9.0 Postal Facilities

9.3 Self-Service Postal Centers. Parcel post depositories, stamp vending machines, multicommodity vending machines, and currency.coin changing machines shall be installed so that the operating mechanisms of all machines comply with 42 and 427. All mechanisms must be installed to permit close parallel approach by a wheelchair user. 9.4 Post Office Boxes. At least 5 percent of the post office boxes in a facility shall be accessible to wheelchair users. The total number of accessible post office boxes provided shall include a representative number of each of the standard USPS boxes currently being installed Accessible post office boxes shall be located in the second or third set of modules from the floor, approximately 12 in to 36 in (305 mm to 915 mm) above the finished floor. Aisles between post office boxes shall be a minimum of 66 in (1675 mm) clear width.

9.5 Locker Rooms, Lockers in easily accessible areas must be provided for use by handicapped

people. When double-tier lockers are used, only the bottom row of lockers may be assigned for use by wheelchair users. When full length lockers are used, all hooks, shelves, etc., intended for use by people in wheelchairs shall be located no higher than 48 in (1220 mm) above the finished floor. Lockers intended for use by handicapped people shall be equipped with latches and latch handles that comply with 427. Unobstructed aisle space in front of lockers used by handicapped people shall be a minimum of 42 in (1065 mm) clear width

9.6 Attendance-Recording Equipment Time clocks, card racks, log books, and other work assign ment or attendance-recording equipment used by people in wheelchairs must be installed at a height no more than 48 in (1220 mm) above the finished floor. Counter space at check-in areas must be no more than 36 in (915 mm) above the finished floor.

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Appendix

APPENDIX

This appendix contains additional information that
should help the designer to understand the minimum
requirements of the standard or to design buildings or
facilities for greater accessibility. The paragraph num.
bers correspond to the sections or paragraphs of the
standard to which the material relates and are
therefore not consecutive (for example, A4.2.1 contains
additional information relevant to 4.2.1). Sections for
which additional material appears in this appendix have
been indicated by an asterisk.

A4.2 Space Allowances and
Reach Ranges.

A4.2.1 Wheelchair Passage Width.

(1) Space Requirements for Wheelchairs. Most wheelchair users need a 30 in (760 mm) clear opening width for doorways, gates, and the like, when the latter are entered head-on. If the wheelchair user is unfamiliar with a building, if competing traffic is heavy. if sudden or frequent movements are needed, or if the wheelchair must be turned at an opening, then greater clear widths are needed. For most situations, the addition of an inch of leeway on either side is sufficient. Thus, a minimum clear width of 32 in (815 mm) will provide adequate clearance. However, when an opening or a restriction in a passageway is more than 24 in (610 mm) long, it is essentially a passageway and must be at least 36 in (915 mm) wide.

(2) Space Requirements for Use of Walking Aids. Although people who use walking aids can maneuver through clear width openings of 32 in (815 mm), they need 36 in (915 mm) wide passageways and walks for comfortable gaits. Crutch tips, often extending down at a wide angle, are a hazard in narrow passageways where they might not be seen by other pedestrians. Thus, the 36 in (915 mm) width provides a safety allowance both for the disabled person and for others. (3) Space Requirements for Passing. Able-bodied people in winter clothing, walking straight ahead with arms swinging, need 32 in (815 mm) of width, which includes 2 in (50 mm) on either side for sway, and another 1 in (25 mm) tolerance on either side for clearing nearby objects or other pedestrians. Almost all wheelchair users and those who use walking aids can also manage within this 32 in (815 mm) width for short distances. Thus, two streams of traffic can pass in 64 in (1625 mm) in a comfortable flow. Sixty inches (1525 mm) provide a minimum width for a somewhat more restricted flow. If the clear width is less than 60 in (1525 mm), two wheelchair users will not be able to pass but will have to seek a wider place for passing. Forty-eight inches (1220 mm) is the minimum width needed for an ambulatory person to pass a nonambulatory or semiambulatory person. Within this 48 in (1220 mm) width, the ambulatory person will have to twist to pass a wheelchair user, a person with a

seeing eye dog, or a semiambulatory person. There will be little leeway for swaying or missteps (see Fig. AI).

