TOILET COMPARTMENTS ARE A MAJOR SERVICE AMENITY IN ALL PUBLIC WASHROOMS
There are five accessible toilet compartments specified in the ADAAG. Four are
intended for use by wheelchair users and the fifth is designed for walking
mobility-impaired people who need the support of parallel grab bars when sitting and
rising. Two of the compartments have a minimum width of 60" (1524mm) and are termed
standard, including one that has an alcove configuration. The two alternate compartments
are narrower; one is 36" (914mm) wide, the other at least 48" (1219mm) wide.
Alternate compartments are acceptable only in alteration work where it can be demonstrated
that it is technically infeasible to install standard compartments, or where plumbing
codes do not allow the reduction in fixtures that result from combining, for example, two
conventional 30" (762mm) wide compartments into one standard 60" (1524mm) wide
compartment. The fifth ADAAG (walk-in) compartment is 36" (914mm) wide and is similar
to a 36" (914mm) alternate compartment. It has two parallel grab bars and an
out-swinging self-closing door, but its length and door width are not specified (because
they are not intended for wheelchair users).
Each washroom must have at least one
standard compartment, and ADAAG specifies that washrooms with six or more compartments
must also have at least one (walk-in) compartment, 36" (914mm) wide of any length
with parallel grab bars and an out-swinging door. Some wheelchair users can use 36"
(914mm) wide toilet compartments but many cannot and that is why they are not allowed as
standard in washrooms. It is recommended that wherever 36" (914mm) wide (walk-in)
compartments are required to meet the six-or-more rule, they be made the same lengths and
given the same door width as the 36" (914mm) wide alternate compartments. In this way
they can be used by both walking mobility-impaired people and those wheelchair users who
can or prefer to use them.
The ADAAG, UFAS, and earlier ANSI
Standards basically have the same compartment layouts. However, ICC/ANSI 98 represents a
departure. The compartment names are different and do not include the alternate
compartment layouts. The titles and drawing notes below reflect these changes.
Standard compartments (Fig.
7, for all new construction and alterations) (ICC/ANSI 98 Wheelchair Accessible
Compartment), with an out-swinging door no more than 4" (102mm) from the corner
diagonally from the toilet must be at least 60" (1524mm) wide. The depth must be at
least 56" (1422mm) with wall-mounted toilets or 59" (1499mm) with floor-mounted
toilets. The toilet must be offset on the back wall with its centerline 18" (457mm)
from the nearest side wall or partition. This configuration and size allows a person using
a wheelchair the option of a front or side approach to the toilet (Fig. 6) and enough
space for an assistant if necessary. Horizontal grab bars must be mounted behind the
toilet and on the nearest side wall or partition.
Standard alcove (End-Of-Row)
compartments (Fig. 8, for all new construction and alterations) (ICC/ANSI 98
Wheelchair Accessible Com- partment), with a side-entry in-swinging door, are also
acceptable and often the preferred choice as end-of-row compartments wherever space is
available. They require the same 60" (1524mm) minimum width as the standard
compartments, and they must have a depth of at least 92" (2337mm) with wall-mounted
toilets or 95" (2413mm) with floor-mounted toilets.
Alternate compartments 36"
(914mm) wide (Fig. 9, acceptable only in alterations where standard compartments are
technically infeasible) (no ICC/ANSI 98 equivalent), with a front-entry, out-swinging,
self-closing door, must be at least 66" (1676mm) deep with wall-mounted toilets or
69" (1753mm) with floor-mounted toilets. The toilet must be centered on the back
wall, and there must be a horizontal grab bar on each side wall or partition. These
compartments must not be wider or narrower than 36" (914mm) because they are designed
for and best used by walking mobility-impaired people who need the support of the parallel
grab bars when sitting and rising. They can be made more universally usable by increasing
their depth to at least 72" (1829mm). |
