I'm on my way to Dallas, to give a presentation on the Accessible Restroom. It got me thinking about an odd request or unique experience from a client several years ago. We were doing the substantial completion on a short term living quarters (government term for apartment building). At some point it dawned on the client that I'm a Registered Accessibility Specialist (RAS). It's a Texas thing, I'm not sure why other states have not jumped on a similar band wagon. The client wanted me to put the ADA to the test. 

I was 'loaned' a standard wheel chair from the Hospital. The test was to get from a parking space, to the apartment unit. Once in the unit, I had to do everything in the wheelchair. And then the final test was to get from the Apartment to the Administration Building down the street. Let's break this down into each challenge, and keep in mind being in a wheelchair was new to me. Except when I was 11 for a couple of days, but someone was pushing me around the whole time.

I parked the car in the accessible space, placed the chair in the aisle and sat down. From this point I did not leave the chair until I went to sleep. I wheeled around to the trunk, got my duffle bag and then wheeled up to the front door. Fortunately, we designed the curb ramp without tactile domes, these are only required when crossing public access (driveways).

• Challenge #1, the exterior front door. Because of building pressure, the front door can exceed the 5lbs pull force. I had the strength to open the door, it would close a little on the fast side. Something to keep in mind, if deciding to use power assisted doors.

I made it into the unit. I did all the typical stuff one does when they first get to a hotel room. Put my clothes up, watched TV, setup the bathroom and worked a little in the kitchen. At this point I did not cook, I was headed out to dinner with the contractor. I did cheat, and walked to meet them, I did not have place to store the chair and they drove. After dinner I got back to the apartment and resumed my wheelchair bound activities. Then it was time to go to sleep.

• Challenge #2, the bed. While the bed may have been ADA compliant, I had no clue how to make the transfer. I tried probably for 15 minutes without any success. 

The next morning, it was time to resume. I needed to shower, cook breakfast and head to the administration building. There is a lot of planning involved before you get in the shower. Now this was a tub with a seat, but the shower wand was mounted at the top. It took some work to get it down. I would suspect this would normally be in a lower position depending on the tenant. Set the water temperature and then made the transfer.

• Challenge #3, the towel. This one was only because of a lack of routine (I'm guessing). But the towel rod was out of reach while sitting on the tub bench. Note to self… set the towel closer in the future.

I was pleasantly surprised, but cooking was easy. Everything in the kitchen was within reach. Nothing was set in the upper cabinets, which made it simple to get the bowls, pans, dishes and utensils. I ate at the dining room table and then washed everything in the sink. The shallow sink is such a good idea. Then the next challenge, to go to the administration building. It was about a block away, this turned out to be a good workout for my arms.

• Challenge #4, tactile domes. I had to cross the street using the curb ramp. While these are critical for the blind, they are awful when you are in a wheel chair. I hope the US access Board continues to review this requirement. Note to everyone else, DO NOT place them on curb ramps at the parking aisle.

I made it to administration building and it had a power assisted door. Very nice, that's all I can say at this point. Once inside, I tested all of the features. The one thing to remember is clearances are minimums, for someone experienced it probably works without any issue. The biggest challenge was on the pull side of doors right at 18", if you have the room, consider adding a little, it will help. Lastly, when designing the reception desk, be mindful of where you place the low section.

Currently there are about 56 million people with a disability in the US. While all of them are not in a wheel chair, that is still 19 percent of our population or 1 in 5 people are affected. The ADA covers a wide range of disabilities, from mobility to blindness. If you ever have a chance to spend any time in a wheel chair, you will appreciate the research that went into the ADA technical requirements. 

…and now for something completely different.
If you somehow found a way to extract all of the gold from the bubbling core of our lovely little planet, you would be able to cover all of the land in a layer of gold up to your knees.