... phones in elevators have been around for years. What changed the picture was the introduction of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Before that Act was passed, local codes dictated whether a phone was required in an elevator. It varied from city to city. What the ADA said was IF the local codes required an elevator phone, then that phone must provide equal access to everyone, including those with disabilities. That meant that phones with dials, whether rotary or touch tone had to go because they couldn't be operated by anyone with a sight impairment. Think about it, you're blind and stuck in an elevator. How can you dial out?
I haven't seen an elevator phone with a rotary dial or dial pad on it
in many years. All new models I've run across are programmed to dial a
designated number when someone lifts the handset or presses the
emergency call button.
The next part of the ADA said that the phone couldn't require written instructions in order for the person to use it. Same reason--for the vision impaired. Also an important feature if you're in an elevator during a power failure and can't read the instructions because it's pitch black.
Most modern elevators have emergency lighting installed for just that
reason but you really don't need to dial anything (see above).
The ADA also dictated where the phone could be located in the elevator. In the past, most of these phones were mounted at eye level. But, if you're in a wheelchair, you can't reach that high. Also, if the phone had a cord, it had to be of a minimum length so a person in a wheelchair could use it.
These really are not unreasonable requirements. If you were in a
wheelchair you'd certainly want to have access to an emergency calling
system.
After all these ADA regs came out, manufacturers developed elevator phones with dialers built in. They operate from a single push button. The ADA also said that there must be some visual indication that the emergency call has been received. So manufacturers made provisions to light a "Call Received" light. That's for hearing impaired users. On that same issue, the ADA requires a higher minimum volume level that's beyond most telephones.
While some manufacturers may have waited until ADA forced their hands,
auto-dialling elevator phones have been around since a long time before
ADA. We used to monitor a few of them. I've sold a few to
electricians and even an occasional building owner who didn't want to
hire a tech to replace an existing unit.
Since most elevator occupants don't have a clue what the building address is, or what elevator cab they are in, the manufacturers started adding a built in location identifier.
Yep. Otis uses is caller ID. Their database displays the address,
contact information and even the elevator cab number on multi-unit
sites when the call comes in. They also employ electronic ID
technology on their newer installations since it allows them to bank
several cabs on a single phone line.
Ultimately, some manufacturers starting including Contact ID format to handle all the ID information. So, the bottom line is you cannot use an ordinary telephone with a
dialer and still stay within the ADA requirments.
Correct. That would never make it past the inspector.
Since ADA emergency phones have been around for so long, and since most building owners use them, you open yourself and your customer up to huge liability issues if you try to skirt the telephone requirments by using an ordinary telephone.
True. The local AHJ might also cite the owner or worse.
Regards,
Robert L Bass
www.BassBurglarAlarms.com
