VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach City Public Schools has begun to take steps to make its school baseball facilities compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Coach St. Clair Jones had been fighting for accessible bathrooms at ballparks across the Virginia Beach school division and at the school board's meeting earlier this week, the board agreed to make it happen. That means ADA-compliant restrooms or portable bathrooms are on their way.
But what exactly does "ADA Compliant" mean?
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, every public facility must be built so everyone can access the essentials of that building. That includes bathrooms, public phones, drinking fountains, and whatever the building is primarily made for.
However, this rule only legally applies to facilities that were built or altered after January 1992:
"(Each facility or part of a facility constructed by, on behalf of, or for the use of a public entity shall be designed and constructed in such manner that the facility or part of the facility is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, if the construction was commenced after January 26, 1992."
There are a couple of exceptions to the rule, like if the accessibility changes threaten the integrity of the building, or if alterations might destroy any historical significance.
Since baseball fields were specifically in question in Coach Jones' case, we looked into the specific rules for stadiums. In addition to accessible bathrooms, the ADA says there must be permanent wheelchair seats that are easily accessible.
You can read the revised ADA regulations on the Americans with Disabilities Act's website.