Office and Staff Spaces
General Overview
Within arts and cultural organizations, it is common to focus on the accessibility of front-facing public areas like lobbies or galleries. However, it is equally important to ensure that internal and staff-facing spaces such as offices, meeting rooms, green rooms, dressing rooms, break rooms, and virtual meeting spaces, are accessible as well. Prioritizing access in these spaces ensures that staff, volunteers, artists, and collaborators with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of your organizational environment. To learn more about access features for all types of environments, visit the Physical Features, Sensory Features, and Care and Convenience Features sections of The Hub.
Implementation
In addition to the physical and sensory accessibility of office and meeting environments, there are specific features, layouts, and tools to consider when designing inclusive spaces for employees, collaborators, artists, and participants with disabilities. These apply across traditional offices as well as nontraditional or temporary work environments like dressing rooms, green rooms, and virtual or open-concept spaces.
When setting up office, meeting, and other employee environments, keep the following access considerations in mind:
- Seating: Provide flexible seating options, including chairs with and without armrests. Ensure that individuals using mobility devices can easily access all workstations and shared spaces.
- Workstations: Offer desks and tables with appropriate clearance and adjustable heights. Ensure that flexible seating areas are integrated into the room, not set apart. Offer the option for standing, sitting and free independent movement.
- Lighting: Use adjustable lighting with dimmable options to accommodate visual and sensory needs. Consider offering task lighting or natural light control as needed, including the use of blinds and shades.
- Technology: Ensure technology is compatible with assistive devices, such as screen readers, magnifiers, and hearing aids. Use platforms that meet web accessibility standards for virtual participation.
- Microphones and ALS (Assistive Listening Systems): Use microphones in larger meetings or hybrid settings and ensure that assistive listening systems are available and functional.
- Captions during meetings: Provide captioning for virtual, hybrid, and in-person meetings, or whenever a screen is in use during a meeting. Many presentation and screen sharing platforms include AI captioning, and many virtual meeting settings provide automated or AI captions. When needed or requested, provide human-driven caption translation or CART Services. CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation)
- Break rooms and kitchens: Install sinks, counters, and appliances that can be used by individuals with mobility or dexterity disabilities. Include space for maneuvering and accessible seating, placing all functional items, like cleaners, trash disposal, utensils and dish racks are within reach range.
- Dressing and green rooms: Ensure that these rooms include wide doorways, accessible mirrors and hooks, benches at appropriate heights, and clear floor space for mobility devices and integrated seating spaces.
- Storage: Place shelving, hooks, and cabinets within accessible reach ranges. Label storage clearly and allow flexible storage solutions when needed.
- Virtual spaces: Use accessible video platforms with built-in captioning, keyboard navigation, audio instructions and screen reader compatibility. Share access protocols and support guides with participants in advance.
Open concept offices and shared co-working spaces must also include thoughtful design to ensure equitable use:
- Quiet areas: Provide low-sensory or quiet spaces for employees who need a quiet area to work or to take a break from overstimulation. When possible, the space should include independent control of temperature, light, sound, and comfortable seating. Consider also providing floor, recline or recumbent seating, without sacrificing maneuverability for a mobility device user.
- Collaboration areas: Ensure that collaboration zones include integrated accessible seating, tables, and display tools that can be used by all participants. Set clear expectations for how spaces are to be used, and how they are to be left when finished. Provide visual images of a clean collaborative area, to be replicated when finished and tidy.
- Wayfinding: Label rooms, co-working spaces, offices, workstations and break rooms clearly and consider using tactile or large-print signage to support navigation.
- Visual and Auditory Clarity: Minimize unnecessary noise and visual clutter and set expectations of organization and tidiness in shared spaces or open workspaces.
- Access reviews: Consider building access reviews into your onboarding and HR processes. An Access Review is an opportunity for an employee to become aware of the accessibility in place at an organization or venue, and learn the areas where accessibility can expand. An Access Review can cover physical space, work areas, break and rest areas, keycard entry systems, parking, virtual spaces and any area, arena or process where an employee frequently interacts. This can be especially important for employees working in backstage, hybrid, or nontraditional workspaces to ensure expectations, needs, and preferences are considered in the space.
- Outings, gatherings, celebrations and offsite events: Apply these considerations for instances where employees gather outside of the traditional work space, taking access requests and known accommodations in mind. Ensure to gather information about food allergies, seating preferences, outdoor preferences/needs (such as temperature control or shade), and communication access needs (such as microphones) and factor these details into the planning of the event. When employees gather in non-traditional work spaces, the considerations for access should increase including preparatory materials, travel and transportation, schedule and timing, restrooms and rest areas, seating, and expectation management.
Associated Legal Requirements or Obligations
Please note that, while this content was developed by people with expertise in the ADA and legal requirements related to access, it was created for informational purposes and should not be considered legal advice.
- 2010 Standards for Accessible Design
Outlines considerations that apply to work and meeting spaces, including offices, support rooms, and virtual environments:
- Accessible Work Areas: Work areas must allow for mobility device access, general circulation paths, accessible routes, emergency alert systems and integration of accessible furnishings. Section 203.9: Employee Work Areas
- Reach Ranges: Fixtures such as coat hooks, shelving, and electrical outlets should be placed within reach for individuals using mobility devices. Section 308: Reach Ranges
- Common Use Break Areas: Kitchens and break areas used by staff must be accessible, including sinks, counters, and appliance operation. Section 212 and 804: Kitchens and Kitchenettes
- Dressing and Changing Rooms: Dressing rooms and green rooms provided for employees, performers, or the public must include accessible features and routes. Section 803: Dressing, Fitting, and Locker Rooms, Section 213: Toilet and Bathing Facilities
JAN – The Job Accommodation Network is a service of the US Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy. The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on job accommodations and disability employment issues. Serving customers across the United States and around the world for more than 40 years, JAN provides free one-on-one practical guidance and technical assistance on job accommodation solutions, Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and related legislation, and self-employment and entrepreneurship options for people with disabilities.
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