Access Board Releases Draft Guidelines

Good news folks -- the Access Board actually released the draft guidelines for passenger vessels!


In any case they are available on-line at :
http://www.access-board.gov/news/pvag.htm

Yeah, I know they are pretty cumbersome. But these regs will affect everybody so it?s worth reading them and commenting on them.

At first glance it looks like the Access Board did a really good job on them. I'm particularly pleased that they went against the PVAAC's recommendation re: the exemption for wide doorways on *all* rooms. They are going straight with the ADAAG ( 224.1.2, which requires doors to and within guest rooms that are not required to provide mobility features to have a 32 inch clear opening width). This is great news for visitability and integration.

Anyway, I plan to make public comments and post them on my blog. I can't find any deadline for public comments, although they are having a Jan 10 public meeting in DC. I have e-mailed the Access Board to ask about the deadline for public comments. I will post that deadline here when I get it.

Let your voice be heard on this matter. The Access Board *really* listens to public comments so please take the time to send in your opinion to them


Candy Harrington
Editor, Emerging Horizons
***edited to remove commercial reference***
The only accessible travel magazine

The Access Board will accept comments until March 28, 2005.

Candy Harrington
Editor, Emerging Horizons
***edited to remove commercial reference***
The only accessible travel magazine

As promised here’s a link to my public comments on the draft guidelines for passenger vessels.
http://emerginghorizons.com/blog/200...ess-board.html

Information about how you can submit public comments is also included. Contrary to my first impression, the draft guidelines do *not* contain that all important provision that requires all stateroom doorways (not just the accessible stateroom doorways) to have a clearance of at least 32 inches. My public comments focus on why it is essential to include this provision.

I also encourage everyone who may be affected by these rules to submit their own public comments. This is your chance to be a port of the process.

Candy Harrington
Editor, Emerging Horizons
http://www.EmergingHorizons.com
The only accessible travel magazine
Read my blog at www.EmergingHorizons.com/blog