36 CFR Parts 1190 and 1191 ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines - Preamble (Discussion of Comments and Changes)

Classroom Acoustics

Comments were received that urged the Board to address the acoustical performance of buildings and facilities, in particular school classrooms and related student facilities. Research indicates that high levels of background noise in classrooms compromises speech intelligibility for many children to such an extent that their reading, communication, and learning skills may not be developing adequately. At particular risk are children who have mild to moderate hearing loss, temporary hearing loss, speech impairments, or learning disabilities. Instead of undertaking rulemaking of its own on this issue, the Board opted to work with the private sector in the development of classroom acoustic standards. In 1999, the Board partnered with the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) on the development of a new standard for acoustics in classrooms that takes into account children who are hard of hearing. ASA had previously established a special working group for this purpose. The Board helped sponsor the work of this group and expanded its membership through the addition of representatives from disability groups, school systems, designers, and government agencies. At the Board’s urging, ASA committed to a two-year time frame for the completion of standards. The standard, completed in 2002, has been approved as ASA/ANSI S12.60‒2002, Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements and Guidelines for Schools. It sets specific criteria for maximum background noise (35 decibels) and reverberation time (0.6 to 0.7 seconds for unoccupied classrooms). These and other specifications are consistent with long-standing recommendations for good practice in acoustical design. Taken by itself, the standard is voluntary unless referenced by a code, ordinance, or regulation. The Board submitted a proposal to the International Code Council (ICC) recommending that core provisions contained in the ASA/ANSI standard be incorporated into the next edition of the International Building Code (IBC). The Board’s proposal was taken up for consideration at an ICC hearing in September 2002, but was not adopted. However, school systems in various states and cities are applying the criteria in the ASA/ANSI standard to the design of classrooms. The Board is participating in outreach and education activities to promote greater understanding of the need for good classroom acoustics.