Independent living is a life-altering experience that allows for self-growth. By implementing Universal Design (UD) elements into public and private spaces, the opportunity to live independently expands for individuals with disabilities. 

Nearly fifty years after Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act went into effect, Americans with disabilities are still fighting for the same rights and opportunities as their peers. Health disparities affect minorities across America every day. 

Individuals with disabilities must navigate a world designed for people with vision and mobility, and one tool that helps to make the world more accessible is navigational bar tiles. These directional tile surfaces consist of raised bars that align with the direction of pedestrian travel. These navigational directional bar tiles help people to locate the entrance to light rails, trains, and bus stops.

A companion to detectable warning tiles, navigational and directional bar tiles serve an essential purpose of guiding individuals with disabilities in the flow of traffic.

While the quality and durability of the detectable warning dome tiles are absolutely vital, they are only as good as their installation process. Let’s talk about installation processes.

Installation is when two or more materials are adhered together to form a strong bond. In this case, we have the detectable warning dome tiles that will be bonded to the substrate, the underlying substance or layer, with an adhesive. All the materials might be of the highest quality, but if the installation process is poor, then the integrity of the other materials will be compromised.

Historic buildings face an interesting challenge of becoming ADA compliant when their original builders did not consider accommodating individuals with disabilities or mobility devices. As society has begun to seek ways to become more inclusive, this has extended to historic buildings in order to ensure that every visitor has the chance to experience the sites, landscapes, and buildings.

While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) outlines a set of standards for accommodating the needs of individuals with disabilities, ADA compliance is something that benefits everyone. When our businesses, neighborhoods, and local government agencies work to be considerate of individuals with differing needs, our inclusive community provides the space to recognize the unique gifts and perspectives that these individuals can offer.

To create an accessible world and to comply with ADA standards, accessible pedestrian signal (APS) models work with detectable warning tiles to keep pedestrians of all abilities safe around vehicle intersections and street crosswalks. These APS models mark heavily trafficked areas in cities with a button for audio directions for individuals with low visibility. A number of APS tools offer direction and aid to individuals with differing abilities, including a rapid tick sound, speech indication, tactile signals, and vibrating indications.

 
A few weeks ago, we talked about the importance of ADA compliance for a temporary event. Meeting U.S. government standards for a public area can be challenging in general, but a temporary event that is open to the public provides its own hurdles to overcome. ADA compliance at a temporary event can be difficult, but compliance is worth the work to create a more accessible world. 

A sidewalk without a curb ramp presents a dangerous decision to a person who uses a wheelchair or a similar mobility device. Without a curb ramp, a person could lose their balance while trying to navigate the sidewalk curb or opt to use the road to avoid the curb altogether, risking an accident with vehicle drivers.

No one should have to make this decision.

A curb ramp allows individuals with impairments to merge safely from a curbed sidewalk to the street and back again. This short ramp makes the world accessible to anyone with a mobility device.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) expects workplaces and public areas to be accessible for people with disabilities. Since 1990, businesses and communities strive to meet these requirements. For example, public areas must take steps to remove barriers and add domed-tile curb ramps to improve accessibility and safety for people with impairments. Buildings constructed before 1990 must make adjustments, but buildings built after 1990 must be ADA compliant.