Physical Accessibility Compliance

Creating Accessible Physical Spaces

Physical accessibility is a legal requirement, and is the responsibility of all faculty and staff on our campus.

Campus Standards for Physical Accessibility and Inclusion

• Physical accessibility standards for UNC Charlotte are equal to, or in addition to, Federal ADA standards for Accessible Design. In some areas of design, campus standards are more stringent than ADA standards, but do not violate Federal or State standards.
• Designing accessible spaces requires planning that considers the needs of all users who may have low vision, blindness, a temporary or permanent mobility impairment, hearing loss, medical disorder, age related limitations, or several of these concerns.
• Utilizing a universal design perspective (design that provides access to all) when pre-planning campus buildings and pathways adds little cost in the planning stage, but saves countless dollars of expensive retro-fitting later.

Contractors, Vendors, and other entities serving our campus must follow the Campus Design Manual, which includes Appendix 03: CAMPUS STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL AND BARRIER-FREE DESIGN.

Applicable Federal and State Standards (may include the following):

• 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design
• ABA Standards
• North Carolina Building Code