VMFA Robinson House - Richmond Region Tourism Visitor Center

There are 12 accessible spaces near this establishment, 9 of them being van accessible and sharing the same access aisle.

A majority of the spaces are less than 100 feet away from the accessible entrance.

The parking lot surface is flush with the sidewalk, although there are no truncated domes to indicate that transition.

The parking lot is made of smooth pavement, there are color-contrasted painted lines on the parking lot surface, and there are wheel stops at the end of all of the accessible spaces.

There is reserved parking signage on all accessible parking spaces, except one, and only three spaces marked as van accessible, although nine spaces technically meet all the dimensions for van accessible spaces.

The access aisles for each accessible parking space are directly connected to the sidewalk that leads to the accessible entrance.

The sidewalk surface is flush with the parking lot surface, so there is no need for curb ramps. However there are no truncated domes to help delineate the transition between the parking lot access aisle and sidewalk.

Signage from the accessible parking to the entrance is minimal, with one message painted on a door that has a directional arrow, with color contrast and the words “Richmond Region Tourism Center Accessible Entrance” accompanied by the international symbol of accessibility. However, visitors can only see this sign if they park in the first four to six spots closest to the parking lot entrance. There is also directional signage on one of the signs near the front of the building that directs visitors to the “Accessible Entrance in Rear” accompanied by the international symbol of accessibility, but has no arrows or directional indicators, and this sign is not apparent to anyone who parks in the accessible parking spaces.

The directional signage is not tactile and does not have braille accompanying it.

The pathway from the accessible parking to the accessible, step free entrance is at least 60” wide in most places, except where the handrail extensions for the ramp leading to the accessible entrance encroach slightly on the accessible route, but the pathway is still 36 inches wide at these points.

The ramp down to the elevator from the parking lot has handrails on both sides, is greater than 36 inches wide, and has a slope no greater than 1:12 or 8.33 percent.

The main accessible entrance is an elevator, with minimal signage and no braille or tactile accompaniment.

There are also two entrances that can be accessed via stairs, one near the elevator and one at the front of the building, and the signs at each of the doors do not have braille or tactile alternatives to identify which door/entrance is which.

The stair edges are not color contrasted.

The door at the top of the rear steps is fairly easy to open, but the door at the top of the front staircase requires more force to open all the way.

On the inside, there is contrasting and backlit “EXIT” signage (white sign with red letters on the ceiling) to point out the front exit, but there is no identifying signage with braille or tactile characters next to the exit door on the inside, and no exit signage of any kind near the elevator or the back entrance leading to the staircase.

The surface inside of the location is mostly hardwood and tile, with some carpet in the main visitor center/welcome desk space.

There are no interior doors to open once you’re inside the building (aside from the restrooms).

There are mostly interior pathways that are at least 36 inches wide.

There are several thresholds throughout the space that are between 0.25 inches and 0.5 inches in vertical change (near the restrooms and main visitor center room respectively) that visitors should be cautious of, and the threshold closest to the main visitor center room is slightly worn.

Most of the seating throughout is 17-19 inches above the floor, except for the gray bench in the main visitor center room which is 21 inches above the floor.

The elevator has minimal identification signage, with no braille or tactile alternatives.

The elevator door remains fully open for 2 seconds, and has no audible tone to indicate which floor the elevator car is on.

The buttons on the outside of the elevator do not have contrast, tactile or braille, but the interior buttons do, except for the firefighter control buttons.

The interior of the elevator car has a digital display showing the floor the elevator is currently on.

There are no handrails on the inside of the elevator car.

There is minimal directional signage coming off of the elevator to direct visitors either to the restrooms or main visitor center area, with the exception being a fire evacuation map near the elevator.

In the main visitor center room, there is a welcome desk that has a surface 34.5 inches above the floor where visitors can interact with visitor center staff.

There are bookshelves with pamphlets and brochures about various attractions, half of which are on shelves above 48 inches from the floor. There are currently no braille or digital alternatives available on site, but we were told each individual attraction may have digital information on their respective websites.

There is also a display case in this room, with several items on display, but no braille, tactile, or digital alternatives to access this information.

A quiet space is available upon request behind the visitor center desk. It has a 26 inch clear width doorway and a 35 inch wide corridor with an adjustable, easily movable, office chair. There is no turning space provided, so it may be difficult for wheelchair users to access and use this space.

The general space is fairly quiet overall and not too crowded.

There are blinds and shutters on some windows that generally prevent direct sunlight from getting in visitor’s eyes, but do not prevent sunlight from entering the space completely.

There are 2 water fountains near the restrooms, one of which is at an accessible height, with a bottle filler behind it that may be considered difficult to reach, and another water fountain that is higher.

There are two single occupant restrooms, one men’s and one women’s that are generally accessible, with good identification signage.

There is enough space in each restroom for a t-shaped turning space.

Both bathrooms have a 32 inch clear width doorway and good maneuvering clearance on both sides of the door.

There are currently no push buttons to open the door for either restroom but the doors are fairly lightweight and easy to open force-wise.

The door hardware for the men’s and women’s room is at an accessible height, and the hardware itself is accessible- not requiring any tight grasping, pinching or twisting.

Lights and soap dispensers are automatic for both restrooms.

The coat hooks on the back of both doors are greater than 48 inches above the floor.

The sink, sink controls, and paper towels are all at accessible heights above the floor, and the piping under the sink is fully insulated for both restrooms, albeit by using hard porcelain material.

The reflective/usable surface of the mirror in both restrooms is 41 inches above the floor.

There are 3 grab bars available in each restroom, each at accessible heights and in the correct location.

The toilet seats are both 18 inches above the floor, and in both restrooms the centerline of the toilet paper dispenser is greater than 9 inches from the front edge of the toilet.

Each restroom is equipped with a baby-changing station with the handle and surface of the table at an accessible height above the floor.

Each restroom has at least one outlet between 15-48 inches above the floor.

There are automatic lights in each restroom.

There are hooks provided for each restroom on the back of the door, but they are slightly above 48 inches from the floor.

There is a fire evacuation map that can serve as navigational signage inside the building.

At the time of our assessment, employees mentioned they would purchase some stress balls and other sensory sensitive amenities soon as part of their welcome bags.

There are outlets available at accessible heights in the location.

Employees are going through or have gone through a disability etiquette training to differentiate their customer service.