Although intended for one-stop career centers, I thought the checklist below may be useful generally to organizations interested in conducting an accessibility self-evaluation. ---------- From the web page http://www.doleta.gov/access/chklst.htm U.S. Department of Labor Disability Initiative The One-Stop Disability Access Checklist: Determining Accessibility in Facilities and Provision of Services The information and survey contained in this document will enable most One-Stop Career Centers to do the required self-evaluations and to plan to meet the accessibility needs of customers with disabilities who come to One- Stop Career Center's for services. Accessibility is an on-going process. Technology, standards, and needs are constantly changing. Architectural accessibility codes of twenty years ago were a few pages long. Today, most codes are well over a hundred pages. Rather than look at this process as a static one, view it as an on-going process that is as much a part of your system building as staff development, budgeting and organizational development might be. The attached checklist will enable your One-Stop Career Center to conduct a thorough self-evaluation and transition plan. Consider it a management tool that will help you to assess what you have already done to facilitate equal opportunity for people with disabilities and to plan what needs to be done in the future. The checklist addresses requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended as well as those under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The purpose of a self-evaluation is to allow you to gather information regarding your organization's level of accessibility in one place and at one time. A good self-evaluation will capture your strengths and weaknesses. It will allow you to develop a concrete plan, based on real data, to increase the level of accessibility in your program. A transition plan accomplishes the same goals in terms of architectural accessibility. A good transition plan will identify priorities for barrier removal and will assist you in developing an annual plan continuing to do so. In developing these tools, we have tried to simplify complex issues while maintaining the integrity of the goal of accessibility and the requirements of the law. Questions regarding specific situations for specific programs will arise and should be expected. Call your appropriate State DOL agency or local agency resource for additional information. Developing Career Centers that are totally accessible to people with disabilities is critical for many reasons. By the year 2000, one in five Americans will have some type of disability due partly to the aging of our population. More significantly, for those of working age, is that people are surviving illness and injury at far greater numbers and expecting to resume work in some form. Societal attitudes have changed toward greater acceptance of workers with disabilities than previously. Yet, people with disabilities report widespread unemployment or underemployment. Citizens with disabilities not working are estimated to be a the 70 percent level. As the One-Stop Career Centers reach advanced levels of integration with a broad group of agencies, the system will be expected to serve the full range of the American population -- from early teens to the elderly. Increasing numbers of people with disabilities will be coming to the One-Stop System as we become a significant part of service delivery in employment, training and educational services. In order to better serve customers with disabilities, it is necessary to involve the disability community in your planning and development process. Begin by contacting disability organizations. We have state lists of these and if you need help please call the DOL Disability Initiative at 202-219-8927 and ask for Rick Douglas or E-Mail at rdouglas@dol.gov. The checklist is designed to be self-guiding. The point is to successfully be able to serve customers with disabilities and attract those customers. For more specific information, click on any of the following: Section I: Customer Service/Accommodation Practices Section II: Communications Accessibility Section Ill: Existing Facilities Checklist ---------- SECTION I: Customer service/Accommodation Practices The following portion of the checklist reviews recommended customer service and accommodation practices for Department of Labor One Stop Center programs. Not only does it outline what you are required to do, but is also asks you to evaluate your efforts to date and provides helpful hints. The One-Stop Team recommends the following steps be taken: * Completion of this checklist * Development of internal action steps to rectify issues identified as a result * Development of written organization wide policies * Maintenance of this self-evaluation and supporting/resulting documents on file * Annual review of this self-evaluation There may be terminology that you do not understand. Please refer to the end of the checklist for an explanation of the question and the terminology. If you have additional questions, please call your State DOL agency for clarification. 