A4.2.3 Wheelchair Turning Space. This standard specifies a minimum space of 60 in (1525 mm) diameter for a pivoting 180-degree turn of a wheelchair. This space is usually satisfactory for turning around, but many people will not be able to turn without repeated tries and bumping into surrounding objects. The space shown in Fig. A2 will allow most wheelchair users to complete U-turns without difficulty. A4.2.4 Clear Floor or Ground Space for Wheelchairs. The wheelchair and user shown in Fig. A3 represent typical dimensions for a large adult male. The space requirements in this standard are based upon maneuvering clearances that will accommodate most larger wheelchairs. Fig. A3 provides a uniform reference for design not covered by this standard. A4.2.5 & A4.2.6 Reach. Reach ranges for persons seated in wheelchairs may be further clarified by Fig. A3(a). These drawings approximate in the plan view information shown in Fig. 4, 5, and 6 in other views.

A4.3 Accessible Route.

A4.3.1 General.

(1) Travel Distances. Many disabled people can move at only very slow speeds; for many, traveling 200 ft (61 m) could take about 2 minutes. This assumes a rate of about 1.5 ft/s (455 mm/s) on level ground. It also assumes that the traveler would move continuously. However, on trips over 100 ft (30 m), disabled people are apt to rest frequently, which substantially increases their trip times. Resting periods of 2 minutes for every 100 ft (30 m) can be used to estimate travel times for people with severely limited stamina. In

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A4.4 Protruding Objects

78min 1965

Fig. A2

Space Needed for Smooth U-Turn In a Wheelchair

inclement weather, slow progress and resting can greatly increase a disabled person's exposure to the elements.

(2) Sites. Level, indirect routes or those with running slopes lower than 1:20 can sometimes provide more convenience than direct routes with maximum allow able slopes or with ramps.

A4.3.10 Egress. In buildings where physically handicapped people are regularly employed or are residents, an emergency management plan for their evacuation also plays an essential role in fire safety.

A4.4 Protruding Objects.

A4.4.1 General. Guide dogs are trained to recognize and avoid hazards. However, most people with severe impairments of vision use the long cane as an aid to mobility. The two principal cane techniques are the touch technique, where the cane arcs from side to side and touches points outside both shoulders; and the diagonal technique, where the cane is held in a stationary position diagonally across the body with the cane tip touching or just above the

A4.4 Protruding Objects

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ground at a point outside one shoulder and the handle or grip extending to a point outside the other shoulder. The touch technique is used primarily in uncontrolled areas, while the diagonal technique is used primarily in certain limited, controlled, and familiar environments. Cane users are often trained to use both techniques. Potential hazardous objects are noticed only if they fall within the detection range of canes (see Fig. A4). Visually impaired people walking toward an object can detect an overhang if its lowest surface is not higher than 27 in (685 mm). When walking alongside project

ing objects, they cannot detect overhangs. Since proper cane and guide dog techniques keep people away from the edge of a path or from walks, a slight overhang of no more than 4 in (100 mm) is not hazardous.

A4.5 Ground and Floor Surfaces.

A4.5.1 General. Ambulant and semiambulant people who have difficulty maintaining balance and those with restricted gaits are particularly sensitive to slipping and tripping hazards. For such people, a stable and regular surface is necessary for safe walk ing, particularly on stairs. Wheelchairs can be propelled most easily on surfaces that are hard, stable, and regular. Soft, loose surfaces such as shag carpet, loose sand, and wet clay, and irregular surfaces, such as cobblestones, can significantly impede wheelchair movement

Slip resistance is based on the frictional force necessary to keep a shoe heel or crutch tip from slipping on a walking surface under the conditions of use likely to be found on the surface. Although it is known that the static coefficient of friction is the basis of slip resistance, there is not as yet a generally accepted method to evaluate the slip resistance of walking surfaces.

Cross slopes on walks and ground or floor surfaces can cause considerable difficulty in propelling a wheelchair in a straight line.

A4.5.3 Carpet. Much more needs to be done in developing both quantitative and qualitative criteria for carpeting. However, certain functional characteristics are well established. When both carpet and padding are used, it is desirable to have minimum movement (preferably none) between the floor and the pad and the pad and the carpet, which would allow the carpet to hump or warp. In heavily trafficked areas, a thick, soft (plush) pad or cushion, particularly in combination with long carpet pile, makes it difficult for individuals in wheelchairs and those with other ambulatory disabilities to get about. This should not preclude their use in specific areas where traffic is light. Firm carpeting can be achieved through proper selection and combination of pad and carpet, sometimes with the elimination of the pad or cushion, and with proper installation.

