Accessibility of public buildings in the United States: a cross-sectional survey
Suzanne Perea Burns, Rochelle Mendonca, Roger O. Smith
Abstract
Despite existing revised legislation on the accessibility of public buildings in the United States, people with disabilities continue to experience barriers that limit their participation and engagement in the context of the community. This researcher developed, cross-sectional survey study, explored trends in accessing public buildings, accessibility problems encountered, and approaches for accessing information and resources for accessibility of specific buildings among people with disabilities (n = 109). Respondents largely reported on accessibility barriers encountered in communal spaces and how having prior knowledge of accessibility may have influenced their plans to access the community. Despite having knowledge that accessibility guidelines exist, a majority of respondents were not particularly familiar with how to retrieve this information and reported interest in web- and mobile-based technology to locate and share accessibility information. This study highlights how people with disabilities experience accessibility challenges and the implications for web-based resources to provide accessibility information.POINTS OF INTERESTThis article highlights that despite legislation to improve accessibility, many public buildings continue to not be accessible creating major barriers to community living in persons with disabilities.Persons with disabilities are largely unaware of how to locate information about the accessibility of public buildings in the community.Persons with disabilities believe that acquiring accessibility information about buildings before planning an outing would be beneficial.Accessing information about the accessibility of public buildings through websites or apps appear to be an approach that people with disabilities are interested in using in their everyday life.Persons with disabilities are interested in sharing comments and ratings about the accessibility of public buildings.