(A) Definitions. A PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON is hereby defined to be a person who:
(1) has non-ambulatory disabilities or impairments that, regardless of cause or manifestation, for all practical purposes confine the individual to a wheelchair; or
(2) has semi-ambulatory disabilities or impairments that cause the individual to walk with difficulty or insecurity, including those persons using braces or crutches, amputees, arthritics, spastics, and those with pulmonary and cardiac ills; or
(3) has sight disabilities of total blindness or impairments affecting sight to an extent that the individual functioning in public areas is insecure or exposed to danger; or
(4) has hearing disabilities or deafness or hearing disabilities that might make a person insecure in public areas because that person is unable to communicate or hear warning signals; or
(5) has disabilities of in coordination or peripheral nerve injury; or
(6) has aging or those manifestations of the aging process that significantly reduce mobility, flexibility, coordination, and perceptiveness, but are not otherwise accounted for in subparagraphs (A)(1)-(A)(5) hereof.
(B) The provisions of this Section shall apply to all buildings hereafter erected for any of the following uses or occupancies:
(1) Buildings for amusement devices providing shelter.
(2) Armories.
(3) Art Centers.
(4) Auditoriums.
(5) Churches.
(6) Administrative buildings of the City.
(7) Club Houses.
(8) Court Houses.
(9) Dance Halls.
(10) Department Stores.
(11) Gymnasiums which normally admit spectators.
(12) Financial institutions.
(13) Public areas within funeral homes.
(14) Lodge Halls.
(15) Manufacturing buildings.
(16) Markets.
(17) Museums.
(18) Office buildings.
(19) Oil Company service stations.
(20) Public convenience stations or toilets.
(21) Recreation Buildings.
(22) Restaurants.
(23) Retail and Service Stores.
(24) Schools.
(25) Seminaries.
(26) Service Clubs.
(27) Skating Rinks.
(28) Sports Arenas.
(29) Transportation Passenger Terminals.
(30) Theaters.
(31) All other buildings with facilities that purport to serve the public.
(C) The provisions of this Section shall further be applicable to all buildings undergoing major remodeling where substantial repairs or substantial alterations are made in the appearance, design or layout of an existing structure.
(D) All buildings to which this ordinance shall apply and for which the first floor is not on ground level shall be required to construct a ramp thereto, making that building accessible to the physically disability, which ramp shall comply with the following regulations:
(1) The ramp shall not have a slope greater than 1 foot rise in 12 feet, or 8.33%.
(2) (a) The ramp shall have smooth surfaced handrails that are 32 inches in height, measured from the surface of the ramp, and that extend 12 inches beyond the top and bottom of the ramp.
(b) The ramp shall be at least 42 inches wide and when two handrails are provided, the distance between the handrails shall be not less than 36 inches.
(3) The ramp shall have a non-slip surface.
(4) All ramps shall have a level platform at the top, with the following minimum dimensions:
(a) If a door swings out onto the platform or toward the ramp, the platform shall be a minimum of 5 feet deep and 5 feet wide.
(b) All ramps shall have level platform at not less than 30 foot intervals for, the purposes of rest and safety, and shall have level platforms whenever the ramp turns.
(E) Whenever parking shall be provided for a building or structure which is subject to the terms of this Section, automobile parking areas shall have spaces set aside that are accessible to and as near the building entrance as possible, and identified for use for the physically disabled, which spaces shall allow a net and clear 12 feet for parking, ingress and egress, and shall further be subject to the following regulations:
(1) A parking space open on one side shall allow room for persons in wheel chairs or individuals on braces or crutches to get in and out of an automobile on a level surface suitable for wheeling or walking.
(2) Such parking spaces shall be provided so that individuals in wheel chairs or using crutches and braces are not, whenever reasonably possible, compelled to wheel or walk behind parked cars.
(3) Such parking space shall be reserved for use by the physically disabled by the posting of an official sign. The City Manager is hereby authorized to reserve spaces for physically disabled parking on public streets and public property and to post official signs indicating such reserved physically disabled parking; and private property owners are hereby authorized to reserve spaces for physially disabled parking on private lots and private property and to post official signs indicating such reserved physically disabled parking.
(4) Such parking spaces shall be reserved for use by vehicles bearing registration plates or a special decal or device issued to a physically disabled person pursuant to § 3-616 (625 ILCS 5/3-616) or § 11-1301.2 (625 ILCS 5/11-1301.2) or to a disabled Veteran pursuant to § 3-609 (625 ILCS 5/3-609) of “The Illinois Vehicle Code” or bearing a physically disabled parking visor clip issued by the City of Mt. Vernon pursuant to § 73.02(I) of the Revised Code of Ordinances.
