With all of the moving parts during the design and construction of a building project, one wrong move can compromise accessibility compliance. Unintentional oversights are commonplace when project teams don’t realize the importance of accessibility compliance and how it can make or break a project’s success. In the end, the devil’s in the details.
On this episode, we welcome back SWA’s Managing Director of Accessibility Services, Peter Stratton. Peter describes the top ten oversights made by project teams during the design and construction phases that typically lead to noncompliance with accessibility requirements. Learn why they happen, and how they can be identified and avoided in your project!
Follow along with Peter’s list of accessibility oversights below:

Design stage

* Appropriate details are not referenced on the floor plans
* The appropriate level of detail is not provided on the plan set
* Plan sets are not coordinated
* Designs do not incorporate tolerance
* Plan sets include details copied from past projects

Construction stage

* Trades don’t follow the plans
* Not considering finished dimensions during rough-in
* Specifications/products are not coordinated with the details
* Compliance is not checked when things change
* Things aren’t level

Episode Guest: Peter Stratton

Peter Stratton is the Managing Director of Accessibility Services at Steven Winter Associates. He has nearly 30 years of experience working with project teams to design and construct buildings to comply with laws and regulations governing accessible design and construction, improving the lives of ALL people occupying those buildings. Under Peter’s leadership, the accessibility team provides services to public and private sector clients nationwide that are designed to ensure compliance with the accessible design and construction requirements of federal, state, and local laws and building codes.
 
 
Episode Information & Resources

* Podcast: ‘All-Access’ with Peter Stratton
* SWA Party Walls Blog posts on Accessibility: https://www.swinter.com/author/peter-stratton/
* Publication: A Basic Guide to Fair Housing Accessibility: Everything Architects and Builders Need to Know About the Fair Housing Act Accessibility Guidelines
* More information on SWA’s Accessibility Services: https://www.swinter.com/accessibility-services/
* Sign up to be on the mailing list for our quarterly Accessibility Newsletter, SWA Access: https://www.swinter.com/resource-center/newsletters/

We Want to Hear From You!
Send your feedback and questions to podcast@swinter.com

About Buildings and Beyond
Buildings and Beyond is a production of Steven Winter Associates. We provide energy, green building, and accessibility consulting services to improve the built environment. For more information, visit www.swinter.com.
Hosts
Robb Aldrich | Kelly Westby
Production Team