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The Built Environment
Overview
This environment refers to physical spaces of a college/university campus. The umbrella categories are grounds and facilities. However, when thinking about access and inclusion, one needs to consider the design of the following spaces within grounds and facilities:
- Parking
- Paths of travel
- Entrances
- Lighting
- Sound/amplification
- Furniture
- Fixtures
- Restrooms
- Signage
- Drinking fountains
- Alarm/warning systems
- Technology
These categories are rather broad and it will be necessary to be more specific when auditing the physical spaces. For example, when looking at furniture, one will need to examine classroom furniture (desks/tables), workstations, lab desks, service counters, chairs, residence hall beds & desks, fitness equipment, dining tables, etc.
Organizational Capacity Assessment
The following assessment will give you a high level view of where your campus is in terms of accessibility and the built environment.
Take Organizational Capacity Assessment: Built Environment(All self-assessments are Alchemer forms.)
Guidelines for Improving Access to the Built Environment
Creating an accessible built environment requires more than removing physical barriers. It requires leadership, planning, ongoing assessment, and a commitment to designing spaces that are welcoming and usable by everyone. The following guidelines can help institutions strengthen their organizational capacity for physical accessibility.
Leadership and Commitment
- Make accessibility of the built environment an institutional priority.
- Assign clear responsibility for campus accessibility to a senior administrator with sufficient authority to influence planning and resource allocation.
- Include disabled people and individuals with expertise in accessibility whenever facilities are designed, renovated, or evaluated.
- Move beyond minimum compliance by embracing principles of universal design.
Communication
- Regularly communicate the institution’s commitment to accessible facilities.
- Include accessibility goals in strategic plans, campus master plans, and other institutional planning documents.
- Ensure students, employees, visitors, and community members know how to report physical barriers.
Assessment and Accountability
- Conduct comprehensive assessments of campus accessibility on a regular basis.
- Use assessment findings to establish priorities and guide resource allocation.
- Track progress over time rather than treating accessibility as a one-time project.
- Develop systems for documenting barriers and monitoring corrective actions.
Resource Allocation
- Allocate sufficient funding and staffing to maintain accessible facilities.
- Include accessibility improvements in routine maintenance and capital planning.
- Budget proactively for accessibility rather than relying solely on reactive repairs.
Knowledge and Skills
- Ensure facilities personnel understand ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) and principles of universal design.
- Provide continuing professional development to keep staff current with evolving standards and best practices.
- Encourage collaboration among facilities management, disability services, architects, planners, and other campus stakeholders.
Policies and Procedures
- Develop policies that promote accessibility in purchasing, construction, renovation, and campus planning.
- Include accessibility expectations in contracts for architects, engineers, contractors, and vendors.
- Establish procedures to verify that accessibility requirements are implemented consistently.
Training and Consultation
- Provide regular training on physical accessibility for facilities personnel, project managers, event planners, and others responsible for campus spaces.
- Consult accessibility experts early in planning rather than after barriers have been created.
- Make accessibility consultation available for both permanent facilities and temporary events.
Campus Culture
- Promote the understanding that physical accessibility benefits the entire campus community.
- Encourage employees across departments to identify and report barriers.
- View accessibility as an ongoing responsibility rather than simply a compliance obligation.
Operational Practices
Institutions should establish practices that help ensure accessibility remains part of daily operations.
Examples include:
- Providing an online system for reporting accessibility barriers.
- Offering a phone number for urgent access needs.
- Ensuring all primary building entrances are accessible.
- Providing accessible restrooms and drinking fountains throughout campus.
- Maintaining accessible routes that allow wheelchair users to travel the same paths as other pedestrians whenever possible.
- Installing ADA-compliant room signage and clear wayfinding signage.
- Providing accessible campus maps or digital wayfinding tools.
- Maintaining an adequate number of properly located accessible parking spaces.
- Monitoring elevators to ensure reliable operation.
- Providing classrooms with a variety of seating options.
- Designing laboratories with work surfaces at multiple heights.
- Installing automatic door openers where appropriate, including locations beyond minimum legal requirements.
- Routinely inspecting sidewalks, ramps, doors, and accessible routes to identify and correct maintenance issues.
- Providing publicly available maps of accessible parking and entrances.
- Including accessibility planning requirements for temporary events and campus activities.
Continuous Improvement
Organizations with mature accessibility programs:
- Evaluate facilities regularly
- Engage disabled people throughout planning and evaluation
- Invest in staff expertise
- Prioritize accessibility during decision-making
- Allocate sufficient resources
- Continually seek opportunities to improve beyond minimum compliance requirements