The provisions of the Texas Architectural Barriers Act (TABA) are intended to encourage and promote the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities and eliminate, insofar as possible, unnecessary barriers encountered by persons with disabilities, whose ability to engage in gainful occupations or to achieve maximum personal independence is needlessly restricted.
Texas Access is a team of Registered Accessibility Specialists that provide one-stop services throughout the state of Texas, on behalf of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. We provide project registration, plan reviews, and inspections of both private and publicly funded commercial construction projects, in order to verify compliance with the Texas Accessibility Standards, as mandated by the Texas Architectural Barriers Act (Article 9102, Texas Civil Statutes).
We also provide a wide range of accessibility-related services including site and facility assessments for both commercial and residential properties, pre-design and post-construction investigations and expert witness services. For ADA Barrier Surveys and Certifications nationally, we recommend U.S. Barrier Surveying Co.
Texas Access began with a vision of providing premium services without charging a premium price. We realized that excellent communication with our clients had to be our number one priority. With a goal of responding quickly to our client's requests for information, we decided that a response time of more than a couple of hours was just too long. We also realized that when we give our clients information, advise or direction, it must be backed up by the rules and regulations in order for it to be credible and trustworthy.
Next, we looked at the work product of others in our field, for ways of improving plan review and inspection worksheets and other reporting information. We quickly found that many others were hand-scribbling plan review and inspection reports with comments that basically made no sense or were hard to comprehend. Additionally, we saw that the TDLR's "Example Plan Review and Inspection Report's", which are a guide to how our reports are supposed to look, were inadequate. The TDLR requires only that we note deficiencies in the reports. We realized that the person making the submittal or requesting the inspection deserves more than just a deficiency report.
And finally, convenience. The entire process had to be quick and simple and without a lot of unnecessary procedures or encumbrances. Our clients didn't have the time to get bogged down in details or lengthy phone discussions, so we developed and refined a process based on just the minimum required by law while providing as much initial detail as possible. We recognize the value of good communication and consider it our highest priority.
Plan Review Services
We provide project registration and plan reviews for the Texas Dept. of Licensing and Regulation when required by state law. When we receive a project submittal it is then immediately scheduled for a complete and thorough review for compliance with all relevant provisions of the Texas Accessibility Standards. If the project wasn't pre-registered, we'll immediately set it up and obtain the TDLR issued EABPRJ number for your permitting purposes.
Our standard turnaround time to complete the review and return our completed report (with worksheet) is 2 to 4 business days, however, times may be reduced depending on workload. Unlike many other Registered Accessibility Specialists, our plan review worksheets are thorough and clear. We copy and paste the exact text from the Standards into the corresponding item field. We reference each noted problem by sheet and detail number and tell you exactly what the problem is and where it is located in the construction documents. You won't be left scratching your head trying to figure out what was intended.
Like our inspection reports, our plan review reports are generated electronically. We create them in Microsoft Word and then convert to Adobe PDF format before e-mailing. This greatly improves the reduction of paper documents and allows for our clients' team members to share the documents through the electronic media (e-mail, disk storage). This process preserves the original document and eliminates degradation caused by multi-generational copying (fax and photocopy). We do, however, provide paper copies of our reports via snail mail to clients that specifically request it.
Inspection Services
We also provide final inspections for the TDLR. We do so many that in most cases, our fee for an inspection is the same regardless of where in Texas the project is located. We usually don't charge for travel time or other miscellaneous expenses, and if we need to, you'll know it upfront. Our inspection reports are also generated electronically, just like our plan review reports. In addition, we take high-resolution digital photographs of any violations found. Again, no head-scratching here.
For more information about our other services, call us toll-free at 1 + (800) 880-6986.