Aircraft Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities: Code of Practice for Fixed-Wing Aircraft with 30 or More Passenger Seats

1.0.1

Signage should be positioned to avoid shadow areas and glare.

1.0.2

Signage should be positioned at key decision-making points, such as washrooms, emergency exits, doors, and boarding stairs, where there is no impediment.

1.0.3

Where an impediment is present, signage is to be placed in the nearest logical alternative place.

1.0.4

Letters, numbers, symbols and pictographs should be glare-free and presented in high contrasting colours (e.g., a light colour on a dark background or a dark colour on a light background, with light on dark being preferable for signage). Colour combinations that should be avoided include yellow/grey, yellow/white, blue/green, red/green, black/violet and red/black.

1.0.5

Letters and numbers should be in the sans serif font, and numbers should be Arabic. Letters and numbers should have at least a width-to-height ratio between 3:5 and 1:1 and a stroke-width-to-height ratio between 1:5 and 1:10. Fonts that use bold, rounded, very thick, very thin or condensed styles should be avoided. Upper- and lower-case lettering is encouraged and the use of all caps (except when tactile signs are used) should also be avoided.

1.0.6

When tactile signage or markers are used, letters, numbers, symbols and pictographs should be raised at least 0.08 cm (0.8 mm) and should be between 1.6 cm (16 mm) and 5.0 cm (50 mm) high.

1.0.7

If signage is supplemented with braille, it should be located at the bottom of the sign and presented in Grade One Braille that meets the standards of the Braille Literacy Canada in English and in Braille intégral that meets the standards of the Code braille français uniformisé pour la transcription des textes imprimés(CBFU) in French.

1.0.8

If electronic signage is used, letters, numbers, symbols and pictographs should be slowly scrolled across the screen. Red letters on a black background should not be used.

1.1.1

Lighting on an aircraft, except reading and other lighting under the control of a passenger, should be directed and controlled so as to minimize glare and shadows.

1.1.2

Lighting should not result in any sharp contrasts in intensity throughout the passenger cabin.

1.2.1

Integrated boarding stairs on an aircraft should have uniform riser heights and uniform tread depths. The height of the first step on and last step off should not exceed the uniform riser height.

1.2.2

Tactile warning surfaces should extend the full width of the stairs, commencing one tread depth from the edge of the stair.

1.2.3

The tread surfaces of the stairs should be firm and non-slippery and should not create glare.

1.2.4

The top outer edge of each step should be marked by a contrasting colour strip 50 ± 10 cm (500 ± 100 mm) deep that runs the full width of the step and is readily apparent from both directions of travel.

1.2.5

Integrated boarding stairs should have handrails on both sides.

1.2.6

If structural limitations of an aircraft prevent any of the above criteria from being satisfied, an air carrier should provide assistance, if requested, to a person with a disability in ascending and descending the stairs.

1.3.1

Handrails on integrated boarding stairs and throughout the aircraft should be sturdy, rounded, smooth and slip-resistant. They should also be of a height and length that permit use by all passengers.

1.3.2

Handrails should have a diameter of not more than 4 cm (40 mm), so that the thumb and fingers can lock around the handrail. They should not have any obstructions that could break a handhold.

1.3.3

Handrails should be colour contrasted from their surrounding areas or marked with a contrasting colour strip that runs the full length of the handrail.

1.3.4

Handrails should also return to the wall, floor or post in a smooth curve or have a tactile cue at the end.

1.3.5

If structural limitations of an aircraft prevent the above criteria from being satisfied, air carriers should provide assistance, if requested, to a person with a disability in ascending and descending the stairs.

1.4.1

Floor surfaces on an aircraft should be glare-free, slip-resistant, and not be heavily patterned.

1.5.1

Each class section of the passenger cabin of an aircraft, e.g., first class, business class, and economy class, should have a number of passenger seats, other than exit row seats, that provide enough floor space for a service animal^{Footnote 2} to lie down comfortably. The handler should also have sufficient leg and foot room for safety and comfort.

1.5.2

This section should be read in conjunction with the Implementation Guide Regarding Space for Service Dogs Onboard Large Aircraft.

1.6.1

Tactile markers to indicate row numbers should be placed on overhead bins or on passenger aisle seats.

1.6.2

Tactile markers should be placed within reach of passengers.

