[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 40 (Friday, February 28, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11949-11950]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04058]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS COMPLIANCE BOARD
Notice of Guidance Documents
AGENCY: Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board.
ACTION: Notice of guidance documents.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance
Board (hereafter, ``Access Board,'' ``Board,'' or ``we''), are issuing
this notice to announce that, pursuant to Executive Order 13891, we
have collected and listed all of our guidance documents on our website
which can be found at http://www.access-board.gov/guidance.
[[Page 11950]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Kuczynski, (202) 272-0042,
board.gov">kuczynski@access-board.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Executive Order 13891 requires each agency
to establish on its website ``a single, searchable, indexed database
that contains or links all guidance documents in effect.'' (84 FR
55235, Oct. 9, 2019). In response, the Access Board has identified all
of its guidance documents and co-located them at https://www.access-board.gov/guidance.
The Access Board is a small, independent federal agency dedicated
to promoting equality for people with disabilities through, among other
things, developing and maintaining accessibility guidelines under the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers
Act (ABA). Under titles II and III of the ADA, the Board develops and
maintains accessibility guidelines for buildings, facilities, and
transit vehicles. See 42 U.S.C. 12204; see also 29 U.S.C 792(b)(3)(B) &
(b)(10). These ADA Accessibility Guidelines serve as the basis for
standards issued by the departments of Justice (DOJ) and Transportation
(DOT) which enforce the ADA. See, e.g., 42 U.S.C. 12134(c), 12149(b),
12163, 12186(c). The ABA requires facilities designed, built, altered,
or leased with federal funds to be accessible to people with
disabilities. The Access Board maintains the accessibility guidelines
upon which the ABA standards are based and enforces these standards
through the investigation of complaints. In addition to promulgating
regulations, the Board is charged with developing advisory information
and providing technical assistance on its regulations, titles II and
III of the ADA, and the ABA. See 29 U.S.C. 792(b)(2); 42 U.S.C. 2131 et
seq. and 12181 et seq. The majority of Access Board guidance documents
explain and illustrate requirements in the ADA or ABA Standards. These
guides are non-binding and simply help clarify the applicable standards
and provide clearly labeled recommendations for optional best practices
that exceed the minimum requirements.
The Board also issues standards and guidelines under Section 508 of
the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. 794d, and Section 255 of the
Communications Act. Section 508 requires that information and
communication technology (ICT) purchased, maintained, or used by the
federal government be readily accessible to, and usable by, individuals
with disabilities. Section 255 of the Communication Act, 47 U.S.C. 255,
requires that telecommunications services and equipment be accessible
to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities where readily
achievable.
The guidance documents listed on the Board's website are divided
into seven separate categories.
1. Guidance on the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility
Standards
These guidance documents, while listed separately, together make up
a single guide to the ADA Standards. The guide is divided by chapters
that correspond to the applicable Chapters in the ADA Standards. In the
beginning of the Guide to the ADA Accessibility Standards, the Board
notes that it ``explains requirements in the current editions of the
ADA Standards issued by the DOJ and DOT. It was developed by the U.S.
Access Board in cooperation with DOJ and DOT. It is important to use
this guide along with a complete copy of the ADA Standards as it
explains, but does not contain or reprint, the text of the ADA
Standards.'' See https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/buildings-and-sites/about-the-ada-standards/guide-to-the-ada-standards/about-this-guide.
2. Guidance on the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Accessibility
Standards
This document is similar to the guide on the ADA Standards in that
it is divided into multiple chapters that correspond to the chapters of
the ABA Standards. Similarly, this guide explains current editions of
the ABA Standards issued by the Department of Defense, the General
Services Administration, and the U.S. Postal Service, which are based
on, and are substantively similar to, the Board's updated ABA
Accessibility Guidelines (2004).'' See https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/buildings-and-sites/about-the-aba-standards/guide-to-the-aba-standards/about-this-guide. Additionally, the Board
provides a disclaimer which states ``[i]t is important to use this
guide along with a complete copy of the ABA Standards as it explains,
but does not contain or reprint, the text of the ABA Standards.''
3. Animations on the ADA and ABA Standards
The Access Board has created multiple short animations which
provide a visual and audible illustration of sections of the ADA and
ABA Standards. These animations follow the same structure of the guides
on the ADA and ABA Standards in that they explain requirements in the
standards and provide best practices but do not establish any new or
additional requirements above what is specified in the standards.
4. Guidance on the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Transportation
Vehicles
This guide provides technical assistance, background, and rationale
for the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Transportation Vehicles, 36
CFR part 1192, and gives examples of how the accessibility guidelines
can be applied in particular cases.
5. Guidance on Requirements for Information and Communication
Technology (ICT)
These older guidance documents provide technical assistance on the
implementation of the original standards issued under Section 508 of
the Rehabilitation Act. While the Board has updated these standards
recently, we maintain this guide as there is still legacy ICT to which
the Original 508 Standards are applicable. 36 CFR part 1194, Appendix
D.
6. Guidance on Public Rights-of-Way
This section includes multiple documents and videos that provide
technical assistance on providing access to public streets and
sidewalks and other elements of public rights-of-way. These materials
clearly state that they are only intended to provide technical
assistance and are not binding as the public rights-of-way rulemaking
has not been completed.
7. Guidance on Prescription Drug Labels
This is advisory guidance on making prescription drug container
labels accessible to people who are blind, visually impaired, or
elderly. Section 904 of the Food and Drug Administration and Innovation
Act (Pub. L. 112-144, 126 Stat. 993) charged the Access Board with
convening a working group to develop best practices for making
information on prescription drug container labels accessible. However,
these best practices are not mandatory and are not standards or
accessibility guidelines of the Access Board. Id.
David M. Capozzi,
Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-04058 Filed 2-27-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8150-01-P