[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 40 (Friday, February 28, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11949-11950]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04058]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS COMPLIANCE BOARD


Notice of Guidance Documents

AGENCY: Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board.

ACTION: Notice of guidance documents.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance 
Board (hereafter, ``Access Board,'' ``Board,'' or ``we''), are issuing 
this notice to announce that, pursuant to Executive Order 13891, we 
have collected and listed all of our guidance documents on our website 
which can be found at http://www.access-board.gov/guidance.

[[Page 11950]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Kuczynski, (202) 272-0042, 
board.gov">kuczynski@access-board.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Executive Order 13891 requires each agency 
to establish on its website ``a single, searchable, indexed database 
that contains or links all guidance documents in effect.'' (84 FR 
55235, Oct. 9, 2019). In response, the Access Board has identified all 
of its guidance documents and co-located them at https://www.access-board.gov/guidance.
    The Access Board is a small, independent federal agency dedicated 
to promoting equality for people with disabilities through, among other 
things, developing and maintaining accessibility guidelines under the 
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers 
Act (ABA). Under titles II and III of the ADA, the Board develops and 
maintains accessibility guidelines for buildings, facilities, and 
transit vehicles. See 42 U.S.C. 12204; see also 29 U.S.C 792(b)(3)(B) & 
(b)(10). These ADA Accessibility Guidelines serve as the basis for 
standards issued by the departments of Justice (DOJ) and Transportation 
(DOT) which enforce the ADA. See, e.g., 42 U.S.C. 12134(c), 12149(b), 
12163, 12186(c). The ABA requires facilities designed, built, altered, 
or leased with federal funds to be accessible to people with 
disabilities. The Access Board maintains the accessibility guidelines 
upon which the ABA standards are based and enforces these standards 
through the investigation of complaints. In addition to promulgating 
regulations, the Board is charged with developing advisory information 
and providing technical assistance on its regulations, titles II and 
III of the ADA, and the ABA. See 29 U.S.C. 792(b)(2); 42 U.S.C. 2131 et 
seq. and 12181 et seq. The majority of Access Board guidance documents 
explain and illustrate requirements in the ADA or ABA Standards. These 
guides are non-binding and simply help clarify the applicable standards 
and provide clearly labeled recommendations for optional best practices 
that exceed the minimum requirements.
    The Board also issues standards and guidelines under Section 508 of 
the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. 794d, and Section 255 of the 
Communications Act. Section 508 requires that information and 
communication technology (ICT) purchased, maintained, or used by the 
federal government be readily accessible to, and usable by, individuals 
with disabilities. Section 255 of the Communication Act, 47 U.S.C. 255, 
requires that telecommunications services and equipment be accessible 
to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities where readily 
achievable.
    The guidance documents listed on the Board's website are divided 
into seven separate categories.

1. Guidance on the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility 
Standards

    These guidance documents, while listed separately, together make up 
a single guide to the ADA Standards. The guide is divided by chapters 
that correspond to the applicable Chapters in the ADA Standards. In the 
beginning of the Guide to the ADA Accessibility Standards, the Board 
notes that it ``explains requirements in the current editions of the 
ADA Standards issued by the DOJ and DOT. It was developed by the U.S. 
Access Board in cooperation with DOJ and DOT. It is important to use 
this guide along with a complete copy of the ADA Standards as it 
explains, but does not contain or reprint, the text of the ADA 
Standards.'' See https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/buildings-and-sites/about-the-ada-standards/guide-to-the-ada-standards/about-this-guide.

2. Guidance on the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Accessibility 
Standards

    This document is similar to the guide on the ADA Standards in that 
it is divided into multiple chapters that correspond to the chapters of 
the ABA Standards. Similarly, this guide explains current editions of 
the ABA Standards issued by the Department of Defense, the General 
Services Administration, and the U.S. Postal Service, which are based 
on, and are substantively similar to, the Board's updated ABA 
Accessibility Guidelines (2004).'' See https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/buildings-and-sites/about-the-aba-standards/guide-to-the-aba-standards/about-this-guide. Additionally, the Board 
provides a disclaimer which states ``[i]t is important to use this 
guide along with a complete copy of the ABA Standards as it explains, 
but does not contain or reprint, the text of the ABA Standards.''

3. Animations on the ADA and ABA Standards

    The Access Board has created multiple short animations which 
provide a visual and audible illustration of sections of the ADA and 
ABA Standards. These animations follow the same structure of the guides 
on the ADA and ABA Standards in that they explain requirements in the 
standards and provide best practices but do not establish any new or 
additional requirements above what is specified in the standards.

4. Guidance on the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Transportation 
Vehicles

    This guide provides technical assistance, background, and rationale 
for the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Transportation Vehicles, 36 
CFR part 1192, and gives examples of how the accessibility guidelines 
can be applied in particular cases.

5. Guidance on Requirements for Information and Communication 
Technology (ICT)

    These older guidance documents provide technical assistance on the 
implementation of the original standards issued under Section 508 of 
the Rehabilitation Act. While the Board has updated these standards 
recently, we maintain this guide as there is still legacy ICT to which 
the Original 508 Standards are applicable. 36 CFR part 1194, Appendix 
D.

6. Guidance on Public Rights-of-Way

    This section includes multiple documents and videos that provide 
technical assistance on providing access to public streets and 
sidewalks and other elements of public rights-of-way. These materials 
clearly state that they are only intended to provide technical 
assistance and are not binding as the public rights-of-way rulemaking 
has not been completed.

7. Guidance on Prescription Drug Labels

    This is advisory guidance on making prescription drug container 
labels accessible to people who are blind, visually impaired, or 
elderly. Section 904 of the Food and Drug Administration and Innovation 
Act (Pub. L. 112-144, 126 Stat. 993) charged the Access Board with 
convening a working group to develop best practices for making 
information on prescription drug container labels accessible. However, 
these best practices are not mandatory and are not standards or 
accessibility guidelines of the Access Board. Id.

David M. Capozzi,
Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 2020-04058 Filed 2-27-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8150-01-P