1. Scope

This practice covers processes for conducting an accessible facility assessment (AFA) at a site with respect to the presence of architectural barriers at non-transient, residential housing owned or operated by private entities. Architectural barriers are conditions of hazard, non-compliance, and discrimination under the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The practice specifies procedures to discover architectural barriers, based on the scientific method, and to characterize existing conditions at the facility in an objective, representative, reproducible, and defensible manner. The practice does not cover commercial facilities, transient facilities, or facilities owned or operated by public entities. This practice promotes clarity in defining the objectives of performing an accessible facility assessment and transparency in communicating and interpreting the results of a Tier I, II and III AFA. It specifies adherence to prevailing requirements, procedures of data collection, and reporting methods. This practice offers three Tiers of data collection that, when performed in succession, provide the User with a complete and thorough facility assessment for architectural barriers at private, non-transient housing; Tier I Accessibility Facility Audit, Tier II Accessibility Facility Survey, and Tier III Accessibility Facility Inspection. A Users interest in the presence of architectural barriers at a facility may arise in a wide variety of legal, regulatory, and transactional contexts, and may involve diverse objectives. The User and reviewer shall consult to define the scope and objectives of the investigations based on relevant factors, including without limitation, the architectural barriers discovered and the limitations these barriers pose or possibly pose, the concerns barriers present or likely present, the scope of the AFA, the quantity of observable architectural barriers, the degree of confidence needed or desired in the results, the degree of accuracy and precision of obtaining information, and any applicable time and resource constraints.

Keywords

ADA, Access, accessible, FHA, Section 504, Rehabilitation Act, disability, disabilities, ADAAG, federal laws, building codes, equal.

Rationale

The standard is needed due to the inconsistent or erroneous use and application of, or absence of, accessibility laws and regulations when conducting due diligence property needs assessments, inspections, and surveys of public and private property. This practice would compliment a suite of ASTM standards in the areas of real estate/environmental assessment and property management. This practice will define accessibility requirements, qualifications and expertise for assessors, and offer credible risk analysis and recommended corrective actions for real estate not covered in current ASTM standards.

The title and scope are in draft form and are under development within this ASTM Committee.