Design for All

BY DEBORAH PADDISON

AD·AS Furniture: Laying It All on the Table

When the Americans with Disabilities Act went into effect in 1992, it was lauded by civil-rights proponents who hoped it would signal the beginning of a new era for further integration of people with disabilities into society at all levels, including in schools and workplaces.

Today, whether the ADA has lived up to those initial expectations is debatable, and a topic for discussion elsewhere. But it did spur more than a few entrepreneurs to start business ventures to capitalize on potential opportunities that would hopefully be created as a result. One of those was AD·AS Furniture Solutions of Universal Design, located in Boise, Idaho. Originally founded in 1992 with one accessibility product, it was bought out in 2000 by current co-owners Gary Davis and Ken Pelot, who have since expanded the firm to offer a variety of lines of functional, ergonomic furniture designed to fit people of every shape, size and ability level.

"With the passage of the ADA, we felt that employment gains would require more accessibility in the overall built environment," says Davis. "We kind of identified an emerging market for products for people with disabilities, one that had great growth potential. We felt like it was underserved and nobody really was focusing on it."

That market? Tables for education, healthcare, institutional, government and workplace settings that are stylish, functional and meet the guidelines of universal design.

		In addition to commercial workstations and tables, AD·AS features the Approach line (left), which makes sinks and cabinetry height adjustable at the touch of a button, and the Progression line (below), which is specifically designed for healthcare and rehabilitation settings.

Accommodating Diversity

At their 25,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Boise, AD·AS produces three lines of accessible and adjustable computer and library furniture for office workers as well as students in classrooms, libraries and computer labs:

• Accella — Workstations, desks and activity tables with hand-crank adjustment.
• Infinity — Workstations, desks and tables that offer push-button height adjustment via a hydraulic lift.
• Equity — Computer workstations with hand-crank adjustment and optional bi-level functionality.

"Our three central themes are ergonomics, accessibility and universal design," Davis says. "We use the ADAAG principles as our touchstone, but we don't limit ourselves to that. On the ergonomic side, there are human-factors standards that we follow, and also BIFMA (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association) guidelines for structural durability."

For rehabilitation professionals in the healthcare setting, AD·AS manufactures a line called Progression. Therapy tables are built for rehab-specific procedures and facilitate comfortable interaction between the therapist and patient. In addition, the line includes treatment tables, curved group therapy tables and tilt tables.

Finally, AD·AS's popular Approach product for the kitchen is a universal design system for sinks, cooktops and cabinetry. Installing the Approach package allows them to raise and lower at the touch of a button, offering convenient access to individuals who are seated or standing. Nationally recognized kitchen and bath designer and universal design consultant Mary Jo Peterson helped with the development of Approach, which was AD·AS's original product and remains the core of the company today.

Customized Solutions

Often, space planners and interior designers are the ones specifying AD·AS tables for their projects, which include corporate workspaces and call centers, schools from K through college, libraries, government agencies, 911 dispatch centers and rehabilitation hospitals. You can find AD·AS tables in place at Amarillo College in Amarillo, Texas, as well as at several locations in California, from Fresno Unified School District to Long Beach Memorial Hospital.

Table finishes include durable laminates as well as solid-wood veneers in red oak, cherry and maple. Depending on the intended use, customers can add on accessories such as an articulated keyboard arm, pencil drawer, mouse tray, cable-management grommet, light bar, ADA emblem and more.

"We're open to customization, because really that's the nature of our business," Davis says. Customers are encouraged to call the company and speak to a designer to help them configure a table model that best meets their particular needs. Most models can be delivered in a week or two, and come with a one- or two-year warranty.

There is no showroom at the Boise facility, since AD·AS sells mainly through distributors, their Web site and a catalog. Designers are welcome to contact the company directly. "The Web site has been an excellent way for us to market our products," says Davis. "We are such a specialty niche that it really would have been difficult for us to grow the company without it."

AD·AS is always incorporating customer feedback and tweaking its furniture designs to make them better — reflecting the company philosophy that design should adapt to people, not the other way around.

AD·AS Furniture Solutions of Universal Design, Boise, ID; (800) 957-2720 or www.ad-as.com.