The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design is a highly complex and thick document. To wade through the entire thing would be a massive undertaking for anyone much less a busy designer, purchasing agent, or hotel owner. The laws and guidelines within the document are crucial to a hotel’s legality in the eyes of the government and its honoring of those guests with disabilities. Therefore, understanding what the document entails is extremely important regardless of how dense it is.
We daily receive specifications for guestrooms that do not adequately meet ADA standards, and the multiplicity of conversations that our Sales team has with clients on this topic, we thought we could boil down the crucial points of the ADA guideline as they affect hotel drapery. We will discuss some of the whys behind the guidelines, most emphatically we want to tell you what the guidelines are and what solutions exist for hotel drapery in order for your guestrooms to meet ADA requirements.
There are five main sections that offer guidelines on hospitality window treatments. We have listed each below, explained it, and then offered a solution.
Section 106 Definitions
"A building or facility containing one or more guest room(s) for sleeping that provides accommodations that are primarily short-term in nature. Transient lodging does not include residential dwelling units intended to be used as a residence, inpatient medical care facilities, licensed long-term care facilities, detention or correctional facilities, or private buildings or facilities that contain not more than five rooms for rent or hire and that are actually occupied by the proprietor as the residence of such proprietor."
This is the section of the ADA code that applies to hotels. As part of this section there are general guidelines for the number of ADA rooms required. Although this doesn’t immediately affect hotel drapery, it does apply to the overall ‘ADA compliant drapery treatments’ you will need so we have decided to include it. The following chart below is directly pulled from the ADA code:
Section 224 Transient Lodging Guest Rooms
224.2 Guest Rooms with Mobility Features.
"In transient lodging facilities, guest rooms with mobility features complying with 806.2 shall be provided in accordance with Table 224.2."
Section 308.2 Forward Reach
"308.2.1 Unobstructed. Where a forward reach is unobstructed, the high forward reach shall be 48 inches (1220 mm) maximum and the low forward reach shall be 15 inches (380 mm) minimum above the finish floor or ground."
Section 308.3 Side Reach
"308.3.1 Unobstructed. Where a clear floor or ground space allows a parallel approach to an element and the side reach is unobstructed, the high side reach shall be 48 inches (1220 mm) maximum and the low side reach shall be 15 inches (380 mm) minimum above the finish floor or ground."
We’ve included the sections on Forward Reach & Side Reach together because as furniture layouts change and nothing in construction goes completely to plan, we simply assume that forward reach is always the code that needs to be met. In doing so and using batons that hang within 48” of the floor, we follow both codes and are always in the clear no matter if forward reach or side reach is available in a certain unit at any time.
Section 309 Operable Parts
"309.3 Height. Operable parts shall be placed within one or more of the reach ranges specified in 308."
Although this guideline is rather self-explanatory it can cause some confusion. The biggest point to remind yourself of is not to over complicate it because there are a couple of very easy solutions. You don’t need to rack your brain about what fits the code of ‘tight grasping, pinching… etc.’ as there is an answer— either you use a ADA looped baton, which allows you to move the drapery by simply inserting ‘something’ into the loop and pushing back and forth, or you make all treatments in ADA rooms motorized.
"309.4 Operation. Operable parts shall be operable with one hand and shall not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. The force required to activate operable parts shall be 5 pounds (22.2 N) maximum."
The important aspect to note here is that everything that follows is only applicable to those rooms/units set aside for ADA guests. Public areas are not required to have controls or reach standards that meet this code.
In Summary
Follow the ADA guidelines by providing ADA-compliant units in relation to the number of total units at a property.
Follow ADA guidelines with usage of specific controls in those said rooms— when using manual drapery always specify ADA looped batons that will reach from mounting height to within 48” off the floor.
In lieu of using manual drapery, specify motorized drapery tracks with a remote.
When treating windows with roller shades, specify motorized roller shades with a remote.
Note that regular straight batons, cord-drawn hardware, regular roller shade chain pulls, and blinds are all not ADA-compliant and therefore cannot be used in ADA guestrooms.
Ready to put this into practice? Download the printable reference card below to keep these essentials close at hand, and come back soon for more tips, techniques, and inspiration from Threadwell.