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Originally Posted by MaggieL
Cripes, tw. You're telling me it's not in here?
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I was not going to spend $250 (another book was rumored to provide the data for only $80) for information because the person who was being paid and who could not seem to find the numbers did not do so. BTW, I also could not find any of these books in libraries.
I was simply looking for most basic and common information such as how high must wall switches be located from floor. Where in relationship to doors. Access to electrical panels. Location of toilet and peripherals. The simplest of numbers and no one could provide it. But again, I found reams of information on who could be sued, why, for how much, etc.
Where did I find this information? West Coast cities provided much of it. It took hours - most of a day - to find those numbers because I had to wade through so much law and other (what should be) irrelevant crap. It says much when 'how to get the work done' becomes irrelevant to 'who can we blame'. Wonder why ADA stuff can get expensive?
Washers and dryers. The paid professional even had us put those up on a raised platform. What did the disabled residents immediately do? Remove a platform that only made washer and dryer more difficult to use. But again, some english major could not bother even read the book. And so I had to learn how difficult ADA can be.
Yes some items cost plenty. A sidewalk to meet ADA requirements costs many $thousands. But there is no good reason for putting electric switches so high. In fact, a friend owns a house originally designed by an EE. Every switch is at knuckles height. Turn on lights without even raising a hand; simply swing an arm at the switch. Easier for the 'enabled' as well as for the disabled. But in construction, fear of change and learning is rampant.
Washer and dryers are routinely made with controls foolishly located in the back only because that was always how it was. Today, LC, et al routinely make white appliances easy for both 'enabled' and disabled - and they cost less.
Having addressed disability questions, most solutions need not cost more money. One complained that they had to widen an exterior door. But then that door was also in violation of human safety standards - for both 'enabled' and disabled. Many expenses for the disabled really are because we keep doing the same thing wrong rather than asking some simple questions and adapting better standards.
In one town, when it was obvious that ADA requirements for curbs were coming, they still built street curbs wrong. And then complained when they had to remove those new and defective curbs to meet ADA requirements one year later. Too often the expense of making something ADA compliant is traceable to that girl who could not even read the material provided and provide us with the right numbers. Then she complained about how ADA was making things so complex. In trying to do her job, I then learned why so much ADA stuff is so expensive. It's not. Just that some people do not do their jobs - ie learn. So many just fear change because this is how we did it 20 and 30 years ago. Ask them why - they don't know.
I could not even find any numbers for ADA in any of so many county and university libraries. But I certainly knew how to sue.