Accessible Information Exchange: Meeting on a Level Playing Field

Feature 1 - Parking and Passenger Drop-Off Areas

When parking is provided for meeting participants, accessible parking must be provided for participants with disabilities. Those who arrive by car or van need an accessible parking space as close as possible to an accessible entrance. The accessible parking space has an adjacent and parallel access aisle that provides needed room for a person to open the car door fully and then to stand with the aid of a walker or crutches, to transfer to a wheelchair, or to lower a wheelchair lift. In order to be usable, the access aisle must be level, clear of gravel or mud, and the surface must be in good condition without wide cracks or broken pavement.

If there is a drop-off area for meeting participants, an accessible passenger drop-off area is also necessary. An accessible drop-off area has a level access aisle that is adjacent and parallel to the vehicle space to serve the same purposes as described above for a parking access aisle.

The access aisles of both the parking space and passenger drop-off area connect directly to an accessible route that leads to an accessible building entrance. When an accessible route crosses a curb, a curb ramp must be provided. ADA Standards for Accessible Design | Temporary Barrier Removal Suggestions for Accessible Features