Facilities/Construction Management continues to create an environment of accessibility  by ensuring appropriate standards for new construction with regards to the Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS).  The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and their Architectural Barriers Advisory Committee develop and maintain the TAS. They are then approved by the United States Department of Justice as being equivalent to the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines. By law, TAS must be equal or more stringent than ADA Accessibility Guidelines. In turn, this means that the F/CM projects are constructed with these standards applied.

In order for projects to be considered compliant, these rigorous standards are adhered to during every phase of the projects.  All campus construction projects with a construction cost of $50,000 or more must contract a Registered Accessibility Specialist (RAS). The RAS registers the project with the State of Texas and performs plan reviews while the project is in design. They also conduct construction inspections to confirm the design of the new facility, renovation, or exterior project meet State accessibility codes once construction is complete.

To help address areas on campus that are not directly tied to an active construction project but might need a compliance assessment, Facilities/Construction Management manages a conservative yearly budget to help with these requests.

Additional References:

https://accessology.com/design-guidelines/texas-accessibility-standards-tas/

https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/ab/abtasapp.htm

https://gov.texas.gov/organization/disabilities/building_accessibility