Protruding Objects: An overview

The accessibility Standards are not only for mobility, but also for people who are visually impaired.

People with visual impairments (blindness, low vision etc.) will not be able to see their environment, but rather they feel their way around. They are taught to use a cane to feel their way. That cane can detect elements on the ground as well as any element mounted so that their leading edge (bottom usually) is lower than 27″ a.f.f.

Any element that is mounted on a vertical surface higher than 27″ above the finished floor and projecting more than 4″ from the mounting surface will be considered a hazard to persons who are visually impaired. That hazard is described in the ADA Standards as a “protruding object”

307.2 Protrusion Limits. Objects with leading edges more than 27 inches (685 mm) and not more than 80 inches (2030 mm) above the floor shall protrude 4 inches (100 mm) maximum horizontally into the circulation path.

The figure above shows the limits to what would be considered a protruding object.

Keep in mind that the definition of a protruding object in the standards state that objects which are located in a circulation path are the ones of which we need to be careful.

What might be confusing for us architects and designers is the definition of a “circulation path”. In architectural terms, the word “circulation” implies corridors, stairs, elevators. Because of that, we may not always think of “circulation” in terms of how people who are visually impaired define it. To them, any place they walk will be their “circulation path”.

Here is the definition found in the ADA:

Circulation Path. An exterior or interior way of passage provided for pedestrian travel, including but not limited to, walks, hallways, courtyards, elevators, platform lifts, ramps, stairways, and landings.

Which means that any “passage for pedestrian travel” will be a circulation path, exterior or interior.

Below are some examples of Protruding objects:

The photo above was taken inside a restroom. The paper towel dispenser is located in the circulation path to the lavatory

 

This drinking fountain is located in a recessed alcove, but it is still protruding onto the circulation path because the recess is not deep enough

Solutions for Correcting Protruding Objects

One of the ways that elements that are protruding objects can be corrected would be to create “cane detection”.

Remember that the reason why the element would be considered a protruding object is because it cannot be detected by a person who is visually impaired and uses a cane to find their way. If the element can be detected by using the cane, then it will NOT be a protruding object.

An example would be a hi-lo drinking fountain. The low drinking fountain IF mounted so that there is knee clearance (27″ a.f.f.) it will also be cane detectable (no higher than 27″ a.f.f.). But because the “high” drinking fountain is for standing persons and requires that it be higher than 27″ a.f.f. it will not be cane detectable. Most drinking fountain manufacturers have additional accessories that one can specify called “cane detectable apron” which can be installed at the higher drinking fountain (IF IT IS A PROTRUDING OBJECT) and it will therefore be able to be detected by a person who uses a cane.

The high drinking fountain shown above has a cane detectable apron installed which reaches exactly at 27″ a.f.f. making it cane detectable

Misunderstanding about cane detectable aprons

I have been noticing at new construction, that the cane detectable aprons are installed even when the drinking fountain is not a protruding object. And also they have been installed at every drinking fountain, even the low one for wheelchairs.

The photo above shows a drinking fountain located in an alcove. It is not technically protruding onto a circulation path and the walls on either side of the drinking fountains act as cane detection. So the cane detectable apron installed under the “high” drinking fountain was not required.

Not only is the drinking fountain shown above in an alcove and not protruding, and did not need a cane detectable apron, but the low drinking fountain would never need a cane detectable apron because if mounted for knee clearance it will be cane detectable without the apron, but when the cane detectable apron is installed it reduces the knee clearance to less than 27″ a.f.f.

This photo is another example of drinking fountain in recessed alcove, not protruding and each drinking fountain had the cane detectable apron installed.

Examples of elements that are NOT Protruding objects

Here are some wall-mounted elements that do not meet the criteria for protruding objects. Remember that for an object to be protruding it must meet the following criteria:

• It must be located along a circulation path
• It must be mounted so that the bottom of the object is higher than 27″ a.f.f.
• It must be more than 4″ deep measured from the mounting surface to the front edge of the object