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Accessible Design in Municipal Developments

Travis Smith

7226904

COOP 3109

February 1st, 2016

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Abstract

The importance of providing barrier-free access for all Canadians has never been more

important. The municipal government has put into place new guidelines and standards which

require everyone, both developers and employers, to accommodate all residents where possible.

During the review process, developers must consider all types of disabilities, both visible and

invisible. The City of Ottawa is one of the municipal leaders in terms of accessibility, with

review panels such as the Ottawa Accessibility Advisory Committee, and also has developed

their own set of design standards which will be addressed in the following report.

Along with the standards and guidelines for accessibility, all departments involved in the review

of proposed developments are trained to ensure that accessibility is of prime concern. It is for

this reason that Ottawa, Canada’s capital, has become a leader in the implementation of

accessible design in order to ensure that all residents can have access to all of the things the City

has to offer.

Keywords: Accessible Design, Accessibility, City of Ottawa Accessibility Design Standards,

Municipal Accessibility

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Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................ 1

2.0 Importance of Accessibility ........................................................................ 2

3.0 Accessibility in the Planning Process ............................................................ 3

4.0 Implementation of Accessibility ............................................................ 4

5.0 Accessibility in Existing Developments ................................................ 5

6.0 Conclusions ................................................................................................ 7

7.0 References ................................................................................................ 8

8.0 Appendices ................................................................................................ 9

Table of Figures

Figure 1: Prevalence of Disabilities, by type, aged 15 years or older in Canada ..... 3

Figure 2: Sample Comments from the Accessibility Advisory Committee

on a Site Plan Control Application ............................................................ 6

Figure 3: Ramp Design Features ........................................................................ 8

Figure 4: Truncated Dome Specifications ........................................................... 9

Figure 5: Fire Safety and Evacuation Features – Elevation View ....................... 10

Figure 6: Typical On-Street Bus Shelter – Overhead View ……………………... 12

Figure 7: Example of an Inaccessible Path in a Construction Site ........................ 15

Figure 8: Example of a Good Path in a Construction Site ..................................... 16

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1.0 Introduction

The development of accessibility standards and guidelines is an ongoing process. Municipalities

are constantly developing and implementing new policies to ensure that both visible and

invisible disabilities can be accommodated. With the development of the Accessibility for

Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), municipalities such as the City of Ottawa have been

able to develop design standards which are enforced during the development review process.

City of Ottawa’s Accessibility Design Standards (ADS) can be seen and felt throughout Ottawa

through the implementation of the ramps, tactile walking surface indicators (TWSIs), and

accessible parking spaces.

Although for new developments these design standards can be easily implemented, the real

difficulty becomes installing these features in existing developments. The process of retrofitting

the existing developments can be very expensive and time consuming, and it requires the

authority of the proponent to request the changes. The City is committed to the process of

updating existing faculties, and has implemented the City’s Accessibility Plan.

Ottawa Accessibility Advisory Committee is the committee responsible for fulfilling the duties

of the municipality using the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA-2005). They advise council

members on the requirements and implementations of the accessibility standards and the

preparation of accessibility reports. This committee is very important in the design and

implementation of accessibility standards, ensuring that the City and its councillors are always

keeping accessibility in mind.

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The aim of this report is to educate the reader on the importance, applications, and standards of

accessibility. This will be done by studying the importance of accessibility in Ottawa, the

application of standards in the planning process, the implementation of these standards in

developments, and also the process of retrofitting accessible design in existing developments.

Overall, this report is to remind the reader of his/her responsibility to provide services in a

barrier-free manner in order to incorporate all residents.

2.0 Importance of Accessibility

For many years, the City of Ottawa has been recommending and reviewing designs for

accessibility for developments. Up until the Accessibility Design Standards (ADS) was

introduced in 2012, the City was not able to have official reference material to recommend

accessible design. When the Accessibility Design Standards (ADS) was brought into effect,

Developers were able to incorporate these designs and policies into their developments and City

of Ottawa employees were able to implement policies from the Ontario Building Code (OBC)

and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) into the design of structures and

public spaces.

Accessibility awareness is continually growing, with the following statistics being reported by

Statistics Canada in their 2012 Canadian Survey on Disability; “An estimated 3.8 million adult

Canadians reported being limited in their daily activities due to a disability in 2012. This

represents 13.7% of the adult population” 1. ‘In Ottawa, according to growth projections

conducted by the City, the population will be roughly 976,800 for 2016. This means that since

13.7% of adults identify as someone with a disability, 133,822 people in Ottawa currently

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identify as a person with a disability’2. This number represents why accessibility has become

such a prevalent issue in terms of existing and proposed developments. ‘Below is a chart from

the data obtained from the 2012 Canadian Survey on Disability, showing the prevalence of

disabilities for people aged 15 years and older in Canada.

