Passenger vessel design and the ADA-Americans with Disabilities Act

The marine industry faces a challenge in making passenger vessels accessible to persons with disabilities. With the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, freedom of access has become the law of the land. Accessibility issues pertaining to vessel design include embarking and disembarking the vessel, paths of travel aboard the vessel (doorways, thresholds, aisles), multideck access, accessible bathrooms and other services, and emergency evacuation. Accessibility extends beyond the wheelchair user to include the blind and visually impaired, the deaf, and others. The design community, working with the passenger vessel owners and persons with disabilities, has an opportunity to develop creative solutions to the numerous problems of vessel accessibility.