The North Carolina Building Code will be having a public hearing on Monday, December 10, 2007. During this meeting the The North Carolina Building Code Council-Accessibility Code Committee will be proposing that our state stop using the North Carolina Accessibility Code and adopt the ANSI Chapter 11 Code. The North Carolina Accessibility Code is certified by the Department of Justice and meets all federal building guidelines. This code permits our state inspectors to advise contractors on their accessibility requirements.
The removal of North Carolina’s Accessibility Code will have a negative effect on state policy initiatives including Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities/Substance Abuse Services Reform, developing more accessible housing opportunities for persons with disabilities in our state, building more accessible schools, and promoting the full inclusion of people with disabilities in our communities because it will cease all NC enforcement authority and require all complaints to be filed at the Federal level.
Filing complaints will be more complicated, take longer, and could allow more building to slip through the cracks.
ACTION NEEDED:
You can help us stop this change by either:
Attending the NC Building Code Council Hearing on Monday, December 10 in Raleigh.
If you cannot attend, please write a letter to:
Chris Noles, PEEngineering and CodesDeputy Commissioner,cnoles@ncdoi.net
TALKING POINTS:
* Howimportant it is for persons with disabilities to have access to hospitals, schools, apartments, public building, parking spots and sidewalks.
*North Carolina’s Accessibility Code is one of the strongest most progressive codes in the nation.
*North Carolina is one of six states to have its Accessibility Code certified by the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines.
*North Carolina’s Accessibility Code is certified by the Department of Justice.
*Our state Code complies with federal requirements, local building inspectors and the Department of Insurance has the ability to enforce the Accessibility Code.
*The North Carolina Accessibility Code provides a state/local mechanism for people with disabilities the ability to grieve barriers to accessibility on a state level as opposed to taking these grievances to a federal level.
*The North Carolina Accessibility Code covers all construction including; hospitals, schools, apartments, public buildings, parking and curb cuts.
PUBLIC HEARING INFORMATION:
Monday, December 10, 2007 at 1:00pm
General Assembly Auditorium-Third Floor of Legislative Building(walk up red carpeted staircase from front of building)
For a list of other organizations that support our current accessibility code, please click here.
Thank you for your support in helping us prevent turning back the clock on accessibility in North Carolina.
Have Questions or Need More Information:
Contact Julia Leggett, Policy Coordinator, The Arc of North Carolina
jleggett@arcnc.org or 919-830-5457.
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