Figure 1: Prevalence of Disabilities, by type, aged 15 years or older in Canada (2012)’1

‘Although a large percentage of these disabilities may only limit a person’s daily activities,

roughly a quarter of persons with disabilities are classified as having a very sever disability

which would require accommodations to be made. Another very important point is that more

than 80% of people with disabilities use aids and assistive devices. In order to carry out their

daily activities, they require things such as hand and arm supports to facilitate movement or

hearing aids in order to hear. Providing these specialized equipment and aids has become a

priority for Municipalities and having the infrastructure in place has become high priority.’1

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‘For a municipality such as the City of Ottawa which boasts the 4th largest population and 5th

largest land mass of cities in Canada, we must be constantly developing and modifying to ensure

such a large population can be accommodated. As the capital city of Canada, it is vital that we

are leaders in this field which requires the City to be committed to removing barriers so that

everyone can enjoy the City’s many destinations. It is for this reason that municipalities must be

proactive in applying these standards and guidelines which I will be explaining herein.’3

3.0 Accessibility in Planning Process

Planning is a process that is constantly evolving, with a wealth of new technologies and designs

being proposed, it ensures that every project has its own difficulties and challenges. Within the

past 10 years, the idea of accessibility and barrier-free access has grown exponentially. That is

why municipalities have had to develop policies and standards for municipal planners to ensure

that they can promote and enforce when needed, a more accessible design.

Roughly 4 years ago, in April of 2012 the City implemented an Accessibility Policy through

which provided City employees with an accessibility plan, standards for development, and

training to enrich their understanding. Since then the City has implemented many improvements

on the existing framework and are constantly adjusting and adding to it.

During the review process, there are many cases which require the file lead/planner to consult

with the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC). The Accessibility Advisory Committee

(AAC) is a provincially mandated committee that is in charge of reviewing development in

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regards to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Accessibility

Design Standards (2015). There are many cases where the Accessibility Advisory Committee

(AAC) may be required to provide comments, but common situations which require comments

are the following: Public buildings, structures, or premises, recreational trails, and exterior paths.

In the planning process there are many large developments that will require additional comments

from the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC). The Accessibility Advisory Committee

(AAC) should be involved in the application if the application applies to either a commercial,

high rise residential, institutional or publicly owned development where public access is/will be

permitted. When the application is proposing any of the aforementioned developments, the file

lead/planner will send the application to the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) for their

review. Once the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) has reviewed the file, they provide

their comments to the file lead/ planner where the proposal is compiled and proposed to the

proponent. In the majority of applications, the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) will

provide their comments on proposed structures that are being proposed on the property. ‘An

example of a possible comment and proponent response is shown in the photo below, taken from

a Delegated Authority Report prepared by the City of Ottawa for an Auto Dealership in the

Urban Area.

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Figure 2: Sample Comments from the Accessibility Advisory Committee on a Site Plan Control

Application

In this example, the Committee provided comments on the design of the entrance to the proposed

building. The proponent accepted the changes, and revised the approach to the building to be less

than 5% slope. In this case, The Committee referenced the Accessibility Design Standards

(ADS) to provide their comments on the proposed development.’6

Another step in the planning process is the idea of a public consultation. When a project comes

in that is proposing recreational trails, outdoor play spaces, rest areas for exterior paths of travel,

or on-street parking spaces, the file lead/planner must set up a public consultation with the

public, people with disabilities, and the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC). When this

public consultation is held, the file lead/ planner will record comments and provide

recommendations to the proponent for them to make changes.

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Once the proponent has addressed all of the comments, the application will be compiled with the

comments from the various reviewers into a Delegated Authority Report. Then the report is

brought to City Council to review and decide if the authority will be given to the Development

Review Branch to approve the application. Once approved, construction can begin.

Overall, during the planning process, accessibility is considered at every step before, during, and

after construction. It is in this manner that the City of Ottawa best implements their accessibility

standards and allows the public and persons with disabilities to voice their opinions and be heard.

4.0 Implementation of Accessibility

The City of Ottawa has developed and is constantly updating the Accessibility Design Standards

(ADS) for the implementation of various developments. In this section the individual standards

themselves will be examined to give an explanation of the way in which their development

should be designed. Of all of the standards in the City of Ottawa’s Accessibility Design

Standards (ADS), we will take a closer look at ramps, tactile walking surface indicators (TWSI),

fire and life safety systems, and public transit.

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‘The first standard that will be examined is the standard for ramps. Ramps are an integral part of

an accessible route within exterior or interior environments. In addition to the standard from the

aforementioned standard drawing set, additional detail is also found in the Ontario Building

Code (OBC) and also in the

Integrated Accessibility Regulation

(IASR). With that we can refer to the

following figure, which is a good

demonstration of the detail that goes

into the design of such structures.

