Standards issued under the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) apply to facilities designed, built, altered, or leased with certain federal funds. Passed in 1968, the ABA is one of the first laws to address access to the built environment. The law applies to federal buildings, including post offices, social security offices, federal courthouses and prisons, and national parks. It also covers non-federal facilities, such as public housing units and mass transit systems, built or altered with federal grants or loans. Coverage is limited to those funding programs that give the federal agency awarding grants or loans the authority to establish facility standards. The law resulted in the first set of standards for the removal of architectural barriers: The Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS).
Four agencies establish the ABA standards according to guidelines issued by the Access board: the General Services Administration (GSA), the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The latest editions of the ABA standards issued by GSA, DOD, and USPS are substantively the same and replace the earlier Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards.The Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) is a document that contains scoping and technical requirements for accessibility to sites, facilities, buildings, and elements by individuals with disabilities. The requirements are to be applied during the design, construction, addition to, alteration, and lease of sites, facilities, buildings, and elements to the extent required by regulations issued by Federal agencies under the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (ABA).
For ABA accessibility compliance, the consultant will conduct a thorough Tier III ABA building inspection in accordance with modified protocol in ASTM E 2018, referencing the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Standards (2015), excluding fire/smoke alarm systems, emergency light systems, and assistive listening systems.
Such survey should address each visible and measurable element and space within and without a facility. The results of the survey may be provided in a written Property Condition Report in either a checklist or narrative report format, or both. This survey can be completed before or after a property installation or alteration.
The ABA authorizes the Administrator of the General Services Administration, the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of the Department of Defense, and the United States Postal Service to modify or waive the accessibility standards for buildings and facilities covered by the Architectural Barriers Act on a case-by-case basis, upon application made by the head of the department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States concerned. The General Services Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Defense, and the United States Postal Service may grant a modification or waiver only upon a determination that it is clearly necessary. Section 502(b)(1) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 authorizes the Access Board to ensure that modifications and waivers are based on findings of fact and are not inconsistent with the Architectural Barriers Act.
