CURRENT NEWS FROM THE UNITED STATES ACCESS BOARD 

ACCESS CURRENTS

B

Board Issues New Accessibility Guidelines for Recreation Facilities

On September 3, 2002, the Access Board published new guidelines that address access for 

persons with disabilities to a variety of recreation facilities. The guidelines specify the 

minimum level of accessibility required in the construction or alteration of amusement rides, 

boating facilities, fishing piers and platforms, golf courses, miniature golf courses, sports 

facilities, swimming and wading pools, and spas. The Board issued these guidelines under 

the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which ensures access to a wide range of facilities 

in the private and public sectors. The Board is also making these guidelines applicable to 

facilities covered by the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), which requires certain federally 

funded facilities to be accessible.

The new guidelines supplement the Board’s ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) by 

adding a new chapter specific to recreation facilities. ADAAG, as originally published, 

covered many types of buildings and facilities but did not specifically address recreation 

facilities in particular detail. The Board had determined that specific guidance was needed 

on how to achieve access at recreation facilities. The published guidelines provide new 

requirements for such facilities and also clarify how existing requirements in ADAAG are to 

be applied. New provisions take into consideration certain design features unique to the 

facilities covered. 

The Board developed these guidelines based on 

recommendations prepared by an advisory committee 

established by the Board. The Recreation Access Advisory 

Committee, which represented recreation associations and 

trade groups, disability organizations, designers, and 

others, submitted its recommendations to the Board in the 

form of a report, which the Board made widely available as 

a source of guidance pending the development of these 

guidelines. In July 1999, the Board published the guidelines 

in proposed form and made them available for public 

comment for six months. During the comment period, the 

Board held public hearings on the proposed guidelines in 

Dallas and Boston. The Board received approximately 300 comments on the proposed 

guidelines. Comments were submitted by operators of amusement parks, recreation and 

sporting associations, disability groups, designers, and others. In an effort to provide the 

public with an additional opportunity for input on the rule before it was finalized, the Board 

published a summary of changes it intended to make to the guidelines based on its review of 

comments. The Board held public meetings in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco on the 

planned revisions. The Board finalized the guidelines based on the additional input it received from commenters. 

As issued by the Board, the final guidelines are not mandatory on the public. Instead, they 

set the minimum baseline for enforceable standards maintained by the Department of 

Justice (DOJ) under the ADA and other agencies under the ABA. In the interim, the public 

may use the new guidelines as a resource in addressing access to the types of facilities 

covered until they are made part of the standards used to enforce the ADA and ABA. 

Volume 8 No. 4 July/ August 2002 

The new guidelines

are posted on the 

Board’s website at 

 www.access-board.gov. 

To order a print 

copy or an 

alternate format, 

contact the Board at:

(800) 872-2253 (v),

(800) 993-2822 (TTY), or

pubs@access-board.gov

(e-mail).
Summary of the Guidelines on Recreation Facilities

The published guidelines add a new chapter (15) to ADAAG that covers recreation facilities. 

The guidelines also supplement or amend existing sections in ADAAG. For example, 

definitions are included for terms used in the new guidelines, such as “amusement ride” and 

“area of sports activity,” which supplement ADAAG’s definition section. Added requirements 

and exceptions clarify the application of certain ADAAG requirements, including those for 

accessible routes and player seating areas in sports facilities. New provisions also 

supplement criteria for accessible dressing, fitting, and locker rooms, including the minimum 

number of lockers required to be accessible. The guidelines also add provisions to ADAAG 

covering benches, saunas and steam rooms. 

Chapter 15. Recreation Facilities

Amusement Rides (15.1)

The guidelines address access to amusement rides for persons with disabilities, including 

those who use wheelchairs. Specifications require provision of either a wheelchair space on 

the ride or a ride seat or device designed for transfer to the ride. The guidelines also 

address access at loading and unloading areas and provide specific criteria for wheelchair 

spaces, ride seats designed for transfer, and transfer devices. Certain exceptions are 

provided for rides that are: set up temporarily, such as at a traveling carnival, designed 

primarily for children, controlled or operated by the rider, or not equipped with seats. 

Boating Facilities (15.2)

Boating facilities, such as piers and docks provided at marinas to 

serve recreational vessels, are covered by the guidelines. The 

dynamic interface between land and water presents unique and 

significant challenges in providing access to floating facilities. 

Criteria for gangways connecting floating facilities take these 

constraints into account. The guidelines apply ADAAG requirements 

for accessible routes and ramps, but provide exceptions to criteria

for maximum rise and slope, handrail extensions, and level landings. 

The key challenge to slope is the considerable vertical changes that 

gangways must span at times. The guidelines generally require an 

accessible slope for gangways (1:12 maximum), but provide an 

exception so that gangways do not have to be longer than 80 feet. 

The guidelines also address the minimum number of accessible 

boat slips required to be accessible. This number is based on a 

table according to the total amount of boat slips provided at a facility. 

Fishing Piers and Platforms (15.3)

This section addresses railings and edge protection on fishing piers and platforms. Railings, 

guardrails, and handrails are not required by the guidelines. However, where they are 

provided, a portion (at least 25%) cannot be more than 34 inches high so that the railings do 

not obstruct fishing for people using wheelchairs. An exception permits the use of a guard 

complying with the International Building Code where required by other authorities. Lowered 

railings are required to be dispersed throughout a fishing facility. Edge protection at least 2 

inches high is also addressed to prevent the wheels of mobility aids from slipping over the 

edge. 

