All Access: Universal Design

Today's companies simply cannot afford to make it difficult for their employees or customers to get what they need. That's why office managers are using the principles of universal design to make their buildings and surrounding areas accessible to everyone.

"Most office managers do not know the basics of being covered under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)," says John P.S. Salmen, president of Universal Design Consultants in Takoma Park, Md. "But what we're seeing now is that office building owners and managers want a competitive edge for their tenants and their tenants' visitors."

Salmen cautions against thinking of universal design as something that's only for the disabled. "Universal design means design that's for everybody," he says, "whether they're children, elderly, in a wheelchair, unusually short or tall or hearing- or sight-impaired."

These principles have come into play for Vermeer Manufacturing in Pella, Iowa, a company that produces agricultural and industrial equipment. Dell Collins, Director of Facilities at Vermeer, says the survey starts with parking and continues into any area of the building that may be entered by an employee or visitor. "Yes, we meet the minimum, but life is hard enough that way," Collins says. "We try to make it as convenient as we can for them."

For Vermeer, that means grab bars in the restrooms, as well as toilets and hand-washing areas that are accessible to those in wheelchairs, those who are unusually short or tall, and those who may struggle with arthritis. Outdoors, it means ramps and curb cut-outs that will remain safe through icy Iowa winters.

Where to Start
Salmen says that parking should be the first place to start. "Why not make a parking lot where every space can be used by both vans and smaller vehicles?" he says. "When you divide your parking lot into van-accessible parking versus regular parking, it gets fouled up all the time." He recommends universal access spots of at least 11 feet, with 5 feet between spaces.

Lighting in parking areas is also very important. Motion sensor floodlights can help prevent outdoor falls and will highlight ramps, curb cut-outs or other features.

Inside, he recommends that all restrooms have electronic sensors to turn lights on and off instead of manually operated switches. "Ostensibly, this started as an idea for energy conservation, but it eliminates the need for someone to operate a light," Salmen says. Another idea is using lever handles instead of knobs, making it easier to open and close doors without having to grip a knob.

Leslie Kanes Weisman, professor emeritus of architecture at New Jersey Institute of Technology and an international expert in the field of universal design, says the movement also is pushing toward better standards of air quality. "Sick building syndrome costs us millions of dollars each year in lost productivity and medical costs," she says. "Air quality is critical to the creation of wellness." An air purifier is one way to help make the air in a small office safer and more comfortable.