The document discusses the history and requirements for accessible swimming pools as outlined by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. It states that facilities must provide at least two accessible means of entry, including a pool lift or ramp, to comply with regulations. The guidelines specify design and operational requirements for pool lifts and ramps to ensure accessibility for all patrons.

1. August 2011 Cityscape 10
Designing aquatic facilities that accommodate disabled patrons
has been a major priority for aquatic consultants for well over 25
years. In 1990 the Department of Justice adopted the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990. The document was an important
first step for opening up the possibilities for people living with
disabilities. However, there were some gaps in the guidelines. For
example, there was minimal direction given for recreational ame-
nities, such as swimming pools and spas. This deficiency created
some challenges for architects and engineers. Designers had to
extrapolate from the guidelines to create solutions for the numer-
ous accessibility challenges inside aquatic facilities.
Help for aquatic designers came in 2004 when the U.S. Ac-
cess Board published Accessible Swimming Pools & Spas, A Summary
of Accessibility Guidelines. These guidelines provided consultants
with strategies to achieve accessibility for various types of “newly
constructed and altered” facilities, including swimming pools, spas
and wading pools. The guidelines recommended the minimum
quantity and suggested types of entry as well as recommended
dimensional configurations.
While the 2004 guidelines were very helpful to the industry, it
was not a law. That changed on September 15, 2010, when the
Department of Justice signed into law the 2010 ADA Standards for
Accessible Design. These standards officially gave designers, owners
and operators the minimum requirements for accessible design.
Requirements
From the beginning, the “Swimming Pools, Wading Pools and
Spas” section of the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design regu-
lation is very clear regarding the requirements for accessibility. It
states, “at least two accessible means of entry shall be provided
for swimming pools.” The list of suitable means of entry are:
pool lifts, sloped entries (also referred to as a ramp), transfer
walls, transfer systems and stairs. The regulations further state that
a swimming pool must have either a compliant pool lift or com-
pliant ramp as one of the two means of entry. Some professionals
in the aquatics industry call this the primary means of entry.
Choosing the primary means of entry – pool lift or ramp –
requires a designer or owner to consider a number of factors like
available space, cost and usability. In general, a pool lift meets
these challenges in the simplest manner because there are many
Accessible swimming pools
Recently I visited a local municipal swimming pool. I was there to get in a workout for an upcoming
triathlon. After changing into my suit, I walked to the edge of the pool, put on my goggles and hopped in.
As I started swimming, I was stopped by a swimmer sharing my lane. She informed me that another swim-
mer was getting into the lane with us. I said, “Okay,” with nothing more than a passing thought. But she
added, “He’s blind.”
Since the age of 9, I’ve been involved with competitive swimming in some capacity or another. I have
been a swimmer, coach, official and facility designer. During that time, I have encountered many individu-
als with disabilities, both mental and physical. Each situation had a unique set of circumstances. How-
ever, after each encounter I walk away with the same feeling; I am glad someone with a disability has the
opportunity to enjoy swimming the same way I do.
By Kyle McCawley
pool lift models available on the market. This is especially true in
retrofit situations.
When selecting a pool lift designer, owners and operators must
first make sure the unit can be operated unassisted from both the
deck and water. This requirement means a swimmer must be able
to move from the deck to the pool and vice versa without any
assistance. In addition, the pool lift must meet requirements for
water depth, seat location with respect to the pool’s edge, maneu-
vering space opposite the seat and water, seat height with respect
to the pool deck, seat width, submerged depth of seat, and lifting
capacity.
Like a pool lift, the choice to use a ramp
requires specific considerations. The main
requirement is the steepness of the entry. The
slope shall not be steeper than a ratio 1-foot
of vertical change to 12-feet of horizontal
distance (1:12). Also, the ramp must have a
handrail along both sides of the ramp. The
handrails along the ramp shall have a clear
width between 33-inches and 38-inches. In addition, the handrails
must reach to a minimum water depth of 24-inches, and a maxi-
mum of 30-inches.
Within the requirements for means of entry the Department
of Justice offers a number of “advisory” comments. The first rec-
ommendation is that designers, owners and operators select two
different means of entry (e.g. a pool lift plus stairs). The intent is
to provide accessibility to a wider range of patrons. Another note-
worthy suggestion is to provide the least possible length of ramp,
and if possible, provide stairs. The intent of this recommenda-
tion is intended for
“those individuals
for whom distance
presents a greater
barrier than steps,
e.g., people with
heart disease or lim-
ited stamina.”
pool lift
pool ramp

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Exceptions and Specialty Pools
The “Swimming Pool, Wading Pools and Spas” section clarifies
the specific dimensional and configuration requirements for each
means of entry. The section also details exceptions, and defines
the requirements for specialty pools such as wading pools, spas,
wave pools, leisure/lazy rivers, sand bottom pools and slide catch
(slide plunge) pools.
Conclusion
The time to act is now. The 2010 ADA Standards for Ac-
cessible Design states that facilities must be updated by March
15, 2012. It is recommended that owners and operators begin
the process of confirming their facility’s compliancy as soon as
possible. In some cases the necessary steps may be as simple as
providing documentation of the facility’s compliance. However,
in other cases renovations may be
necessary.
Kyle McCawley, P.E. is an associate
engineer with Larkin Aquatics.
Exception Classification
Swimming pool that has less than 300 linear
feet of wall
Wave pools, leisure/lazy rivers, sand bottom
pools, and “other pools where user access is
limited to one area.”
Wading pools
Spas
Cluster of spas (no more than 5 percent but
no fewer than one)
Catch pools (as referred to as slide plunge
pools)
Requirement
Only one means of access required, either
pool lift or ramp
Pool lift, ramp or transfer system require-
ments
Ramp (handrails not required)
Pool lift, transfer wall or transfer system
The spa in each cluster shall be required to
provide either a pool lift, transfer wall or
transfer system
Shall not be required to provide an acces-
sible means of entry as long as an edge of
the “catch pool edge is on an accessible