Provide An Analysis Trail – Show the accessibility requirements on your Cover Sheet and Notes Sheet. It is often not clear what standards the architect used , and what alternative methods of complying were chosen as the design basis. Especially for multi-unit housing, show specifically which units are required to be FHA compliant, which meet more stringent Code requirements, etc. Accessible parking is another essential analysis area. The notes will serve both as a double check that you are, in fact, accurately following the respective standards. It will also make it clearer to contractors how various units are to be built differently.

Note Critical Accessibility Dimensions – There are certain key dimensions in the ADA, Code and FHA that if not held exactly, the item will not comply. Even if the size of a room is designed to accommodate accessibility, if a small dimensional change were to occur in the field, the contractor might not know that he may be compromising a requirement. One solution we have been recommending is to put a special symbol next to any accessibility critical dimension.

Be Sure Product Specifications Don‘t Compromise Compliant Drawings – One very common issue is that actual refrigerators and plumbing fixtures are sized differently from those shown as compliant on the drawings. This can easily, and unwittingly, compromise FHA maneuvering space requirements in kitchens and bathroom. ¤