Golf (15.4)

The guidelines recognize that access to golf courses is typically achieved through the use of 

golf cars. Golf car passages are permitted in lieu of accessible routes throughout golf 

courses. To comply, courses must be designed so that golf cars can access teeing grounds

 Page 2

Boat Slips Minimum

 Provided Accessible

1-25 1

26-50 2

51-100 3

101-150 4

151-300 5

301-400 6

401-500 7

501-600 8

601-700 9

701-800 10

801-900 11

901-1000 12

1001 and over *

*12 + 1 for each 100 or

fraction thereof
For further information 

contact the Board:

phone

(800) 872-2253 (v)

(800) 993-2822 (TTY)

fax

(202) 272-0081 

web

www.access-board.gov

e-mail

ta@access-board.gov 

(technical assistance)

training@access-board.gov

(training opportunities)

Golf (continued)

and putting greens. Modified accessible routes are required to serve practice putting greens 

and driving ranges since they often are not located within the boundary of a course. 

Technical specifications are provided for golf car passages, accessible routes, teeing 

grounds, putting greens, and weather shelters. 

Miniature Golf (15.5)

The guidelines address miniature golf courses and require at least half of the holes to be 

served by an accessible route. Specifications for accessible routes take into account design 

conventions for miniature golf courses, such as carpeted play surfaces and curbs. All level 

areas of an accessible hole where a ball may come to rest must be within the reach of golf 

clubs (36 inches) from accessible routes.

Play Areas (15.6)

The Board previously issued guidelines for play areas in October 2000 in a separate 

rulemaking. The play area guidelines comprise a subsection of the new chapter on 

recreation facilities. They cover the number of play components required to be accessible, 

accessible surfacing in play areas, ramp access and transfer system access to elevated 

structures, and access to soft contained play structures. The guidelines address play areas 

provided at schools, parks, child care facilities (except those based in the operator’s home, 

which are exempt), and other facilities subject to the ADA.

Exercise Equipment and Machines, Bowling Lanes, and Shooting Facilities (15.7)

Provisions for exercise equipment, bowling lanes, and shooting facilities are included in the 

guidelines. The guidelines do not affect the design of exercise equipment and machines, 

but instead require one of each type to be on an accessible route and to provide transfer 

space for persons using wheelchairs. Access is also required to a portion (at least 5%) of 

bowling lanes and shooting facilities. 

Swimming Pools, Wading Pools, and Spas (15.8)

The guidelines address access to swimming pools, wading pools, and spas. Specifications 

are provided for various means of providing pool access, including pool lifts, sloped entries, 

transfer walls, transfer systems, and stairs. Access to swimming pools can be achieved by 

sloped entries or pool lifts. For larger pools (those with 300 or more linear feet of pool wall), 

a secondary means of access is required. Stairs, transfer systems, or transfer walls can be 

used instead of lifts or sloped entries for this secondary means of access. Specific 

provisions are also provided for wading pools, spas, as well as wave action pools and other 

types of pools where user access is limited to one area.

 *Primary means must be by sloped entry or lift; secondary means can be any of the permitted types.

Further Information

Technical assistance and training on the recreation facility guidelines is available from the 

Board. For more information, contact the Board or visit its website. 

 Page 3

Permitted Means of Access

Pool Type sloped 

entry

lift transfer 

walls

transfer 

systems

stairs

Swimming (<300 linear ft) Υ Υ

Swimming (∃300 linear ft) – 2 means of entry Υ* Υ* Υ Υ Υ

Wave action, leisure river, and other pools 

where user entry is limited to 1 area Υ Υ Υ

Wading pools Υ

Spas Υ Υ Υ
Video on Classroom

Acoustics Released

A new video is now available on 

innovative designs and technologies 

for improving classroom acoustics. 

The video derives from a longer 

program on school design developed 

by the Information Television Network 

with sponsorship from the Board and 

other organizations. Copies of the 

video, Classroom Acoustics: Listening 

vs. Learning, can be ordered from the 

Educational Audiology Association at 

(800) 460-7322, eaa@L-Tgraye.com 

(e-mail), or www.edaud.org (website).

ASA Publishes Classroom Acoustics Standard 

Acoustical performance is an important consideration in the design of 

classrooms. Research indicates that high levels of background noise 

adversely affect learning environments, particularly for children with 

hearing loss. Children with speech impairments or learning disabilities 

are also significantly affected. A new standard for classroom 

acoustics, which takes into account children with hearing loss, is now 

available from the Acoustical Society of America (ASA). ASA 

developed the standard through a working group that represented 

various interests and experts in the field. The Board helped sponsor 

the work of this group and expanded its membership. 

The standard was developed under approval procedures of the 

American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a non-profit organization that coordinates voluntary consensus standards in the U.S. The

approved standard, known as the ANSI S12.60-2002 American 

National Standard Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements, and Guidelines for Schools, sets 

specific criteria for maximum background noise (35 decibels) and reverberation (0.6 to 0.7 seconds for 

unoccupied classrooms). These and other specifications are consistent with long-standing recommendations 

for good practice in acoustical design. Taken by itself, the standard is voluntary unless referenced by a code, 

ordinance, or regulation. However, school systems may require compliance with the standard as part of their 

construction documents for new schools, thus making the design team responsible for addressing the issues. 

Copies of the standard can be ordered through the ASA’s website at http://asa.aip.org or by contacting ASA at 

(631) 390-0215 (phone), (631) 390-0217 (fax), or asastds@aip.org (e-mail). 

Access Currents is a free newsletter issued by the Access Board every other month by mail and e-mail. Send 

questions or comments to news@access-board.gov or call (800) 872-2253 ext. 0026 (voice) or (800) 993-2822

(TTY). Mailing address: 1331 F Street, N.W., Suite 1000; Washington, D.C. 20004-1111.

Volume 8 No. 4 July/ August 2002 Page 4

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