Accessible Picnic Tables

The use of accessible picnic tables for persons with disabilities has continued to be a growing concern in our country over the last decade in both public and private facilities. The inclusion of these leisure amenities should be considered in all of our nation's outdoor recreational environments providing they meet certain standards as set forth by the Federal government and related agencies. Today, there are an increasing number of providers that offer handicap accessible picnic tables in public accommodations and commercial facilities.

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The U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) implements federal guidelines relating to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and subsequent requirements for compliance with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). These 2004 ADAAG guidelines prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in public spaces and are clear in their proposed specifications for handicap accessible picnic tables, thereby protecting the civil rights of persons with disabilities in such facilities. The ADA recognizes the US Access Board as the agency accountable for development of these minimum accessibility guidelines. The USDOJ published revised regulations on September 15, 2010 for Title III of the ADA and these new, enforceable regulations are called the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. The standard and revised key points of these federal documents are summarized as follows:

• Recommended Number of Accessible Picnic Tables
• Dispersal of Accessible Picnic Tables
• Minimum and Maximum Table Clearances for Accessible Picnic Tables
• Number of Wheelchair Seating Spaces
• Surface and Slope of Clear Floor Space

Number of Required Accessible Picnic Tables

The research and documentation for the required number of accessible picnic tables in a given area comes from information as based on the U.S. Access Board's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Accessibility Guidelines on Outdoor Developed Areas (June 2007) under the Architectural Barriers Act. This report is still considered as a general guideline for determining fixed picnic table requirements.

Dispersal of Accessible Picnic Tables

The NPRM proposes that the distribution of accessible picnic tables in a given area be dispersed throughout the area giving persons with disabilities the same choice of picnic table accessibility as other visitors. This provision does not necessarily influence the required number of picnic tables in a given area, but only refers to the distribution of them. A further recommendation states that where two or more picnic tables in a picnic area are located, at least 50 percent of those tables must be accessible. After much debate and research, this probability would adequately accommodate the demand for accessible tables.

Minimum and Maximum Table Clearances for Wheelchair Accessible Picnic Tables

• Tops of tables must be 28 inches minimum and 34 inches maximum above finished floor or ground space.
• Knee clearance is considered the space under a picnic table between 9 inches to 27 inches above the floor or ground.
• The maximum depth under a table should extend 25 inches maximum at 9 inches above the floor.
• The minimum required depth for knee clearance should be 19 inches deep at 9 inches high and 8 inches deep at 27 inches high. Knee clearance should be 30 inches wide minimum.
• Toe clearance is considered the space under a picnic table from the floor or ground to 9 inches above the floor or ground. The maximum depth under a table should extend 25 inches. The minimum depth would be 17 inches. Toe clearance should be 30 inches wide minimum.

Number of Wheelchair Seating Spaces

The number of wheelchair seating spaces will differ according to the table top perimeter. According to the 2010 ADA Standards for dining surfaces that are used for food or drink consumption, at least 5% of the seating spaces must comply with the minimum and maximum table clearances (as listed above). For example, a table top with a perimeter up to 24 linear feet (lf) requires at least 1 picnic table seating space. For a table top perimeter of 25-44 lf, 2 seating spaces are required; 45-64 lf requires 3 seating spaces; 65-84 lf requires 4 seating spaces; 85-104 lf requires 5 seating spaces, and so forth. These findings are based on an average-sized picnic table at a 25 foot length.

Surface and Slope of Clear Floor Space

For recreational areas, the surface of wheelchair and accessible seating spaces should be stable and firm. The slope of the floor space should have a slope no steeper than 1:48. The slope of floor space is required to be 1:50 or less in any direction but where conditions call for slopes greater than 1:50 for drainage, a 1:33 maximum slope is allowed.

The guidelines as set forth by the NPRM are only minimum requirements for achieving accessibility for persons with disabilities in public or private facilities. The National Center on Accessibility (NCA) offers the following recommendations based on extensive research conducted in collaboration with the University of Minnesota and finalized in the January 2001 publication, "Functional Aspects of Accessible Picnic Elements".

• Allow adequate seating space for more than 1 wheelchair to prevent misappropriate placement of wheelchair seating that can lead to a disabled person being situated in the sun or other area.
• Locate wheelchair spaces in the center of tables rather than at the end of the table to increase social interaction.
• Where applicable, include extra knee and leg clearance to provide comfort for a wider range of persons since people whom use wheelchairs are of various sizes and capabilities.
• Expand overall surface area around picnic tables to prevent inevitable deterioration that can affect the surface edge and consequent accessibility.
• Increase the number of fixed accessible tables to prevent tables being moved to other locations and becoming inaccessible to persons in need.
• When planning seating arrangement, make sure to position some accessible sites in the shade to prevent subsequent health problems from prolonged sun exposure.
• Provide additional curb cuts in more popular and frequented areas to help with more convenient travel from location to location.
• Place informational signage in accessible areas to show directions to accessible seating sites within the area.
• Add signage to direct visitors to accessible picnic tables within the area.

The NCA research study focused on approximately six different picnic tables and concluded that each had certain design advantages. The study showed that round or oval-shaped handicap accessible picnic tables tend to allow for more reachable space from all points of the tabletop. More importantly, the study found that this seating placement enables a person in a wheelchair a better choice of where to sit rather than only at the table end. The cost associated with ADA picnic tables was found to be higher than ordinary picnic tables but according to NCA's research, prices can possibly be negotiated with manufacturers to meet a facility's budget. Many manufacturers will even sell the picnic table frame separately to reduce costs, leaving facility staff to build their own tabletop from other materials. NCA research concluded that no matter what a facility chooses to do, increasing the number of accessible picnic tables will inevitably increase the number of visitors to the given area and provide everyone with a progressive and functional picnic site.

RESOURCES

• Chart retrieved online from article by National Center on Accessibility. (Summer 2002, revised October 2007). Accessible picnic tables: requirements and recommendations. Bloomington, IN: National Center on Accessibility, Indiana University-Bloomington.
• Americans with Disabilities Act - http://www.ada.gov/
• Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines - http://www.access-board.gov/ada/