Eagle Tips - Removing Barriers

 Your courts of honor are undoubtedly open to all comers-but can everybody come? Is the facility where you're holding the ceremony free of barriers that could keep out wheelchair users and others with disabilities?

I thought about those questions when planning a court of honor a few years back. The honoree's grandfather used a wheelchair, and I needed to make sure he could get in and out of the building and have a place to sit during the  ceremony. In our case, we only had to make one minor modification (holding the reception in a different room than usual), but you may need to make bigger adjustments-perhaps even choosing a different location for the court of honor.

In brief, you want to make sure there are no stairs to climb, that ramps have a slope of 1:12 or less, that hallways are at least 36 inches wide and that doorways are at least 32 inches wide. Also be sure that you have accessible restrooms and a designated parking area. (For much more information, see the Americans with Disabilities Act checklist at http://www.ada.gov/racheck.pdf.)