A4.6 Parking and Passenger Loading Zones. A4.6.3 Parking Spaces. High-top vans, which disabled people or transportation services often use, require higher clearances in parking garages than automobiles. When optional van spaces are provided within a garage, only the spaces themselves and a vehicle route to them require the specified clearances. A4.6.4 Signage. Signs designating parking places for disabled people can be seen from a driver's seat if the signs are mounted high enough above the ground and located at the front of a parking space.

A4.8 Ramps.

A4.8.1 General Ramps are essential for wheelchair users if elevators or lifts are not available to connect different levels. However, some people who use walking aids have difficulty with ramps and prefer stairs. A4.8.2 Slope and Rise. The ability to manage an incline is related to both its slope and its length. Wheelchair users with disabilities affecting arms or with low stamina have serious difficulty using inclines. Most ambulatory people and most people who use wheelchairs can manage a slope of 1:16. Many people cannot manage a slope of 1:12 for 30 ft (9 m). Many people who have difficulty negotiating very long ramps at relatively shallow slopes can manage very short ramps at steeper slopes.

A4.8.5 Handrails. The requirements for stair and ramp handrails in this standard are for adults. When children are principal users in a building or facility, a second set of handrails at an appropriate height can assist them and aid in preventing accidents.

A4.10 Elevators.

A4.10.6 Door Protective and Reopening Device. The required door reopening device would hold the door open for 20 seconds if the doorway remains unobstructed. After 20 seconds, the door may begin to close. However, if designed in accordance with ANSI A17.1-1978, the door closing movement could still be stopped if a person or object exerts sufficient force at any point on the door edge.

M.10.7 Door and Signal Timing for Hall Calls. This paragraph allows variation in the location of call buttons, advance time for warning signals, and the door holding period used to meet the time requirement

M4.10.12 Car Controls. Industry-wide standardization of elevator control panel design would make all elevators significantly more convenient for use by people with severe visual impairments.

In many cases, it will be possible to locate the highest control on elevator panels within 48 in (1220 mm) from the floor.

A4.10.13 Car Position Indicators. A special but ton may be provided that would activate the audible signal within the given elevator only for the desired trip. rather than maintaining the audible signal in constant operation.

M.10.14 Emergency Communications. A device that requires no handset is easier to use by people who have difficulty reaching.

A4.11 Platform Lifts.

Platform lifts include porch lifts and other devices used for short-distance, vertical transportation of people in

A4.13 Doors

wheelchairs. At the present time, generally recognized safety standards for such lifts have not been developed. Care should be taken in selecting and installing lifts to ensure that they are free from hazards to users or to other individuals who may be in the vicinity where they are being operated.

A4.13 Doors.

A4.13.8 Thresholds at Doorways. Thresholds and surface height changes in doorways are particularly inconvenient for wheelchair users who also have low stamina or restrictions in arm movement, because complex maneuvering is required to get over the level change while operating the door.

A4.13.9 Door Hardware. Some disabled persons must push against a door with their chair or walker to open it. Applied Idckplates on doors with closers can reduce required maintenance by withstanding abuse from wheelchairs and canes. To be effective, they should cover the door width, less approximately 2 in (51 mm), up to a height of 16 in (405 mm) from its bottom edge and be centered across the top. A4.13.10 Door Closers. Closers with delayed action features give a person more time to maneuver through doorways. They are particularly useful on frequently used interior doors such as entrances to toilet

rooms.

A4.13.11 Door Opening Force. Although most people with disabilities can exert at least 5 lbf (22.2N), both pushing and pulling from a stationary position, a few people with severe disabilities cannot exert even 3 lbf (13.3N). Although some people cannot manage the allowable forces in this standard and many others have difficulty, door closers must have certain minimum closing forces to close doors satisfactorily. Forces for pushing or pulling doors open are measured with a push-pull scale under the following conditions:

(1) Hinged doors: Force applied perpendicular to the door at the door opener or 30 in (760 mm) from the hinged side, whichever is farther from the hinge.

(2) Sliding or folding doors: Force applied parallel to the door at the door pull or latch.

(3) Application of force. Apply force gradually so that the applied force does not exceed the resistance of the door.

In high-rise buildings, air-pressure differentials may require a modification of this specification in order to meet the functional intent

A4.13.12 Automatic Doors and Power-Assisted Doors. Sliding automatic doors do not need guard rails and are more convenient for wheelchair users and visually impaired people to use. If slowly opening automatic doors can be reactuated before their closing cycle is completed, they will be more convenient in busy doorways.

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