn more about PVA’s work with accessible design and architecture on our website at https://pva.org/research-resources/accessible-design/.