Preface
Individuals with disabilities shall be assured access to fundamental elements of daily life that are generally available in the community. Wherever possible the effects of an impairment or disability on an individual’s life shall not be determined by environmental factors.
(Principle 5 from the Prime Minister’s Declaration on the Decade of Disabled Persons.)
This is the second edition of CSA Standard CAN/CSA-B651, Barrier-Free Design. The first edition was published in 1990. The Standard contains requirements for making buildings and other facilities accessible to persons with a wide range of physical and sensory disabilities. It was developed to fulfill an expressed need for a national, technical standard covering a broad range of building and environmental facilities; a standard which could be referenced in whole or in part by a variety of adopting authorities.
It must be understood by the user of this Standard that the requirements contained herein are minimum levels. This Standard does not have the force of law unless mandated by legislation or called up in the regulations of the authority having jurisdiction. The user is advised to contact the local authority having jurisdiction in this area in order to determine to what extent this Standard is referenced.
The requirements result from a consensus of the Committee members who represent a broad spectrum of interests. The members were encouraged and aided by the public comments received as a result of the wide distribution of a draft at the public comment stage.
The format allows for commentary and illustrative information to be distinctly included but clearly separate from the requirements of the Standard. The document is organized by facility type such as circulation or washroom facilities. Clause 10, Residential Units, can be used independently from the remainder of the Standard. Readers are encouraged to read the Scope section before using the document.
CSA hereby recognizes the financial assistance provided by Public Works and Government Services Canada, whose support helped make the development of this Standard possible. The Handbook of B.C. Building Code, Section 3.7 and the ANSI Standard A117.1 were used as base references in developing the first edition of this Standard.
This Standard was approved by the CSA Technical Committee on Barrier-Free Design under the jurisdiction of the Steering Committee on Public Safety. It has been approved as a National Standard of Canada by the Standards Council of Canada.
Scope
1.1
This Standard specifies how to make buildings and other facilities barrier-free and therefore accessible and safely usable by persons with physical or sensory disabilities. The disabilities considered are: mobility impairments such as reliance on crutches or a wheelchair; reaching and manipulation disabilities; hearing impairments; deafness; visual impairment and blindness.
Commentary: Some people with very severe physical disabilities may have requirements beyond the level described in this Standard.
1.2
This Standard describes technical requirements which can be applied to the design and construction of new facilities or modifications to existing facilities. This Standard does not describe the application of technical requirements. The extent to which these requirements will be applied is the responsibility of others such as adopting authorities or specifiers.
1.3
The Standard contains minimum requirements based on adult dimensions. Dimensions are given in SI (metric) units (typically in millimetres) and, where converted from Imperial units, they have been rounded off with respect for critical dimensions.
Commentary: When designing for specific individuals, their particular abilities and preferences should be taken into account. For example, some people prefer to transfer to or from a wheelchair towards their preferred side when using toilet facilities.
If a facility is primarily to serve children, dimensions and other provisions should be adjusted to make them suitable for children.
1.4
Commentaries and diagrams are included for explanatory and illustrative purposes only and are not a mandatory part of the Standard. They are shown in a different colour to distinguish them from requirements. All dimensions on figures are in millimetres. Grab bar dimensions are measured to the centreline.
