Resources: Committee Members' Favorite Resources

ADA Portal
ADA regs, standards, technical assistance galore. One stop shopping.
www.adaportal.org

Access Board
This is the federal Access Board’s site. It is a great resource for federal accessible design standards, as well as a wealth of technical resource materials, including guidance material on accessible flooring, play areas, assistive listening systems, public rights-of-way, and much more. All of their materials are free and available online and in print formats. When debating a technical design issue, the information on this site often informs the discussion and leads to workable solutions.
www.access-board.gov

Fair Housing Act Design Manual
A Manual to Assist Designers and Buildings in Meeting the Accessibility Requirements of the Fair Housing Act Prepared by Barrier Free Environments, Inc. for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (August, 1996). This is an invaluable resource for anyone designing new multi-family housing or dormitories nationally. Download or order a copy.

U.S. Fair Housing Act Frequently Asked Questions www.fairhousingfirst.org/faq.asp

ADA Title II Action Guide For State and Local Governments
Prepared by Adaptive Environments Center, Inc. for the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
A manual and workbook designed to guide state and local governments through the ADA compliance process. This is an important resource for architects whose contracts often require that they provide architectural access in the context of the ADA’s broader civil rights mandates. It helps architects understand their public clients’ “gray areas” of program access, where the client’s operational strategies and their facility design are meshed. Serve your clients and limit your liabilities by understanding the complexities of the ADA for your state and local government clients.

For more information, or to order a copy, e-mail ADAinfo@NewEnglandADA.org or telephone 1-800-949-4232.

The National Center on Accessibility
A collaborative program between the National Parks Service and Indiana University
National Center on Accessibility Patrons with Disabilities Survey. View the Executive Summary by clicking here.
www.ncaonline.org

Architect's First Source Build Code Library
Lists all codes by city and state (requires a log in/password).
www.firstsourceonl.com/codes/index.asp

Thomas J. Schmokel Consulting
Many access links and state code listings are available by clicking here. www.schmokel.com
www.istal.com/smoke/statecode.htm

Association of Science — Technology Centers Accessible Practices www.astc.org/resource/access/index.htm

National Arts and Disability Center Designing Accessible Programs for Museums
http://nadc.ucla.edu/DesigningAccessiblePrograms.htm

Smithsonian Guidelines for Accessible Exhibit Design www.si.edu/opa/accessibility/exdesign/start.htm

Website Accessibility
To find out more about what makes a website accessible, visit W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative or WebAIM.

Massachusetts Best of Accessible Design Awards, sponsored by the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board
(description)

BSA Access Committee 
52 Broad Street, Boston MA 02109 
617-951-1433x221 
E-mail the committee (access@architects.org)
BSA Access Committee Website (http://www.architects.org/access)