1. Has your One-Stop program affirmatively sought to serve qualified individuals with disabilities? Yes No a. What steps have been taken to meet this goal? b. Have you been successful? c. How do you know? 2.Do you have a written policy concerning discrimination on the basis of physical or mental disability? Yes No 3.Do you regularly review your service practices ( advertising, notices signage, building and program access) to be certain that you, your managers, supervisors, or external consultants are nondiscriminatory in the treatment of customers with disabilities? Yes No Employment Practices under the Americans with Disabilities Act Guidelines 1. Medical records must be kept in a separate location -medicalrecords. Access to medical records must be limited. Are all Membfromnoners' non-medical records kept in a separate place from records that contain medical information? (Medical information includes insurance application forms as well as health certificates, results of physical exams, etc.) Yes No a. Do you have a written policy regarding who has access to medical information? b. What is the policy? (A copy should be attached here.) 2. Do your employee recruitment materials, including photos and ad copy, contain positive images of persons with disabilities and indicate your program's commitment to inclusion of persons with disabilities? Yes No 3. Are inquiries related to the presence of a disability or the possible presence of a disability that someone may have, limited to performance of essential functions of the job and requirements for reasonable accommodations? a. Are supervisory staff aware of what constitutes legal and illegal inquiries? Yes No b. If 'yes', how did they obtain this information? Describe. For example, did they participate in a training session? Read relevant literature? etc. c. Have job descriptions been analyzed to determine which functions of a job are 'essential' and which are 'marginal'? Yes No If "yes", describe the process for doing this. d. Are job descriptions in writing? Yes No e. Are any of the following questions asked during the application process? 1. Health or physical condition? Yes No 2. Physical or mental problems or disabilities? Yes No 3. Medical history? Yes No 4. Previous workers' compensation claims? Yes No 5. Prior health insurance claims? Yes No 6. Past drug use or substance abuse? Yes No NOTE: The ADA requires that these types of employment questions no longer be used. Consider ADA training in interviewing. 7. Do you require that applicants for employment take any of the following tests as part of the application process? a. Drug or alcohol test? Yes No b. HIV tests? Yes No c. Skill or performance tests? Yes No d. Psychological tests? Yes No e. Intelligence tests? Yes No 8. Do you have a substance abuse policy? Yes No 9. Do you have a drug testing policy? Yes No 10. It is required that reasonable accommodation be provided to employees and customers with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation includes a broad range of adaptations to the manner or circumstances in which a service activity is performed, an interview is conducted, etc. Reasonable accommodation might include: Allowing an individual with a psychiatric disability to periodically leave early or arrive late and later make up that time Making structural modifications to accommodate a participant who uses a wheelchair Providing auxiliary aids and services including sign language interpreters, readers (for people who don't read print due to a disability) or providing material in alternative format such as Braille, ASCII disk, etc. a. Have employees and applicants been informed that they are entitled to reasonable accommodations? Yes No b. If 'yes', how have they been so informed? c. Are reasonable accommodations provided to Department of Labor One-Stop Center program employees, applicants and customers with disabilities? Yes No d. How do you know? e. Has a reasonable written accommodations policy been developed? (A copy should be attached.) Yes No f. Do supervisory staff know how to proceed if an accommodation is requested? Yes No g. Has a specific supervisory staff member been designated to coordinate reasonable accommodation, including determining when an accommodation is or is not reasonable and when a funding request will be made ? (Note: This is not required, but is recommended.) Yes No h. Do they know how to secure a sign language interpreter if necessary? Yes No i. Do they know how to get material transcribed into Braille, recorded on audio cassette, or placed on ASCII diskette? Yes No 11. Are, as a matter of policy, interviews, staff meetings and other gatherings held in accessible locations? (Accessible locations include accessible entrances, meeting areas, and rest rooms.) Yes No 12. Are off-site staff trainings, holiday parties, picnics or other gatherings held in accessible locations? Yes No 13. Are reasonable accommodations, including sign language interpreters, written materials in alternative format, etc. provided to individuals with disabilities at off-site meetings, trainings, and social events? Yes No ---------- Section II: COMMUNICATIONS ACCESSIBILITY CHECKLIST for One-Stop Centers Communications access refers to the way that information is received and transmitted. When evaluating your program in terms of access to communication, you will be assessing the four different ways in which communication occurs: aural, oral, cognition and visual. It is important to keep in mind that there are four distinct, broad populations that are affected by your level of accessibility in this area. These are: persons with impaired hearing, speech, cognition and vision. In some ways, communications access is more challenging to provide than architectural access. A well-built and designed ramp will provide access to a wide variety of persons with mobility impairments. Large print, on the other hand, will only provide access to a portion of the population with visual impairments. 