To: Chair Anna Caballero and Commissioners, Chair, CBSC, Secretary, Dept. of General Services and California Building Standards Commissioners, CBSC Office of Director
State of California: Don't take away accessibility for over 3.6 million Californians
I'm joining thousands of other people with disabilities in California, asking you to reject the State Architect staff's so-called emergency proposals, and vote No on reducing accessibility requirements this week, in particular items 2 and 7 on your agenda. Please do not permit the office of the State Architect to break its commitment to preserve existing access.
1. Do Not Reduce Accessibility in Bathrooms. Item 2 [1117B.5.7] on your agenda would allow builders a much sloppier range of bathroom toilet placement. It takes both strength and skill to transfer from a wheelchair to a toilet within a small space. The State Architect's proposed lesser standard is supported by no ergonomic studies. California standards have been in use successfully for decades. The proposed two inch variation is much more than standard construction practices require. Any competent contractor can build facilities within the current administrative requirement (one inch).
Do not reduce accessibility that has been in place in California for decades!
Do Not Allow 'Path-of-Travel Exceptions in Perpetuity.
Please vote on Item 7 [1134B.2.1], which would effectively provide an exception, in perpetuity, from now-required upgrades to restrooms and drinking fountains. This loophole is large enough to allow even huge million-dollar alteration projects to provide no accessibility updates in those areas.
California's long-held commitment is to provide access to seniors and people with disabilities in our communities in two ways: full accessibility in all new buildings, and gradually upgraded access in existing buildings as they are renovated. Please do not vote to degrade this time-tested public policy.
3. Do not adopt any proposal this week as an 'emergency.'
No event has created any emergency. The staff are asserting a political emergency to short-circuit the normal process of public review, discussion, and input.
4. Please ask the governor to fill the vacant Disability seat on the Commission. Where is our place at the table?
Then tell the State Architect – with your vote – to follow normal regulatory process, and tell the State Architect to keep his promise not to reduce California's pioneering commitment to its citizens with disabilities.
Thank you.
Why is this important?
California led the way in including people with disabilities and seniors in all of our communities by requiring that public spaces be physically accessible. Decades before the ADA was adopted, California put disability civil rights into law and regulation. Now, with no new studies – but with lots of pressure by certain business interests – the California Building Standards Commission will vote on a proposal by the new State Architect to reduce decades-old access requirements in a rushed 'emergency' vote this Thursday, July 19th. Tell the CBSC not to push people with disabilities and seniors back into physically segregated conditions.