ADAAG Manual

Car Controls [4.10.12]

Control panels must be located so that no floor button is higher than 54 inches for a side reach and 48 inches for a front approach. Recommendations: Buttons on front panels should be located as close to the door as possible, rather than near the comer. Alignment for a side reach is often difficult at panels on the front of cars due to the limited maneuvering space; consider a maximum height of 48 inches for panels on the front of cars. Various control panel designs that accommodate people of short stature, people who use wheelchairs, and all standing passengers are now readily available.

In addition to the requirements for control panels shown in ADAAG Figure 23(a):

• buttons must be raised from, or flush with, the faceplate (or trim ring if provided)

• in-car switches not intended for passenger use (in-car stop switches, fireman's operations) do not have to be labeled with raised and Braille characters or symbols

• door closing (if available) and opening buttons are located below the floor buttons

• visible indication does not have to be provided by the button itself (jeweled lights beside buttons are permitted but cannot interfere with the placement of raised and Braille characters)

• emergency controls are not required by ADAAG but are addressed by the elevator code; where they are provided, they must be grouped at the bottom of the panel no lower than 35 inches from the floor

• Recommendation: consider a minimum 3/16 inch vertical clearance between Braille and raised characters.