[Nfbc-info] update on touch screen elevators

Tue Feb 10 05:07:53 UTC 2015

Great job on this one Chuck.

I hope NFBCAL gets involved with this issue.

Rob Kaiser
email;
rcubfank at sbcglobal.net
-----Original Message----- 
From: Charles Krugman via Nfbc-info
Sent: Monday, February 9, 2015 8:58 PM
To: NFBC
Subject: [Nfbc-info] update on touch screen elevators

Last week there was some discussion regarding touch screen elevators and I 
said that I would attempt to get additional information. Below are abstracts 
from email responses that address this inquiry. NFB California may want to 
become involved in addressing this issue if it hasn’t already done so. let 
me know if I can provide any further assistance.
Chuck Krugman, MSW, Paralegal
1237 P Street
Fresno ca 93721
559-266-9237

The configuration described in the original email, a touchscreen without an 
accessibility function button, would not be compliant with the recent 
destination oriented elevator accessibility regulations proposed by DSA and 
adopted by the BSC in July 2014. These regulations were published on or 
about 1 January 2015 and will become effective on 1 July 2015.

As Richard knows, DSA had extensive discussions with the representatives 
from the elevator industry, organizations representing the vision impaired, 
the City of San Francisco, building officials from other jurisdictions and 
accessibility stakeholders.

The destination oriented elevator regulations require an accessibility 
function button for both keypad and touch screen interfaces that will, when 
activated, provide audible guidance on the use of the system. As Richard 
mentioned these systems are relatively new; I would expect any person, 
whether or not they were disabled, to need some assistance from the facility 
staff or security personnel during their initial visit if they have not used 
this type of system before.

The detailed regulations for these systems can be found at 11B-206.6 
Elevators, Exception 3, which permits destination oriented elevators that 
comply with the technical requirements of Section 11B-411 – Destination 
oriented elevators. Sub sections 11B-411.2.1.2.4 Display screen deals with 
touch screens and 11B-411.2.1.2.5 sets forth the requirements for audio 
outputs when the accessibility function button is pressed.

As mentioned above, prior to these code provisions there were and still are 
very limited standards for destination oriented elevators within the ADA, 
consisting mainly of exceptions to the requirements for standard elevators. 
California, building on the work of San Francisco, is again first in the 
nation to address accessibility for this relatively new technology.

If you have any further questions please feel free to contact DSA.

Dennis J. Corelis

Deputy State Architect

Division of the State Architect / Headquarters

State of California » Department of General Services

1102 Q St., Suite 5100, Sacramento, CA 95811

www.dgs.ca.gov/dsa/

Phone (916) 445-4167

Fax (916) 324-0207

Email Dennis.Corelis at dgs.ca.gov

DSA_Logo_Color

Certification Starts When Construction Begins

What Charles experienced was a “destination-based” elevator system.  Up 
until a couple of years ago, because cities/counties were allowing them to 
be installed without permits, they were being installed in high-rise 
buildings and were almost completely inaccessible to blind users.  The whole 
operating system was changed. The new systems used a computer system to 
organize elevator trips, so instead of an elevator taking people to multiple 
floors, the users put in the floor they are going to on a key pad, or in the 
case Charles experienced, on a touch screen.  The computer then organizes 
all users going to a specific floor into one elevator cab.  There are no 
floor buttons inside the elevator cabs.  Some bright engineer figured this 
whole concept out and it apparently saves highrise building owners about 25% 
electricity savings because the electric motor powering the cabs only starts 
up once on the way up and once on the way down.

Walter Park, who I opened the Mayor’s Office on Disability with in 1989 is 
presently on the SF Building Department’s Access Appeals Board.  One of the 
inspectors caught one of the installations in SF and forced the property 
owner to go to the Access Appeals Commission.  Once there, Walter and the 
other Commissioners actually forced the industry to meet with the Commission 
to develop local standards for making the systems accessible.  It was about 
a 3 year process (I may be off a year or so).  Anyway, once the Commission 
and industry created local standards, I contacted DSA and that office took 
what had been done in SF and made some minor modifications, but the SF 
guidelines were adopted by the Building Standards Commission.

As far as the touch screen issue, those were just starting to be installed 
when DSA was going through the process of putting the SF guidelines into 
code language for adoption.  Dennis Corelis knew about that change and 
committed DSA to oversee the process to assure that the touch screens would 
actually be accessible for blind users or another solution would be 
required.  I haven’t followed up to see where DSA is with that process.  You 
might want to contact Dennis.

If you want more details about the work Walter and the Commission did on 
this issue, you can email Walter at: waltsfo at gmail.com

Richard Skaff, Executive Director
Designing Accessible Communities
15500 Monte Rosa Avenue
Guerneville, CA 95446
Voice: 707-604-3503
Cell: 707-755-1681
Email: richardskaff at designingaccessiblecommunities.org
Web: www.designingaccessiblecommunities.org

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