There are many items that go

unnoticed, such as the maximum

running slope of 6.67% and the

maximum cross slope which is 2%.

This ensures that not only can the

ramps be drained and be free of water & snow, but also that the slope is gentle enough for

walking and any other mobility device.

Figure 3: Ramp Design Features

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The City of Ottawa also employs the use of tactile walking surface indicators (TWSI) at stop

lights, curb ramps, stairs, and

intersections to ensure that

persons with low vision or

blindness are alerted of

upcoming hazards. A good

example of such a TWSI would

be the use of truncated domes

which are placed near

intersections and stop lights. These truncated domes allow people with low vision or blindness to

detect the change by foot or using a cane and to react accordingly. These truncated domes are

fabricated with uncoated steel, which rusts and provides great tonal contrast with the grey

sidewalk. TWSI’s are ideal because they meet both the visual and mobility needs of persons with

disabilities.

The next standard is vitally important because it involves an emergency situation. In the event of

a fire, it is important to address the needs of people with varying disabilities to ensure that they

can be assisted out of the facility safely. The key components of a fire and life safety system are

the following; evacuation plans, alarm signals, “areas of refuge”, and emergency exits.

The fire safety evacuation plan is a visual guide to show people the route to take in an

emergency. The emergency plan indicates in detail the preferred evacuation strategy for persons

with disabilities, allowing staff to set up a “Buddy System” to help co-workers evacuate.

Figure 4: Truncated Dome Specifications

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Figure 5: Fire Safety and Evacuation Features – Elevation View

Shown above is the recommended placement of all fire safety and alarm systems that should be

used. Another important aspect of a fire and life safety system is the visual alarm signals, which

indicate to people that there is an emergency. In order to alert everyone about an emergency

situation, systems must include a visual and audible alarm signal. This means that there should

be audible alarms that make a noise loud enough to be heard. There are also requirements for the

visual alarm which require the flashing to be at a maximum of 2 Hz to ensure that the strobe

lights do not cause any epileptic seizures or other photosensitive reaction. The visual alarms

should be set roughly 150mm from the roof , have synchronized flash, and there should be

enough alarms placed so that the alarms can be seen at all times in every room.

The Area of Refuge is a component of the facility’s fire safety and evacuation plan which is

located on an accessible route and provides an area where persons with disabilities can be

protected for a minimum of one-hour. This area should be clearly marked and provide the space

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and backup electrical power to ensure emergency lighting and ventilation systems can be

supported.

The final standard that will be examined is the proper accessible requirements for public

transport. The design standards for public transport incorporate many of the basic design

standards such as ramps, TWSI’s, and elevating devices to provide an accessible mode of travel

for commuters in the Ottawa area. The general station requirements for public transit are

required to provide a stable, slip-resistant surface with grades less than 2%. In addition, the

station needs to have at least one fully accessible route to each station platform. This means that

there needs to be a barrier free path that leads to both the inbound and outbound platforms.

For customers using mobility devices, the loading area will need to provide a clear length of

2400mm x 1500mm parallel to the curb to provide enough space to maneuver their mobility

devices onto the public transport.

The majority of bus stops in urban areas are located adjacent to City streets. This means that the

majority of people will access public transport through means of on-street bus stops. On-street

bus stops have similar design standards to the public transport stations, but are often limited with

the amount of available space. This can become a problem in dense urban areas, where the

location of on-street bus stops can become difficult to the location constraints and exterior

accessible paths of travel. Typical on-street bus stops are located on uniform precast or poured

concrete pads, which provide a level access to the adjacent sidewalk, walkway, or alternate

accessible route. At certain high traffic bus stops, there are also bus shelters which are provided

at the stops to provide shelter and a place to rest while waiting for the bus. The shelter must

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provide an unobstructed clear area of at least 1500mm directly inside the shelter, to allow for

mobility devices to enter the shelter as well. In addition to the physical dimensions, the shelter

must be equipped with high tonal contrast decals and moulding to ensure the boundaries are

clearly visible.

Figure 6: Typical On-Street Bus Shelter – Overhead View

The image above shows an example of an on-street bus stop, which shows the location of the

uniform concrete slab, the bus shelter, the loading area, and the accessible level path from the

bus stop to the sidewalk or walkway.

The City of Ottawa Accessible Design Standards (ADS) are a very useful tool for developers to

provide accessible communities, and will only become more important as time passes due to the

ever increasing awareness of accessibility in the design and implementation process.’4

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5.0 Accessibility in Existing Developments

‘The biggest difficulty municipalities face regarding accessibility is the implementation of

accessibility in existing structures. In order to implement these new standards, there any many

hurdles that they must get through in order to make modifications. In existing developments,

owners are hesitant to implement these new standards because of the cost and time that it will

require to do so. For example, and building built in the 1950’s will have to undergo major

construction in order to install the proper access.