1. Does the One-Stop have information that is communicated visually? (Note: information communicated visually includes brochures, enrollment forms, handbooks, videotapes, flip charts, slides, posters, graphic directional signs, and so forth.) Yes No Type of information: Large print, Braille, Videotape, Readers, Verbal description, Diskette, Pictorial, Signage, Other 2. Does the program involve information that is communicated verbally? Yes No Type of information: Interpreter, TDD, Relay, Paper/Pen, CART, RTC, Decoders, Written copies, oral interpreter, Other Every effort should be made to meet an individual's preferred method of auxiliary aids and services. If you cannot provide the preferred method, you must ensure that whatever method you do provide is effective for that individual. 3. Does the One-Stop Center inform persons with disabilities that communications aids and services are provided upon request? (Note: It is not sufficient to only inform persons who have identified themselves as having an accommodation need. You must be able to inform the public-at-large). Yes No 4. How do you do so? 5. Does the One-Stop have a procedure for deciding which auxiliary aids and services to provide? Yes No 6. Does the procedure provide for consideration of an individual's preferred aid or service? Yes No 7. Does the procedure include a mechanism for determining that an aid or service that is provided other than aid or service that was requested is equally effective? Yes No 8. Does the program communicate with the public over the phone? Yes No 9. Are telephone conversations lengthy, complex, technical or personal? Yes No 10. Does the program have a TDD? Yes No 11. If so, have staff been trained on the appropriate use of a TDD? Yes No 12. Is there a mechanism for re-training? Yes No 13. Are staff trained in the use of the relay system? Yes No 14. Are staff aware of the relay number? Yes No 15. Does the program have a web page? Yes No 16. Is the web page captioned? Yes No 17. Is there a mechanism for ensuring that people who are deaf or hearing impaired are aware of an activated fire or smoke alarm? Yes No 18. Is there an established emergency evacuation procedure that addresses the needs of persons with disabilities? (This should include the evacuation of persons with mobility impairments.) Yes No 19. Have staff been trained in this procedure? Yes No 20. Please describe the training. Technology and accommodation for People with Disabilities in the One-Stop Centers Because of the One-Stop Center service delivery systems which include computers, software and other technology we will be sending out additional advisories from time to time. Some One-Stops will need technical assistance to make sure that services, technology, etc. can be used by people with disabilities. To assist you we have developed a technical advisory group with the Job Accommodation Network (JAN). Experts there can give you advise on hardware, software and technology to enable people who are blind, deaf, or have physical disabilities to use One-Stop services. The JAN phone number is: 800 - JAN-7234 or 800-ADA-WORK. ---------- Section III: EXISTING FACILITIES CHECKLIST A. Priority 1: Accessible Entrance People with disabilities should be able to arrive on the site, approach the building, and enter the building as freely as everyone else. At least one path of travel should be safe and accessible for everyone, including people with disabilities. .. Path of Travel 1. Is there a path of travel that does not require the use of stairs? Yes No 2. Is the path of travel stable, firm and slip-resistant? Yes No 3. Is the path at least 36 inches wide? Yes No 4. Can all objects protruding into the path be detected by a person with a visual disability using a cane? (Note: In order to be detected using a cane, an object must be within 27 inches of the ground. Objects hanging or mounted overhead must be higher than 80 inches to provide clear head room. It is not necessary to remove objects that protrude less than 4 inches from the wall.) Yes No 5. Do curbs on the pathway have curb cuts at drives, parking, and drop-offs? Yes No Ramps 6. Are the slopes of ramps no greater than 1:12? (Note: Slope is given as a ratio of the height to the length. 1:12 means for every 12 inches along the base of the ramp, the height increases one inch. For a 1.12 maximum slope, at least one foot of ramp length is needed for each inch of height.) Yes No 7. Do all ramps longer than 6 feet have railings on both sides? Yes No 8. Are railings sturdy, and between 34 and 38 inches high? Yes No 9. Is the width between railings at least 36 inches? Yes No 10. Are ramps non-slip? Yes No 11. Is there a 5-foot-long level landing at every 30-foot horizontal length of ramp, at the top and bottom of ramps and at switchbacks? Yes No Parking and Drop-Off Areas 12. Are an adequate number of accessible parking spaces available (8 feet wide for car plus 5-foot striped access aisle)? For guidance in determining the appropriate number to designate, the table below gives the ADAAG requirements for new construction and alterations (for lots with more than 100 spaces, refer to ADAAG): Total spaces Accessible 1 to 25 1 space 25 to 50 2 spaces 51 to 75 3 spaces 76 to 100 4 spaces (Note: Check your state building code for parking requirements. Sometimes state codes are more stringent.) Yes No 13. Are 16-foot-wide spaces, with 98 inches of vertical clearance, available for lift-equipped vans? Yes No At least one of every 8 accessible spaces must be van-accessible. 