Giving Everyone a Voice
Sophisticated Accessibility Systems Surmount Space Challenges
Lift System Makes U.S. House of Representatives Speaker’s Rostrum Wheelchair-Accessible
Washington, D.C.
Gillespie Corporation helped the U.S Speaker’s Rostrum celebrate the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by installing a highly sophisticated accessibility system, making the rostrum wheelchair-accessible.
The U.S House of Representatives has a commanding aura steeped in history and grandeur like few other places, and our engineers were determined to keep it that way. The lift needed to be unobtrusive and uniform with the existing structure, while also contending with severely constricted space.
Gillespie engineers designed a sophisticated two-lift accessibility system that eliminated the steps and 90-degree turn required to get from the House Floor to the Speaker’s rostrum. On July 26, 2010, the U.S House of Representatives welcomed Congressman Jim Langevin, a quadriplegic, into the rostrum as acting Speaker.
“I have long said that I may be the first quadriplegic to serve in Congress, but I won’t be the last. This is an extremely proud moment for me and helps renew my spirit as we continue to remove barriers and strengthen the ADA for millions of Americans with disabilities in the decades to come.”
– Congressman Jim Langevin
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Since preserving the dignity of the chamber was the highest of priorities, Gillespie engineers had to ensure that their design and construction rendered the lifts unobtrusive and virtually indistinguishable from the existing structure. In addition, while Gillespie was initially advised there was ample space beneath the floor to hold the required equipment, further investigation revealed that only 8.5" maximum were available.
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Recognizing that getting from the House floor to the Speaker's rostrum required climbing three steps, making a 90° turn and then climbing three more steps, Gillespie's engineers designed a highly sophisticated, two-lift system that would mimic this process and replicate it in operation. Replacing two platforms that were part of the rostrum's six steps, each lift covers three levels, with an extending platform to span steps as well as automatic curbs to allow or restrict wheelchair movement at every level. All operations are constant-pressure, and a network of switches, hydraulic cylinders and electromechanical actuators controll every operation.
The first lift covers the bottom three levels, beginning on the House floor and travels to the halfway point. The second lift then travels the remainder of the way to the Speaker's rostrum. When not functioning as transporting devices, the carpeted lifts serve as the first and fourth steps of the rostrum.
On July 26, 2010, Congressman Jim Langevin, a quadriplegic, presided over the U.S. House of Representatives the first time a wheelchairbound member had mounted the rostrum as acting Speaker. To this day, Gillespie takes enormous pride in having participated in this most admirable of projects.
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Elevator World 2011 Project of the Year (tie) (Category: Accessibility Systems)
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Contact us at sales@gillespiecorp.com, call 413-967-4980.