How to build an accessible neighborhood?

[zdashamber]

Housing prices are heinous in the Bay Area and I live in Mountain View, where there are other people who realize we need to build more housing. We elected pro-housing people to the City Council, and there's a push to put in a dense neighborhood with multi-story housing and shops into the (currently hella boring 1-2 story) office park that Google lives in. There will be meetings this summer (one is set for Saturday July 25th at the Senior Center) to get public input into how this neighborhood should look/work; it might be possible to reroute streets, build bridges across the highway, all kinds of things.

What kinds of things would make it accessible? Things like:

• wheelchair-accessible units
  
• sidewalks on the main housing area wide enough for two wheelchairs to roll side by side
  
• shop doors right at street level
  
• chirping intersection markers that go off on their own (no button)
  
• indents where the bus can pull in, out of traffic, next to the sidewalk
  
• ...what else?

Is there stuff I don't have to mention because the ADA covers it? Who should I definitely reach out to so they can come advocate also?

(Edited to remove my own accessibility fail in language, sorry all)

Comments

[gehayi]

Braille signs on shops, libraries, street signs, bathrooms, etc.

Restaurants with menus in Braille, large print and/or audio.

Doors with power-assisted door operators for the disabled. Especially bathroom doors.

Mats at entrances of buildings are level with the floor so that wheels of chairs and scooters as well as walkers, crutches and canes are not blocked by them.

Curb cuts are kept clean and have a non-slip surface.

Railings that don't conduct heat.

Walkways are not obstructed by poles, bicycle racks, plants, etc. (Such things may be present, but they aren't in anyone's way.)

Elevators with Braille signs and audio announcements of each floor. Also, the elevator should stay open as long as it takes for a weak or elderly person in a wheelchair to roll in; elevators are often designed with healthy people's speed in mind.

Street signs in large print using high-contrast colors.

Fire alarms have both visual and audio signals. NOTE: Please, no flashing lights. A visual signal that can trigger another disability, such as epilepsy, is not an advantage.

Bathroom doors and toilet cubicles large enough for wheelchairs, walkers and crutches. Architects frequently make the mistake of placing only one toilet for the disabled in each bathroom, when they should make ALL toilets accessible. (It's not unusual for those who aren't visibly disabled or aren't disabled at all to use the disabled toilet because of greater space. This tends to make things difficult when someone in a wheelchair or walker needs access to a toilet and the only toilets available are too narrow for them to access.)

Telecommunications accessibility for the deaf.

The general layout of stores, libraries, town halls, etc. is designed with wide aisles that can easily accommodate at least two wheelchairs side by side; counters/cashier desks are on the level of someone in a wheelchair; there are information desks that are accessible to those who cannot see, hear, speak using their mouths, walk, etc.; queuing areas and serving aisles can easily accommodate wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, service animals, etc., without getting in anyone's way.

Accessible routes are marked in bright, highly visible colors or in texture changes for those with limited vision or blindness. Note that texture changes can't hamper mobility aids.

the following washroom features are accessible to people with a wide range of disabilities:
grab bars
coat hooks
flush controls
wash basins
toilet paper dispenser
call button for emergencies
mounted automatic hand-dryers or paper towel holders
lever-handled faucets or automatic faucet