14. Are the accessible spaces closest to the accessible entrance? Yes No 15. Are accessible spaces marked with the International Symbol of Accessibility? Are there signs reading "Van Accessible" at van spaces? International Symbol of Accessibility: Yes No 16. Is there an enforcement procedure to ensure that accessible parking is used only by those who need it? Yes No Entrance 17. If there are stairs at the main entrance, is there also a ramp or lift, or is there an alternative accessible entrance? Yes No Do not use a service entrance as the accessible entrance unless there is no other option. 18. Do all inaccessible entrances have signs indicating the location of the nearest accessible entrance? Yes No 19. Can the alternate accessible entrance be used independently? Yes No 20. Does the entrance door have at least 32 inches clear opening (for a double door, at least one 32-inch leaf)? Yes No 21. Is there at least 18 inches of clear wall space on the pull side of the door, next to the handle? Yes No A person using a wheelchair needs this space to get close enough to open the door. 22. Is the threshold level (less than 1/4 inch) or beveled, up to 1/2 inch high? Yes No 23. Are doormats 1/2 inch high or less, and secured to the floor at all edges? Yes No 24. Is the door handle no higher than 48 inches and operable with a closed fist? Yes No The "closed fist" test for handles and controls: Try opening the door or operating the control using only one hand, held in a fist. If you can do it, so can a person who has limited use of his or her hands. 25. Can doors be opened without too much force (maximum is 5 lbf)? Yes No You can use a fish scale to measure the force required to open a door. Attach the hook of the scale to the doorknob or handle. Pull on the ring end of the scale until the door opens, and read off the amount of force required. If you do not have a fish scale, you will need to judge subjectively whether the door is easy enough to open. 26. If the door has a closer, does it take at least 3 seconds to close? Yes No Emergency Egress 27. Is there sufficient lighting for egress pathways such as stairs, corridors, and exit routes? Yes No B. Priority 2: Access to Goods and Services Ideally, the layout of the building should allow people with disabilities to obtain goods or services without special assistance. Where it is not possible to provide full accessibility, assistance or alternative services should be available upon request. Horizontal Circulation 1. Does the accessible entrance provide direct access to the main floor, lobby, or elevator? Yes No 2. Are all public spaces on an accessible path of travel? Yes No 3. Is the accessible route to all public spaces at least 36 inches wide? Yes No 4. Is there a 5-foot circle or a T-shaped space for a person using a wheelchair to reverse direction? Yes No Doors 5. Do doors in public spaces have at least a 32-inch clear opening? Yes No 6. On the pull side of doors, next to the handle, is there at least 18 inches of clear wall space so that a person using a wheelchair can get near to open the door? Yes No 7. Can doors be opened without too much force (5 lbf maximum)? Yes No 8. Are door handles 48 inches high or less and operable with a closed fist? Yes No 9. Are all thresholds level (less than 1/4 inch), or beveled, up to 1/2 inch high? Yes No Rooms and Spaces 10. Are all aisles and pathways to all goods and services at least 36 inches wide? Yes No 11. Is there a 5-foot circle or T-shaped space for turning a wheelchair completely? Yes No 12. Is carpeting low-pile, tightly woven, and securely attached along edges? Yes No 13. In routes through public areas, are all obstacles cane-detectable (located within 27 inches of the floor or protruding less than 4 inches from the wall), or are they higher than 80 inches? Yes No 14. Do signs designating permanent rooms and spaces, such as rest room signs, exit signs, and room numbers, comply with the appropriate requirements for accessible signage? Yes No Controls 15. Are all controls that are available for use by the public (including electrical, mechanical, window, cabinet, game, and self-service controls) located at an accessible height? Yes No Reach ranges: The maximum height for a side reach is 54 inches; for a forward reach, 48 inches. The minimum reachable height is 15 inches. 