mark handler
SAWHORSE
Town in compliance with disability mandate.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/billerica/features/x1334358376/Town-in-compliance-with-disability-mandate
.By Carla Agostino/Correspondent
Billerica Minuteman
Posted Jan 17, 2011
Billerica, Mass. — It has been two decades since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been enacted, and Billerica, for the majority, has met the mandates intended to eliminate discrimination.
Municipal buildings are said to be in good standing on all major ADA-compliant aspects. There are town-wide services that specifically cater to those with disabilities and senior citizens and a few anticipated projects on the horizon.
Town compliance
The library, Town Hall, and senior center are all older buildings that have been revamped and renovated based upon ADA standards to serve their current purpose.
Jerry Joyce, whose wife Debbye suffered a stroke 15 years ago and now gets around in a wheelchair, has found Billerica to be all-around accommodating. He has noticed that Massachusetts on a whole is more disability conscientious when compared to other states.
“Billerica actually is pretty good, you think of places like the library, the Town Hall, the ramps are well maintained,” said Joyce. “For the most part the town is very good, they do a pretty good job to make sure that everything is accessible, we don’t run into problems.”
Library Assistant Director Priscilla Vaughn believes the library is 100 percent ADA compliant, including the renovated portion and addition to the rear of the building.
There is a delayed timer on the elevator, automatic doors at the entrance, Braille lettering on signs and aisles at least three feet wide. There is a lowered section of the service counter, periodical shelving at the mandated 50 inches or lower, stand-up computer workstations, and large-keyed computer keyboards.
The library houses a children’s Braille collection, an extensive large print book offering, audio books and play aways, which are books on MP3 players.
Donna Popkin, director of the Council on Aging, said ADA- compliant aspects at the senior center include handicapped accessible entrances and bathrooms on both floors, new acoustic paneling for the hearing-impaired, a closed circuit television reader, a small selection of large print books, and reinforced stairway treads.
While Town Manager John Curran does see room for improvement at the Town Hall, the most essential criteria are in place.
“There is an elevator and handicap access in the side entrance, the door is electronically operated, you can get in the building and do business here,” Curran said about the Town Hall’s handicap accessibility.
To supplement the LRTA Roadrunner service, which transports senior citizens to surrounding towns, the senior center has a handicapped accessible van that assists residents with local errands.
Ten years ago the library implemented an outreach program that delivers requested materials to applicable home-bound individuals.
“It is a wonderful resource, people love it, you have to apply for it, you have to be disabled,” Vaughn explained. “There was a need for it and when we moved over to the new building, it worked out very well.”
Additionally, the library offers wheelchairs and walkers to be utilized at the library or to be checked-out for limited durations.
Ditson Elementary School, which is one of the newer buildings in town, meets all of the ADA requirements.
About the ADA
The ADA was put in place as a way to provide equal access and accessibility for those with disabilities, such as a physical handicap, hearing or visual impairments, or any impairment that may hinder one’s life activities. It was signed into legislature the summer of 1990, officially enacted in January 1991, and last amended in 2008.
The act, which is now published in the United States Code, covers a wide range of areas to assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for such individuals.
Although different settings have specific requirements, some basic ADA elements include ramps, elevators for multiple-storied buildings, wide doorways and sidewalks and Braille signage.
By law, all public infrastructure built prior to 1991 was required to be retrofitted with accessible features, but certain exemptions were allowed. Therefore, since most buildings in town are predecessors of the act, many have had to undergo renovations to be compliant.
In addition, all new buildings must fully adhere to ADA standards.
Areas needing work
For the Town Hall, Curran mentioned the bathrooms could use some updates and some of the service counters are too high in regard to ADA requirements. In general, the town could benefit from more sidewalks.
The only problem Joyce has noticed around town are the sidewalks at Hajjar Elementary School at which he and his wife vote. He said it can be difficult to maneuver his wife’s wheelchair over the choppy pavement in and out of the building, and he would like to see some renovations.
Both Joyce and Curran believe that while parking lots or bathrooms may be appropriately accessible, there are situations in which other’s actions can impede their correct usage, for example, when drivers illegally park in handicapped spaces.
“It’s not just that a building has to be accessible, but people need to be aware of the things they do,” said Curran.
Future projects
Popkin said she is looking forward to adding additional handicapped areas in the senior center, such as lower counter spaces, as well as larger font and keyboards options for the computers. Most importantly, she hopes that plans to extend the current parking lot to create more handicapped spaces are approved.
“The population is getting older, there are going to be a lot more older people with disabilities walking around,” Popkin explained. “There is always room for improvement.”
The new Parker Elementary School is slated to be entirely ADA compliant, as well as in compliance with standards set by the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (ABA). According to its web site, the ABA is a sector within the Office of Public Safety which ensures public buildings are accessible to, functional for, and safe for use by persons with disabilities.
