ADA in AV: Real World Results

You’ve reached the fourth post in our series on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its intersection with the AV industry. Well done, you! If you’ve come this far, you obviously have a great interest in making AV spaces that comply with ADA requirements. 

In this post, we’re going to talk about what we’ve learned about the ADA and how to apply it to education, corporate and digital signage spaces.

As a brief recap, the first blogs in this series covered the overall goals of the ADA and what parts AV professionals need to know, the physical requirements of spaces for ADA compliance, and audio systems that make experiences better for people with hearing or language impairments.

Consider this blog series a companion piece to Legrand | AV’s publication “ADA in AV: Making AV Technology ADA compliant.” The guide is the most comprehensive publication specifically for the AV industry about the ADA that we know of. Visit www.legrand.com/ada to find the guide and other free resources on this topic.

Education Spaces and ADA

When approaching a tough question about ADA in education, Brian Retzlaff, Manager, Solutions Engineering at Legrand | AV, always comes back to thinking about the intent of the law.

“It’s trying to make the world accessible and things accessible for folks who don’t have the same abilities or different abilities than others,” Retzlaff said. “So, I look at the core of what is the ask, and I just try to find a solution that helps overcome whatever that problem presents itself as. We want those experiences to be amazing for everybody.”

Retzlaff has seen education AV fads come and go. Interactive displays were once the rage, but after 10 years, most teachers are just using them as a display. On top of that, the displays are typically smaller and become more difficult to see from the back of the room when lowered for accessibility.

Budgets in education can always be tough to manage when it comes to technology. Retzlaff noted that during the pandemic, many schools took advantage of one-time financial resources to add distance learning capabilities to more rooms. However, a long-term view should be taken when planning upgrades. For example, having the right connectivity options if wi-fi becomes less desirable will save a lot of trouble down the road.

Teaching mindsets may also need to be addressed. Many teachers who had their classrooms equipped for fully remote learning are not using that technology once students returned. However, students still may miss a day of classes for one reason or another. Having the ability to watch remotely or review a recorded class keeps them from falling behind. It also allows students with learning disabilities to review concepts with full audio and video, instead of relying only on notes.

Another shift may include allowing students to bring smart devices to class in order to fully engage with the content in the way they need. Work still needs to be done to figure out how to keep them focused on the apps that are helpful and away from apps that can distract. In any case, it’s important for AV professionals to be aware of the various challenges presented with adding student-driven technology to classrooms.

Listen to the full interview with Brian Retzlaff at The Download Podcast.

Listen to the full interview with David Albright at The Download Podcast.

“There’s new opportunity to rethink not only the physical space, but how that physical space connects to those that aren’t in the room,” said David Albright, Senior Business Development Manager for Hybrid Collaboration and AV at Legrand | AV. “What’s pushing all of us to think harder is why is the office important to our business? Then I can better design and invest in it going forward to meet that purpose.”

For Albright, this rethinking is a prime opportunity to consider how these meeting spaces need to evolve to be more flexible, to present content in a larger format, and generally impact the universal accessibility of the space.

While not strictly under ADA guidelines, this sort of approach extends to decisions on lighting, acoustics, power and data connectivity, and more. All of these elements help to create a better, more accessible experience for all. As businesses put more emphasis on diversity and inclusion initiatives, creating universal spaces that address the comfort of any participant is just one way to make employees feel welcomed and attract the best talent.

Asked to identify any recent examples of this design thinking at play, Albright was quick to point out Microsoft. As they work to improve the Teams experience, they are also looking at the corporate spaces where Teams is used. That means highlighting the accessibility of the Microsoft Surface Hub interactive display.

Adding a height adjustable mounting solution ensures that anyone wishing to engage with the display is able to do so. You can read more about Legrand’s efforts with Microsoft on our Industry Collaborations Page.

Finally, Albright wanted integrators to be mindful of decisions that can affect a space even down to the choice of table. End users who want to purchase something online may not be aware of the benefits that AV-designed furniture can add to a conferencing space – such as wheelchair accessibility, cable management, and even video-enhancing color choices.

“I would challenge our community to take ADA more seriously, and I think it can be a gateway to a broader understanding of universal holistic design and the benefits it can bring to our end users,” Albright said. “It’s a great time to be having these conversations with our industry and with end users that are struggling with some of these dynamics.”