All entrances will utilize automatic, sensor-triggered sliding doors to allow all users to enter equally through a common entrance.

Rush is privileged to serve this city and to do so in an atmosphere of inclusiveness. Employees demonstrate this commitment every day through our programs and partnerships, from employment practices and patient care to community service. Rush will continue to foster this culture of inclusion in its new facilities, including our new hospital, which is scheduled to open in 2012.

From the beginning, universal design standards were incorporated into the design plans, ensuring barrier-free accessibility for people with disabilities. In fact, Rush has exceeded code requirements in many instances, striving for broad-spectrum solutions that help everyone, not just those with disabilities.

Through the efforts of special design task forces, Rush is working to ensure our new hospital features the following universal design standards:

Entrance and Wayfinding

• All major building exterior entrances will be accessible and automatically sensored and controlled with a double set of bi-parting automatic sliding doors, allowing all users to enter equally through a single entrance
• The entrance will have a series of three different walk-off mats that prevent moisture, dirt and pollutants from passing into the building
• Entry doors that are locked after hours will have communication devices for people with disabilities needing assistance to enter
• The area of refuge (designed to hold occupants during a fire or other emergency) was expanded to a quarter of each floor, eliminating the need in exit stairs
• The number of handicap-accessible parking stalls at the emergency department parking area will be expanded, from the required 4 percent to 16 percent
• Benches and handrails will be provided along the public bridges between the existing Atrium Building and the new East Tower
• Ramp slopes between the East Tower and the existing Atrium Building will be barely noticeable, so those using wheelchairs will be able to self-ambulate
• Wayfinding signage will be in English and Spanish at the least
• Braille signage will be provided as required by code

Patient Rooms

• All acute care and critical care adult patient rooms will have built-in ceiling tracks for patient lift devices
• All patient rooms will have a whiteboard for hearing and visually impaired patients
• Call assistance lights will be visible to patients
• Patient phone devices will have larger numbers on the dial pad
• Night lights will be in patient rooms and patient toilet rooms

Treatment and Services

• Wheelchairs or scooters will be accommodated for patients using treatment rooms
• Twenty percent of all exam tables will be height-adjustable
• Space will be provided in the recovery areas for patient carts and wheelchairs

Toilet Facilities

• Twelve percent of all acute care patient room toilets will be designated ADA handicapped accessible
• Handrails will be provided in all patient toilet rooms at the toilet and shower, with a vertical component at the toilet and additional handrails at the lavatory and at the room entrance
• Showers will have a fold-down seat
• All acute care patient toilets will have a five-foot-diameter turning radius for wheelchair maneuverability
• All toilets in the building will be standardized and mounted with the seat at 19 inches above the finished floor
• All sink and lavatory faucets will be sensor-activated and will have water temperature control
• Public, multi-user toilet rooms and single-use public family toilets will have automatic doors

Public Spaces

• Voice information and digital screens will be provided in elevators
• Elevator call lights in the elevator lobbies will extend out, allowing better visual observation of which elevator is opening and whether it is going up or down
• All phones will have volume controls
• Twenty-five percent of the registration bay phones will have TTY capability
• Public phones will have TTY capability
• Public furniture seating installed in corridors should be furnished with arms in order to assist our visitors in getting up and sitting down easily
• Low-emitting GreenGuard Indoor Air Quality Certified textiles, paints and other construction materials will be used for people with allergies and chemical sensitivities
• Closed-captioning will be available on all televisions
• Flooring will be slip-resistant and low-honed in lobby areas.
• All mirrors will be ADA compliant. 
• Ambient noise in patient care unit corridors will be reduced by half

Workplace Amenities

• Conference rooms will have special acoustical ceilings and finishes to help reduce high reverberation time
• Lecterns will be accessible
• Occupancy sensors will automatically turn general room lighting on and off in office and utility areas, and other areas required by code.
• Users will have individual task lighting for personal control related to individual vision capability or preference
• Four percent of the staff lockers will be accessible.
• Most countertops will be uniformly established at 36 inches above the finished floor for wheelchair accessibility

Accommodations for People with Visual Impairments

• Building entrances and room doorways will be accentuated with offsets or color trim
• Larger, bolder color contrasting will be provided for easier wayfinding
• Task lighting will be used rather than over-lighting in rooms
• Full-spectrum bulbs will more closely simulate natural light
• Lighting switches and controls will be easily accessible and standardized by room type

For more information about the other changes under way at Rush, visit the Rush Transformation home page.