Massachusetts Architectural Access Board
Detectable Warning Panel Lacking

There seems to be no mention in the rules and regulations of the Architectural Access Board of detectable warning panels, an aid to the visually impaired. 

According to the official website for the government of Massachusetts (www.mass.gov):

The Architectural Access Board (AAB) is a regulatory agency within the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety. Its legislative mandate states that it shall develop and enforce regulations designed to make public buildings accessible to, functional for, and safe for use by persons with disabilities.

To carry out the board’s mandate, the "Rules and Regulations", which appear in the code of Massachusetts Regulations as 521 CMR 1.00, have been developed and amended. These regulations are incorporated in the Massachusetts building code as a "specialized code", making them enforceable by all local and state building inspectors, as well as by the Board itself.

These regulations are designed to provide full and free use of buildings and facilities so that persons with disabilities may have the education, employment, living and recreational opportunities necessary to be as self-sufficient as possible and to assume full responsibilities as citizens.

The Massachusetts Rules and Regulations (521 CMR), Part C Exterior, Section 21 Curb Cuts, Subsection 21.11: DETECTABLE WARNINGS dated January 27, 2006, states the following: 

“Reserved until further notice.”

Hopefully, with adoption of the November, 2005 Draft Guidelines for Accessible Public Rights-of-Way, and the updating of the decade and a half-old ADA legislation, will come revisions to the Architectural Access Board detectable warning panel section of the Regulations.  The conditions under which detectable warnings are required, and standards to which a product should conform, are far too important to be ignored by a body as influential as the Architectural Access Board.

By Mark Heimlich

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