(5) Entrances, Doors and Doorways.
(a) At least one primary entrance to each building shall be usable by individuals in wheel chairs.
(b) Doors shall have clear opening of not less than 32 inches when open and shall be constructed in such a manner as to be operable by an individual in a wheel chair.
(c) The floor on the inside and outside of each doorway shall be level for a distance of 5 feet from the door in the direction that the door swing and shall extend one foot beyond each side of the door.
(d) Sharp inclines and abrupt changes in level at doorsills are prohibited.
(e) If there are two consecutive doors to a single entrance, the distance between doors should be a minimum of 54 inches plus the width of the door.
(f) Revolving doors may be used, but shall not be considered to provide any exit width. Where installed, each revolving door in a building shall be accompanied by at least one adjacent conforming exit door. Such conforming doors shall remain unlocked from both sides at all times when building is in normal use.
(F) Walks and Floors.
(1) Walks shall have a level platform at any entrance or exit, which is at least five feet by five feet, if a door swings out onto the platform or toward the walk.
(2) Walks shall have a level platform at least three feet deep and five feet wide, if the door does not swing out to the platform or toward the walk.
(3) Blending of all crosswalks and drives – whenever sidewalks cross other sidewalks, driveways, or parking lots, they shall blend to a common level.
(4) Curb cut-outs shall be provided for major streets and thoroughfares to blend sidewalk level to street level at corners and other intersections of streets and alleyways. (Curb cut-outs or level grading at alleyways or similar traffic intersections.)
(5) In the interest of mobility and safety, extra effort and consideration shall be given to procurement and installation of non-slippery floor surfaces and/or floor finishes.
(G) Toilet Rooms. Where toilet facilities are required for public use or for use by employees, at least one toilet room for men and one for women shall be constructed as follows:
(1) Toilet rooms shall have sufficient space to allow traffic of individuals in wheel chairs.
(2) Toilet stalls shall have a minimum of five feet by four feet unobstructed space extending from the front edge of the water closet (or, if necessary due to limited space or consideration to weight, walls to dimension of four feet wide by five feet, minimum).
(3) Doors to the toilet room or stall shall be considered an obstruction when they open into the area outlined in subparagraph (G)(2) hereof. The doors must be 32 inches wide when open.
(4) A handrail shall be provided to assist in transfer to and from the water closet.
(5) Toilet rooms shall have at least one lavatory facility, including a mirror and shelf usable by individuals in wheel chairs.
(6) Toilet rooms shall have at least one towel facility or dispenser mounted no higher than 40 inches from the floor.
(7) Water closets shall have seats 20 inches from the floor.
(8) Toilet rooms having multiple stalls shall have one stall with water closet which is at least five feet by four feet.
(H) Public Telephones.
(1) An appropriate number of public telephones shall be made accessible to and usable by physically disabled persons.
(2) Such telephones shall be placed so that the dial and the headset can be reached by individuals in wheelchairs.
(3) An appropriate number of public telephones shall be equipped for those with hearing disabilities and so identified with instructions for use.
(I) Water Fountains. Where water fountains are required or otherwise installed, they shall be accessible to and usable by the physically disabled, located approximately 30 to 40 inches from the floor.
(J) Elevators. Where elevators are installed into a multiple-store building, they shall conform to the following requirements:
(1) Elevators shall be accessible to and usable by the physically disabled in the level that they use to enter the building, and at all levels normally used by the general public.
(2) Elevators shall allow for traffic by wheel chairs.
(3) Elevators shall be provided in all new public buildings over two stories in height.
(K) Identification of Public Buildings. All facilities within a building used by the public shall be identified in the following manner:
(1) Raised letters or numbers shall be used to identify rooms or offices.
(2) Identification should be placed on the wall to the right or left of the door, at a height between 4’6” and 5’ 6”.
(3) Doors that are not intended for normal use and that might prove dangerous if a blind person were to exit or enter by them shall be made quickly identifiable to the touch by knurling the door handle or knob.
(L) Seating.
(1) Places of assembly with fixed seating arrangements in the aforementioned buildings shall provide performance viewing positions (“parking spaces”) for wheelchairs.
(2) (a) Viewing positions for wheelchairs shall be provided in a reasonable and convenient section or sections of the facility by either or both of the following methods:
1. Providing portable seats which can be easily removed.
2. Providing clear space devoid of any portable or fixed seating arrangement.
(b) These positions shall be located so as not to interfere with egress from any row or seats, shall be reachable by means of ramps and/or elevators, and shall not infringe upon aisle requirements.
(3) There shall be no steps in the aisles or in the access route to the performance viewing positions, but the aisles may be inclined.
(Prior Code, Art. 5, § 5.12)