1.6.3

This section should be read in conjunction with the Implementation Guide Regarding Tactile Row Markers Onboard Large Aircraft.

1.7.1

Aircraft with 100 or more passengers seats should have a priority space in the passenger cabin designated for stowage of at least one manually-operated folding or collapsible wheelchair owned by a passenger.

1.8.1

At least 50 per cent of the aisle armrests on the passenger aisle seats in aircraft purchased or leased after January 1999 should be movable. If possible, the passenger seats with movable aisle armrests should be evenly distributed throughout the aircraft.

1.8.2

For existing passenger seats in aircraft that are being replaced with newly manufactured passenger seats, the aisle armrests on the newly manufactured passenger seats should be movable. This practice should continue until such time as the above criteria in Section 1.8.1 concerning 50 per cent movable armrests and even distribution are satisfied.

1.8.3

Where the space around a passenger seat in first or business class permits the transfer of a passenger to and from an on-board wheelchair without the requirement to lift the passenger over the armrest, that seat can be considered as one with a movable armrest for the purpose of satisfying the criteria set out in Section 1.8.1.

1.8.4

With respect to passenger seats in first or business class that do not have enough space for such a transfer and whose current design does not permit the armrest to be movable, air carriers are encouraged to explore new designs and technology that would result in a passenger in an on-board wheelchair being able to transfer with ease to and from these seats.

1.9.1

Washrooms on aircraft with more than one aisle

Aircraft with more than one aisle have more space. At least one washroom should be accessible to persons with disabilities, including persons using an on-board wheelchair. The washroom should satisfy the criteria for washrooms.

Air carriers are expected to have these aircraft designed or retrofitted to include a wheelchair-accessible washroom. Carriers are also encouraged to be innovative and to pursue the possibility of having a washroom that is large enough to accommodate a person in an on-board wheelchair and their attendant. For example, carriers may use a retractable curtain that can be drawn around the area outside the washroom to provide additional space and privacy. Another design which accommodates a person using a wheelchair and their attendant is one which permits the joining of two adjacent washrooms through expandable and/or retractable walls.

1.9.2

Washrooms on aircraft with one aisle

For aircraft with one aisle, at least one washroom should be accessible to persons with disabilities, with the exception of persons using an on-board wheelchair. The washroom should satisfy the criteria for washrooms.

Aircraft with only one aisle have space limitations that, in most cases, prevent a washroom from having enough room to accommodate a person in an on-board wheelchair. For this reason, air carriers are not expected to have these aircraft designed or retrofitted to include a wheelchair-accessible washroom, although they are encouraged to be innovative and to pursue possibilities of devising means to accommodate a person in an on-board wheelchair in a washroom on these aircraft.

1.10.1

On an aircraft with a washroom able to accommodate a person in an on-board wheelchair, there should be, at all times, at least one on-board wheelchair.

1.10.2

The on-board wheelchair should have a design that permits easy transfer of an occupant and easy manoeuvering of the chair, with assistance, in the aircraft. It should have footrests, armrests that are movable or removable, an occupant restraint device and wheel locks.

1.10.3

In some instances, a person may be able to use a washroom that cannot accommodate an on-board wheelchair but is not able to reach the washroom from a passenger seat without the use of an on-board wheelchair. In such cases, and when the passenger makes a request for an on-board wheelchair in advance of their flight, and where the design of the aircraft permits, the air carrier should ensure that there is space allocated within the passenger cabin to carry an on-board wheelchair.

2.0.1

An air operator should have procedures in place to ensure that all aircraft accessibility features are maintained in good working order.

3.0.1

Air carriers should have the means within the aircraft of providing announcements, such as those concerning stops, delays, connections and onboard services, visually and verbally to persons with disabilities.

3.1.1

Air carriers should provide large print and Braille supplemental passenger briefing cards on aircraft. Briefing cards should advise persons with disabilities that they may request a personal individual briefing, should they require one.

3.1.2

A sufficient number of these cards (at least two is recommended) should be made available in: 14 point or larger sans serif type; use dark characters on a light background; and in Grade Two Braille that meets the standards of Braille Literacy Canada in English and in Braille intégral that meets the standards of the Code braille français uniformisé pour la transcription des textes imprimés (CBFU) in French.