Curran added that minor renovations will be underway in the Treasury Office, and the addition of ADA-compliant service counters will be incorporated
http://www.wickedlocal.com/billerica/features/x1334358376/Town-in-compliance-with-disability-mandate
.By Carla Agostino/Correspondent
Billerica Minuteman
Posted Jan 17, 2011
Billerica, Mass. — It has been two decades since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been enacted, and Billerica, for the majority, has met the mandates intended to eliminate discrimination.
Municipal buildings are said to be in good standing on all major ADA-compliant aspects. There are town-wide services that specifically cater to those with disabilities and senior citizens and a few anticipated projects on the horizon.
Town compliance
The library, Town Hall, and senior center are all older buildings that have been revamped and renovated based upon ADA standards to serve their current purpose.
Jerry Joyce, whose wife Debbye suffered a stroke 15 years ago and now gets around in a wheelchair, has found Billerica to be all-around accommodating. He has noticed that Massachusetts on a whole is more disability conscientious when compared to other states.
“Billerica actually is pretty good, you think of places like the library, the Town Hall, the ramps are well maintained,” said Joyce. “For the most part the town is very good, they do a pretty good job to make sure that everything is accessible, we don’t run into problems.”
Library Assistant Director Priscilla Vaughn believes the library is 100 percent ADA compliant, including the renovated portion and addition to the rear of the building.
There is a delayed timer on the elevator, automatic doors at the entrance, Braille lettering on signs and aisles at least three feet wide. There is a lowered section of the service counter, periodical shelving at the mandated 50 inches or lower, stand-up computer workstations, and large-keyed computer keyboards.
The library houses a children’s Braille collection, an extensive large print book offering, audio books and play aways, which are books on MP3 players.
Donna Popkin, director of the Council on Aging, said ADA- compliant aspects at the senior center include handicapped accessible entrances and bathrooms on both floors, new acoustic paneling for the hearing-impaired, a closed circuit television reader, a small selection of large print books, and reinforced stairway treads.
While Town Manager John Curran does see room for improvement at the Town Hall, the most essential criteria are in place.
“There is an elevator and handicap access in the side entrance, the door is electronically operated, you can get in the building and do business here,” Curran said about the Town Hall’s handicap accessibility.
To supplement the LRTA Roadrunner service, which transports senior citizens to surrounding towns, the senior center has a handicapped accessible van that assists residents with local errands.
Ten years ago the library implemented an outreach program that delivers requested materials to applicable home-bound individuals.
“It is a wonderful resource, people love it, you have to apply for it, you have to be disabled,” Vaughn explained. “There was a need for it and when we moved over to the new building, it worked out very well.”
Additionally, the library offers wheelchairs and walkers to be utilized at the library or to be checked-out for limited durations.
Ditson Elementary School, which is one of the newer buildings in town, meets all of the ADA requirements.
About the ADA
The ADA was put in place as a way to provide equal access and accessibility for those with disabilities, such as a physical handicap, hearing or visual impairments, or any impairment that may hinder one’s life activities. It was signed into legislature the summer of 1990, officially enacted in January 1991, and last amended in 2008.
The act, which is now published in the United States Code, covers a wide range of areas to assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for such individuals.
Although different settings have specific requirements, some basic ADA elements include ramps, elevators for multiple-storied buildings, wide doorways and sidewalks and Braille signage.
By law, all public infrastructure built prior to 1991 was required to be retrofitted with accessible features, but certain exemptions were allowed. Therefore, since most buildings in town are predecessors of the act, many have had to undergo renovations to be compliant.
In addition, all new buildings must fully adhere to ADA standards.
Areas needing work
For the Town Hall, Curran mentioned the bathrooms could use some updates and some of the service counters are too high in regard to ADA requirements. In general, the town could benefit from more sidewalks.
The only problem Joyce has noticed around town are the sidewalks at Hajjar Elementary School at which he and his wife vote. He said it can be difficult to maneuver his wife’s wheelchair over the choppy pavement in and out of the building, and he would like to see some renovations.
Both Joyce and Curran believe that while parking lots or bathrooms may be appropriately accessible, there are situations in which other’s actions can impede their correct usage, for example, when drivers illegally park in handicapped spaces.
“It’s not just that a building has to be accessible, but people need to be aware of the things they do,” said Curran.
Future projects
Popkin said she is looking forward to adding additional handicapped areas in the senior center, such as lower counter spaces, as well as larger font and keyboards options for the computers. Most importantly, she hopes that plans to extend the current parking lot to create more handicapped spaces are approved.
“The population is getting older, there are going to be a lot more older people with disabilities walking around,” Popkin explained. “There is always room for improvement.”
The new Parker Elementary School is slated to be entirely ADA compliant, as well as in compliance with standards set by the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (ABA). According to its web site, the ABA is a sector within the Office of Public Safety which ensures public buildings are accessible to, functional for, and safe for use by persons with disabilities.
Curran added that minor renovations will be underway in the Treasury Office, and the addition of ADA-compliant service counters will be incorporated
