The Chicago Perspective on Design for the Disabled

Abstract

This article describes the efforts made by the city of Chicago to promote total access and full participation for people with disabilities. The process that the Chicago Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) undertook to ensure that other city departments and sister agencies incorporated accessible programs and physical accessibility considerations into their own buildings, programs, and processes is described. Some of the major accomplishments made by the department include the addition of an accessibility review added to the building permit process and a rewrite of the Chicago Building Code that requires more accessibility features in single-family homes and smaller apartment buildings. Examples are given of how thinking beyond the minimum accessibility requirements can better meet the needs of people with a disability.

Keywords:

• architectural accessibility
• facility design
• construction