Handrails 1.9 and 1.5 OD (ADA compliant)

It is important for aquatic facility design consultants and deck equipment manufacturers to be aware that the majority of a facility's users are often children, elderly and/or Persons with Disabilities. With this in mind, access and egress issues are of paramount importance when equipping today's facilities. Plus, new ADA requirements are making the selection of railings more important than ever.

In September 2002, the United States Access Board, under the authority of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), published new guidelines that specifically address access for persons with disabilities to a variety of recreation facilities, including swimming pools and spas. These guidelines, issued under the ADA, are also applicable to facilities covered by the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), which requires certain federally funded facilities to be accessible.

The guidelines will eventually be part of the standards used by the Department of Justice to enforce the ADA and by other agencies for ADA enforcement. This will result in newly constructed and altered existing swimming pools and spas becoming more readily accessible to individuals with disabilities.