The Americans with Disabilities Act doesn’t require public facilities to move dispensers above the grab bar, but that would make life much more pleasant for anyone confined to a wheelchair. Fortunately, your toilet paper supplier should willingly do it at no cost. If patching the holes left behind would be too expensive for your agency, ask the supplier to install a second dispenser above the grab bar.
Michele S. Ohmes The Americans with Disabilities Act doesn’t require public facilities to move dispensers above the grab bar, but that would make life much more pleasant for anyone confined to a wheelchair. Fortunately, your toilet paper supplier should willingly do it at no cost. If patching the holes left behind would be too expensive for your agency, ask the supplier to install a second dispenser above the grab bar.

Question: One of your American Public Works Association presentations addressed American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and U.S. Access Board ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) for minimum and maximum reach ranges. Our designers default to code instead of considering what works in real life. How can I address this discrepancy with my team? – Colleen, New York

Answer: Codes provide the lowest allowable tolerances, not best practices. As a result, I spend more time working with clients on reach ranges – how high or low or far away an object is from someone trying to access it – than almost anything else.

The list of amenities and fixtures the average person takes for granted is larger than most people realize: alarms, call buttons, countertops, door bells, drinking fountains, emergency phones in elevators (especially in residential elevators), lift controls, soap dispensers. Bathrooms are a particular sore spot.

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