The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides clear requirements to ensure people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else. Part of this legislation includes stringent wayfinding and path marking requirements, which allow persons with disabilities to safely navigate public spaces.
Truncated domes are subject to stringent ADA detectable warning requirements and must be a specific size, diameter, and height. Along with the spacing requirements, this ensures the truncated domes within an ADA detectable warning surface allow for persons with vision impairment to comfortably feel the domes underfoot while still remaining accessible for canes, walkers, strollers and other mobility aids.
Aside from the manufacturing requirements, the ADA sets specific requirements regarding the installation location ADA tiles, ensuring the visually impaired can easily navigate public spaces un-aided. The main goal of ADA detectable warning surfaces is to alert persons of any potential hazards or oncoming traffic and must be installed accordingly.
Curb Ramps
The gentle slope of a sidewalk curb ramp was initially designed to provide an accessible route for people with disabilities to safely travel between roadways and curbed sidewalks. Although this allowed for more accessible travel for those using wheelchairs or other mobility aids, curb ramps posed a potential hazard to the visually impaired, as there was no longer the tactile clue of the curb drop off to warn of oncoming traffic.
To address this issue, the ADA requires detectable warning surfaces to be installed on curb ramps, serving as a tactile warning of any potential dangers such as oncoming traffic. This type of installation is most commonly found at street intersections and pedestrian crossings.
Transit Platforms
One of the most commonly seen installation of detectable warning surfaces in on transit platforms. ADA detectable warning surfaces are required at the edge of transit platforms, along the entire length of the platform. This alerts the visually impaired of the steep and immediate drop off onto the tracks.
Similarly, ADA detectable warning surfaces are required on the sidewalk when the path crosses over train tacks. ADA tile is required to alert a person well enough before the hazard, installed several feet back from the tracks.
Stair Landings
To alert the visually impaired of upcoming stairs, ADA detectable warnings are required to be installed on the tops and bottoms of stairs. This also alerts the person when they have reached the landing. Additionally, the installation of ADA tiles is required at escalator approaches.
ADA detectable warnings are required to ensure persons with visual impairments can safely navigate public spaces, without the help of others. Through ADA regulations and local and federal building codes, ADA detectable warning surfaces are required to be installed in a number of public spaces to alert pedestrians of any upcoming potential hazards.
Access® Tile has been providing industry leading ADA tiles for over 30 years. Our expertly engineered detectable warning surfaces have been installed across North America, standing up against harsh winters and extreme heat, without any signs of wear and tear. Our Replaceable Cast in Place ADA tiles feature and industry leading replicability feature, ideal for new construction. For retrofitting existing projects, our Surface Applied tiles are extremely lightweight and easy to install.
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