Environment: General Information about the Inside of the Building
- Descriptive information and ADA requirements
about accessibility and elevators, lifts, stairs, doorways and thresholds
can be found in Accessible Faith: A Technical Guide in Houses of Worship (page 14-21)
 .
- Stairs can be made safer and easier to use by
people who have limited balance, stamina, or vision by making sure
that: there are sturdy railings on both sides of the stairway.
- Lighting is very important. Make sure that there
is adequate, but glare-free, lighting all along the stairway as
well as at the top and bottom of the stairs.
- Marking the edges of each step with a strip of contrasting
paint will help people see where the edge of each step is.
- If a staircase is carpeted, don't use carpet that has
a pattern or is visually complex. It can be visually confusing
to people.
- A chairlift is not a good solution, despite the
temptation to install one because of its relatively low cost. The
only positive comment made by churches with chairlifts is that they
are an attractive feature to advertise when renting out space for
weddings.
- Doors, doorways, and thresholds can make accessibility
impossible or awkward, sometimes, despite measurements that match
the ADA-mandated dimensions. Ask people who use wheelchairs
and scooters to evaluate the space. Ask your local Independent
Living Centers
 .
- Replace doorknobs with lever door handles, check
that light switches are reachable – all this can best be assessed
by a person sitting in a wheelchair or scooter.
- If you have a water fountain that is not accessible
to someone sitting in a wheelchair, install a paper cup dispenser
at wheelchair accessible height. But make sure that the cups
are reachable, and that a person sitting in a wheelchair can use
the fountain to fill a cup with water.
- There is a good discussion of lighting in Accessible Faith: A Technical Guide in Houses of Worship (page 29-31) .
- Keep in mind the difficulty some people with electrical
sensitivities have with fluorescent lighting. Some large public
buildings are reverting to incandescent or halogen lighting, in
part, because of people's sensitivity to fluorescents.
- Acoustics are often a problem. Hard walls, uncarpeted
floors, and minimal draperies, can create an acoustically difficult
environment for people who are hard of hearing."Softening" the environment may help. Ask people with hearing problems if they
have suggestions. Contact your local chapter of SHHH .
- Although most of our buildings use low-pile carpeting,
keep in mind that high-pile carpeting is more difficult for
people using wheelchairs and walkers.
- When buying new carpet, make sure that you buy environmentally-friendly
carpeting, and that carpets are tacked rather than glued down,
or that non-toxic adhesive is used, as well as non-toxic carpet
padding.
- It's easy to install a lower coat-rack for people who
use wheelchairs and scooters. It's just one of those things
that make people feel welcomed, and not hard to do. Also have low
hooks in the accessible bathroom stall for coat and bag.
- Use fragrance-free, hypoallergenic cleaning supplies.
Recommendations are listed in the resource section.
How people can be welcoming inside the building (Just a couple of suggestions – and please feel free to contact
us access@uua.org
with additional suggestions. This is a work in progress.)
- Don't wear body scents. We know it's a big
part of our culture, and wearing fragrance may be an important
part of your personality – and some of us are very appreciative.
Unfortunately, others of us are very allergic to the chemicals
that we are laden with – even if you are wearing natural,
organic essential oils. Please go to the information page on Multiple
Chemical Sensitivities for some of the reasons why we are
asking you to forego your personal scent when you're coming here.
- You might want to consider switching to unscented
laundry and personal products too. As our environment worsens
and more people become hyper-sensitive to the chemicals that bombard
us, scent-free products are becoming easier to purchase.
- Using a scooter or wheelchair and trying to get around
inside a building when there are people gathered in social discourse – well, it's hard. One person we know has contemplated installing
some sort of cow-catcher on the front of her scooter – like
those that the old-fashioned trains used to push buffaloes out
of the way on the prairie. You are not a buffalo; you are a welcoming
person. When you notice someone in a scooter or wheelchair
trying to get through a group of people – please, move out
of the way, and please indicate to others in the pathway
that a person, who needs a wider pathway and who can't tap you
on the shoulder, is trying to get through in a scooter or wheelchair.
›› Take the Accessbility Audit for: Inside the Building
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