According to the act, no fewer than two hearing aid compatible receivers are required in all newly constructed or altered spaces. The number of devices required increases based on seating capacity.

“When we think ADA requirements, what we think about is wheelchair access,” said Cory Schaeffer, co-founder of Bluffdale, Utah-based Listen Technologies, a manufacturer of assistive listening products. “However, compared to 1.4 percent of the population in a wheelchair, 17 percent have hearing loss [based on the World Health Organization’s definition].”

One reason that awareness is so low, according to Schaeffer, is many people consider hearing loss an issue that primarily affects older people. However, an estimated 12.5 percent of children and adolescents aged 6–19 years of age (approximately 5.2 million and rising) have suffered permanent damage to their hearing from excessive exposure to noise. The increase is often attributed to the use of ear buds or noise-canceling headphones used to listen to music, digital video players and other devices.

Hearing loss can have a tremendous impact on a child’s education. According the , “even a small amount of hearing loss can have profound, negative effects on speech, language comprehension, communication, classroom learning and social development.”

Fortunately, there are solutions designed to facilitate the specification and installation of assistive listening technology. The hardware available is not specifically designed to integrate with this type of technology so installations can be unwieldy and overly complex, according to Marc D’Agostino a national audiovisual, technology and security consultant with D’Agostino & Associates of Stamford, Conn. The majority of the projects D’Agostino & Associates creates are bid specification documents for classroom and larger assembly areas in K-12 schools.

“For schools, the goal is to incorporate technology that meets ADA requirements while minimizing hardware, space and installation requirements, all while staying within the budget,” D’Agostino said.

D’Agostino often specifies a bundled speaker and assistive listening system from OWI Incorporated, a Carson, Calif.-based manufacturer of advanced audio equipment. OWI ceiling and wall-mounted speakers for schools have their own built-in amplifier, so no external amplifier is required. The Energy Star-compliant unit also provides power to the assisted listening system through the connection, eliminating the need for an additional power source. Perhaps most importantly, OWI speakers are one of the few systems at an entry-level price point that already have the built-in line out required to interface with an Assisted Listening System using a simple, three-wire connection.

The speaker can also eliminate the need for a separate, dedicated PA speaker, according to D’Agostino. To ensure emergency announcements can be made even if electrical power is lost, public address systems are typically hard-wired to a dedicated speaker in each classroom used for only that purpose. The system is connected to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS battery backup) and generator that turn on automatically during a power outage.

Because OWI speakers are built with a multi-coil speaker and priority override features, they can serve double-duty and eliminate the need for the separate PA speaker. In the event of power loss, the speaker will still function.

Regardless of the technology or systems installed, there are many incentives for schools to stay current with ADA requirements for the hearing impaired. Schools that fail to comply may receive complaints, which can now be filed online with the Department of Justice. In addition to being required to remedy the situation, schools can incur fines from $55,000 to $150,000.

Ultimately, though, it’s about children and quality education.

“As parents, we want our kids to do well at school because we want them to have the best opportunities in life,” Schaeffer said. “The ADA requirements provide K-12 students that have hearing loss with the same advantages and opportunities as everyone else. It’s a win-win-win for the child, parents and the school.”

Jeff Elliott is a Torrance, Calif.-based technical writer. He has researched and written about industrial technologies and issues for the past 20 years.

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DALLAS — All state and government construction projects will soon have to bring their projects up to compliance to meet the 2010 Standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act — a requirement that includes school exteriors like playgrounds, pools and outdoor signage.

For projects that start on or after March 25, 2012 the 2010 ADA standards will apply automatically.

The new standards not only impact the interior of schools, but extend outside the classroom. The new ADA standards reflect changes for school playgrounds, pools and signs posted in and around school properties.

Some school districts may be in the market for new signs that comply with the ADA’s standards on Braille messages, as well as the tactile text on the sign.

“Aside from the fact that it’s a federal requirement, adhering to the revised ADA Standards doesn’t have to be painful or costly,” said Kelly David, Director of Marketing and Product Management at ASI. “There are so many different options to deploy signage that not only meet the federal guidelines but also harmonize seamlessly with the facility’s branding and wayfinding needs, while also meeting your budget needs.”

While many school signs have relied on Grade-1 Braille signs to meet ADA compliance, the new standards make it mandatory for schools to update its signs to meet Grade-2 Braille, which includes different sizes, shapes and structures than Grade-1. No exact font is listed in the guidelines for the tactile text on the sign, but the signs must be of a sans serif font style, which includes the most basic Helvetica font.

“Currently the minimum size is what matters. It is now 5/8-inch high with a separation or clear space of 3/8-inch between the bottom of the raised letters and the top of the Grade 2 Braille,” said Patrick Heatherington, Senior Manager of Marketing and Product Management of ASI.

The new standards will require schools to purchase some new equipment or make upgrades to its existing equipment in order to meet the standards, but many school facilities are ready and willing — if they haven’t already completed the necessary upgrades.