16. Are they operable with a closed fist? Yes No Seats, Tables and Counters 17. Are the aisles between chairs or tables at least 36 inches wide? Yes No 18. Are the spaces for wheelchair seating distributed throughout? Yes No 19. Are the tops of tables or counters between 28 and 34 inches high? Yes No 20. Are knee spaces at accessible tables at least 27 inches high, 30 inches wide, and 19 inches deep? Yes No Vertical Circulation 21. Are there ramps or elevators to all levels? Yes No 22. On each level, if there are stairs between the entrance and/or elevator and essential public areas, is there an accessible alternate route? Yes No Stairs 23. Do treads have a non-slip surface? Yes No 24. Do stairs have continuous rails on both sides, with extensions beyond the top and bottom stairs? Yes No Elevators 25. Are there both visible and verbal or audible door opening/closing and floor indicators (one tone = up, two tones = down)? Yes No 26. Are the call buttons in the hallway no higher than 42 inches? Yes No 27. Do the controls outside and inside the cab have raised and braille lettering? Yes No 28. Is there a sign on the jamb at each floor identifying the floor in raised and braille letters? Yes No 29. Is the emergency intercom usable without voice communication? Yes No 30. Are there braille and raised-letter instructions for the communication system? Yes No Lifts 31. Can the lift be used without assistance? If not, is a call button provided? Yes No 32. Is there at least 30 by 48 inches of clear space for a person using a wheelchair to approach to reach the controls and use the lift? Yes No 33. Are controls between 15 and 48 inches high (up to 54 inches if a side approach is possible)? Yes No C. Priority 3: Usability of Rest Rooms when rest rooms are open to the public, they should be accessible to people with disabilities. Closing a rest room that is currently open to the public is not an allowable option. Getting to the Rest Rooms 1. If rest rooms are available to the public, is at least one rest room (either one for each sex, or unisex) fully accessible? Yes No 2. Are there signs at inaccessible rest rooms that give directions to accessible ones? Yes No Doorways and Passages 3. Is there tactile signage identifying rest rooms? Yes No Mount signs on the wall, on the latch side of the door. Avoid using ambiguous symbols in place of text to identify rest rooms. 4. Is the doorway at least 32 inches clear? Yes No 5. Are doors equipped with accessible handles (operable with a closed fist), 48 inches high or less? Yes No 6. Can doors be opened easily (5 lbf maximum force)? Yes No 7. Does the entry configuration provide adequate maneuvering space for a person using a wheelchair? Yes No A person using a wheelchair needs 36 inches of clear width for forward movement, and a 5-foot diameter clear space or a T-shaped space to make turns. A minimum distance of 48 inches, clear of the door swing, is needed between the two doors of an entry vestibule. 8. Is there a 36-inch-wide path to all fixtures? Yes No Stalls 9. Is the stall door operable with a closed fist, inside and out? Yes No 10. Is there a wheelchair-accessible stall that has an area of at least 5 feet by 5 feet, clear of the door swing, OR is there a stall that is less accessible but that provides greater access than a typical stall (either 36 by 69 inches or 48 by 69 inches)? Yes No 11. In the accessible stall, are there grab bars behind and on the side wall nearest to the toilet? Yes No 12. Is the toilet seat 17 to 19 inches high? Yes No Lavatories 13. Does one lavatory have a 30-inch-wide by 48-inch-deep clear space in front? Yes No A maximum of 19 inches of the required depth may be under the lavatory. 14. Is the lavatory rim no higher than 34 inches? Yes No 15. Is there at least 29 inches from the floor to the bottom of the lavatory apron (excluding pipes)? Yes No 16. Can the faucet be operated with one closed fist? Yes No 17. Are soap and other dispensers and hand dryers 48 inches high or less and usable with one closed fist? Yes No 18. Is the mirror mounted with the bottom edge of the reflecting surface 40 inches high or lower? Yes No D. Priority 4: Additional Access When amenities such as public telephones and drinking fountains are provided to the general public, they should also be accessible to people with disabilities. Drinking Fountains 1. Is there at least one fountain with clear floor space of at least 30 by 48 inches in front? Yes No 2. Is there one fountain with its spout no higher than 36 inches from the ground, and another with a standard height spout (or a single "hi-lo" fountain)? Yes No 3. Are controls mounted on the front or on the side near the front edge, and operable with one closed fist? Yes No 4. Does the fountain protrude no more than 4 inches into the circulation space? Yes No Telephones 5. If pay or public use phones are provided, is there clear floor space of at least 30 by 48 inches in front of at least one? Yes No 6. Is the highest operable part of the phone no higher than 48 inches (up to 54 inches if a side approach is possible)? Yes No 7. Does the phone protrude no more than 4 inches into the circulation space? Yes No 8. Does the phone have push-button controls? Yes No 9. Is the phone hearing aid compatible? Yes No 10. Is the phone adapted with volume control? Yes No 11. Is the phone with volume control identified with appropriate signage? Yes No 12. Is one of the phones equipped with a telecommunications device for the Deaf? telephone (TT/TTY/TDD)? Yes No 13. Is the location of the TDD identified by accessible signage bearing the International TDD Symbol? International TDD Symbol: Yes No Help from disability community organizations and advocates The One-Stop Access team strongly suggests that your region's disability community leaders be included in the general governance of a One-Stop Center. We have a list of these organizations, on a state-by-state basis, and will provide them to you. Call us for details. This is the list developed by the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities for education and information. ---------- End of Document .