The AODA has standards for the design of public spaces, but no standards for accessibility in other built environments. However, the Third Review of the AODA recommends improvements to all standards and laws governing buildings and public spaces. In addition, the review recommends that future AODA standards should align with existing standards in other parts of the country. For instance, Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) have developed federal standards for accessibility in the built environment. Future AODA standards may include some or all of these guidelines and requirements to make buildings more accessible. In this article, we explore guidelines in the federal built environment standards for accessible public telephones in buildings.
Accessible Public telephones in Buildings
When a building has one (1) telephone, it should be accessible for someone who is:
- Seated
- Deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing
Conversely, when buildings have multiple telephones, at least one (1) telephone should be accessible for someone who is seated. Likewise, at least one (1) telephone should be accessible for someone who is deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing. Similarly, some buildings may have different types of telephones, such as telephones that:
- Make only internal calls
- Call taxis
- Operate in different ways, such as using:
- Cards
- Coins
In buildings with a variety of telephone types, at least one (1) of each type must be accessible for people who are:
- Seated
- Deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing
- Signage should point people in the direction of public telephones.
Furthermore, requirements in the standards for accessible building controls apply to public telephones. For example, controls that all public telephones must have include:
- A keypad
- Function keys
- A coin slot
Moreover, the standards list measurements for parts of public telephones, including:
- Height of the coin slot for telephones at standing height and wheelchair height
- Length of the handset cord
- Lighting of the:
- Controls
- Directory
- Shelf
In addition, the standards list more measurements specifically for telephones at standing height and wheelchair height. For example, measurements for shelves at standing height include:
- Width
- Depth
- Height
Alternatively, measurements for telephones at wheelchair height include:
- Floor area
- Knee clearance
Some public telephones may include seats. However, these seats should be moveable, so that people have room to approach with their assistive devices.
Accessibility Features for People who are Deaf, Deafened, or Hard of Hearing
When buildings have multiple public telephones, some of these telephones should have graduated volume controls. Furthermore, the international pictogram of accessibility for people who are hard of hearing should alert people that volume control is available. Similarly, some telephones should have teletypewriters (TTYs) or text telephones (TTs). The pictogram for a TTY should alert people that these communication devices are available. In buildings with telephones at standing height and wheelchair height but only one (1) TTY, a telephone at standing height should have the TTY.