“With every challenge, there is an opportunity to not just meet the challenge but make further improvements,” said Heatherington. “This is why we see the smart and efficient school administrators and facility managers taking this ADA compliance opportunity to update wayfinding plans and update the signage message schedules to communicate with a more demographically diverse audience then they might have had 10 years ago when the current signage and wayfinding system was put into place.”

Swimming Pool and Playground Standards

Swimming pools have become a staple for many schools — especially high schools undergoing recent construction. The 2010 standards make it possible for those with disabilities to have access to new and existing pools.

For the first time, the 2010 Standards set minimum requirements for making swimming pools, wading pools, and spas accessible. Newly constructed and altered pools must meet these requirements. Public entities and public accommodations also have obligations with respect to existing pools. State and local governments must make recreational programs and services, including swimming pool programs, accessible to people with disabilities. Public accommodations must bring existing pools into compliance with the 2010 Standards to the extent that it is readily achievable to do so, according to the 2010 ADA Standards.

Playgrounds and playground equipment will also see new mandatory updates and compliance starting March 15. Accessible ground and elevated play components, accessible routes, ramps and transfer systems (typically a platform or transfer steps), and accessible ground surfaces must be provided, according to the ADA. Schools can upgrade anytime before the new standards are set into place to avoid any fines.

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By Paul R. Schreyer, northeast regional manager for The Gordian Group Inc. Schreyer has 15 years of experience in developing job order contracting systems for schools, universities and other large facility owners, including the New York City Department of Education. He can be reached at p.schreyer@thegordiangroup.com.

As students count down to summer vacation, administrators and facilities managers gear up for the construction season — an ideal time to complete projects such as bathroom renovations, ADA upgrades, classroom conversions, and the paint and flooring jobs that pile up over time. Now is the ideal time to prepare.

Many small- to medium-sized summer projects, such as parking lot repaving and ADA upgrades, may be too large for in-house staff, but not large enough to justify a complete design-bid-build cycle. One efficient, effective and flexible procurement method is the job-order contracting (JOC) process, which in my experience allows school officials to complete a large number of routine repair and renovation projects with a single, competitively bid contract.

Many school districts have hundreds of small- to medium-sized construction projects and no way to manage them, much less design, bid and award them. Under the JOC process, there is no need to design and bid each project individually. Instead, contractors bid an adjustment factor on a book of preset unit prices for a variety of construction tasks, such as a square foot of painting, a square foot of ceiling tile, chalkboards, doors, hardware, etc. Using accurate, locally developed prices makes contractors more comfortable with the contract and enables them to submit more competitive bids.

Depending on the owner’s bidding options, the JOC contract can go to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder or the contractor deemed to offer the best value. Once the contract is awarded, the owner can ask the contractor to perform a series of projects. For each, the contractor is simply paid the preset unit prices multiplied by the quantity, which is in turn multiplied by the competitively bid adjustment factor. Once a project is identified, the contractor and school officials meet at the job site to conduct a joint scope meeting, where the contractor can see, touch and understand all aspects of the job.

There are advantages to conducting joint scope meetings and pricing projects through the JOC process. First, the price is not dictated by the schedule. Schools that identify projects in the spring can schedule the work to start the first day of summer vacation. In addition, the fixed-pricing mechanism gives school administrators greater control over budgets and flexibility in determining priorities. Administrators can request pricing for a series of projects and decide which projects to complete to make the most of their budget.

Examples

Independent studies have concluded that school systems using the JOC procurement method versus traditional bid projects will save money. JOC has also been shown to significantly decrease procurement time, which results in more projects completed.

A 2011 audit of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s JOC program showed that the district saved significant time over the 6,000 job orders it issued. District construction officials reported that JOC was twice as fast as the formal, traditional bid method, since it eliminates the typical 30 to 45 days needed to advertise and open bids. In addition, the audit revealed that out of 2,500 JOC projects, the district saved an average of 9.26 percent in costs.

Similarly, a 1998 report on the New York City Department of Education found that its JOC program saved considerable time over the traditional procurement system. Several high-priority projects were completed within a week, and of the 200 projects completed at the time, an average of 7.7 percent in costs was saved.

School districts of any size can take advantage of the JOC process available through cooperative purchasing networks.

One example is Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va., which was built in 1952 and recently required major renovations. After three traditional bid attempts went over budget, the school district used a cooperatively purchased form of JOC to select projects based on priority and proposal amounts. In April 2009, the school district ordered 10 projects to be completed before the first day of school in September. All were completed on time and a total of $100,000 under budget.
In Ohio, Dublin City Schools used its cooperative JOC process to complete an emergency repair on an air-conditioning unit compressor just days before school started. A joint scope meeting revealed that another compressor was not properly working. Work on both projects was completed within budget and just nine days after the project was identified.

Conclusion

Schools have unique scheduling demands when it comes to repair and renovation projects, which may make the JOC process ideal for districts. School administrators can use JOC to prioritize projects based on actual costs, not estimates, and meet tough deadlines. Use JOC to get a head start on repairs and renovations — and be ready to start construction when the last school bell rings.

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