Overview
Paul Gaston reviews the accessibility of built conditions for attorneys, insurers and owners across Chicago and Cook County. He measures walking surfaces, ramps, transitions, thresholds and access routes as they were actually constructed and compares them with the applicable accessibility requirements, drawing on documented ADA training and repeated accessibility remodel work in public facilities.
Related: Chicago ADA Compliance Expert · ExpertWitnessChicago.com
Accessibility claims are dimensional. Slope, width, threshold height and surface condition are measurable, which makes the built condition either compliant or not on the evidence.
What gets measured
Running and cross slope, clear width, threshold and transition height, changes in level, surface condition and the continuity of the accessible route are recorded on site.
- Ramp running slope, cross slope, landings and handrail conditions
- Threshold heights, level changes and transition detailing
- Accessible route continuity, clear width and surface condition
Public and commercial facilities
Paul's ADA training is documented through the Chicago Department of Aviation, and he has run accessibility remodel work in operating public buildings. That is the environment where most access claims arise and where the construction detail actually matters.
- Route survey and measurement
- Slope and level documentation
- Photographic record
- Comparison to requirements
- Written accessibility findings
Construction, not policy
The opinion addresses the physical built condition. Programme access, policy questions and legal conclusions are for others.