The New Accessible Courthouse
Date Posted: July 7, 2017
Posted In: Ideas,
By Robert Schwartz
From Correctional News: About 10 years ago, I became a member of the Courthouse Access Advisory Committee, an august group of architects, accessibility experts, code experts, building operators, judges, court managers and lift manufacturers. We were assembled by the U.S. Access Board to develop best practices on integrating standards issued under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into the design of courthouses and published the final report, “Justice for All: Designing Accessible Courthouses,” in 2006.
Since then, I have had the honor to observe many existing courthouses and helped plan the renovation and new construction on several others. The lack of accessibility in existing courthouses is never more obvious. Meanwhile, many courts have hired accessibility experts and implemented accessibility improvements within the limitations of their buildings by adding ramps, lifts, power door operators, lowered public counters and remodeled toilet facilities.
Designers of new courthouses have embraced the ADA Standards and integrated access with trauma-informed design, wayfinding and sustainability to provide a better experience for the public and a superior environment for staff within basic courthouse planning principles. The requirement to comply with ADA Standards began in 1992. The current ADA Standards, which were updated in 2012, include several specific provisions for courthouse and detention facilities.
The ADA addresses access to public spaces as well as to employee areas. ADA Standards require that all courtrooms comply in new construction and address access to jury boxes, witness stands, judges’ benches and other courtroom spaces. Universal Accessibility has also become a natural progression adopted by many jurisdictions. With Universal Accessibility, the accessible path is used by everyone, is direct and eliminates the need for separate stairs at entries and corridors.