In order to facilitate this process, the City has created the Accessibility Retrofit Program which

promotes the re-development of existing buildings to ensure that they comply with the updated

standards where possible. The main highlight of the Accessibility Retrofit Program was to ensure

that City owned buildings and facilities were modified to ensure that a barrier-free service could

be offered. In 2011, the City of Ottawa’s Infrastructure Services was able to perform retrofit

work such as accessible exterior ramps, accessible sidewalk and walkways, entrance

modifications, parking, curb cuts, passenger loading areas and universal accessible washrooms

for 26 City facilities.

In addition to these changes, the City also installed Audible Pedestrian Signals (APS) at all new

and reconstructed signals at many intersections. According to the number this means they have

installed Audible Pedestrian Signals at 570 out of 1118 intersections, resulting in roughly 51% of

the intersections being equipped with this technology.’3

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‘Another difficulty with construction within existing developments is managing accessibility

during construction. Pedestrian access is one of the most prominent issues regarding a

construction site.’5 “Unless otherwise specified in the contract, a free and unobstructed hard

surfaced pedestrian walkway acceptable for use by physically challenged individuals, including

pedestrian access to all buildings, must be provided, clearly identified, and maintained in a good

state of repair, to the satisfaction of the Contract Administrator, through or around the

construction site at all times.”5 ‘The previous statement is in regards to one of the standard

contract conditions that is placed in all Infrastructure Service Department (ISD) contracts. It

outlines the requirement of contractors to provide a safe and accessible path of travel for all

pedestrians through and around the construction site. The picture below shown below is an

example of a time where the contract condition has been breached and where the Infrastructure

Service Department (ISD) was called in to enforce a change.

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Figure 7: Example of an Inaccessible Path in a Construction Site

The path shown in the picture above is clearly not wide enough for the passage of a wheelchair

or mobility device and had to be modified to incorporate these changes.

The idea of an accessible pathway during construction is mandatory for sites in Ottawa, and must

incorporate the following elements; smooth, hard packed transitions, bus stops, and decision

points. During construction smooth and hard-packed transition points are required to ensure that

wheelchairs can easily get up and around obstacles without getting stuck. Bus stops must be

maintained in order to ensure residents can access their regular bus stops. Decision points are

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points on the road, where the person can decide which route they can take and which are closed.

This should be clearly labelled to ensure residents can access all areas.

Figure 8: Example of an Accessible Path in a Construction Site

An accessible path is shown above, which has enough room for mobility devices and has smooth

& hard-packed transitions from asphalt to the sidewalk.’5

Overall during construction, the developer should always have accessibility in mind. Before

construction even starts, there should be a pedestrian plan in place which clearly marks a

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designated accessible route where the pedestrians will travel. This has been a contractual

obligation for contractors since 2005, and the awareness for the needs of persons with disabilities

is something that contractors must implement during the construction process.

6.0 Conclusions

When developing a site in the Ottawa area, it is important to consider the implication of

accessibility. Through the development review process, the Accessibility Design Standards

(ADS) and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) are used to ensure that

Ottawa residents have barrier-free access to see what the City has to offer. It is also important to

keep in mind the implications of construction and how it may affect the travel of persons with

disabilities. Overall the City of Ottawa has taken a stance that accessibility should be examined

with a high degree of scrutiny and that developers in Ottawa should be considering accessibility

at every step during their proposed developments.

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7.0 References

1. “A profile of persons with disabilities among Canadians aged 15 years or older, 2012”.

Statistics Canada. Government of Canada. Revised 30/11/2015. Accessed 02/02/2016.

<http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2015001-eng.htm#a9>

2. “Growth Projections for Ottawa 2006-2031” City of Ottawa. Accessed 02/02/2016

<http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/get-know-your-city/statistics/growth-projections-ottawa-

2006-2031>

3. “City of Ottawa Municipal Accessibility Plan 2011-2012 Highlights”. City of Ottawa.

Accessed 02/11/2016. <http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/accessibility-services/municipal-

accessibility-plan-and-policies/city-ottawa-municipal>

4. “Accessibility Design Standards”. City of Ottawa Infrastructure Services Department. 2nd

Edition – November 2015. Accessed 26/02/2016.

5. Jo-anne Moore. “Accessibility During Construction”. City of Ottawa. Revised Mar 18,

2016. Accessed March 21, 2016

6. Simon Deiaco. “Site Plan Control Approval Application Delegated Authority Report”.

City of Ottawa. Revised March 17, 2015.

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8.0 Appendices

No appendices were used in this report due to the confidential nature of the material referenced

in the report.