NAME: Enhancement to field 007 in the Community Information Format
SOURCE: Ohio Resource Center for Low Incidence and Severely Handicapped
SUMMARY: This proposal suggests defining a new character position (/10) for handicapped parking information in field 007 (Physical Description Fixed Field).
KEYWORDS: Field 007 (Community Information); Parking; Physical Description Fixed Field
RELATED:
STATUS/COMMENTS:
12/01/95 - Forwarded to the USMARC Advisory Group for discussion at the January 1996 MARBI meetings.
1/21/96 - Results of USMARC Advisory Group discussion - Approved. It was recommended that "high clearance" and "low clearance" need to specify heights. In addition, it was recommended that the issue of how much information on language interpretation is given be reexamined.
2/15/96 - Results of final LC review - Approved.
PROPOSAL NO. 96-5: Enhancement to field 007
1. INTRODUCTION
This proposal suggests adding a new byte to field 007 (Physical
Description Fixed Field) in the USMARC Format for Community
Information to accommodate additional information related to
access for the disabled. The change proposed involves defining a
new character position with five values for handicapped
accessible parking information. The proposal also mentions the
possible need to revisit some of the existing field 007 data
elements to clarify and/or enhance defined coded values.
2. DISCUSSION
When the USMARC Format for Community Information was originally
developed the need to record information about the physical
accessibility of an event, program, or organization for the
disabled was accommodated by the definition of a new
configuration of field 007 (Physical Description Fixed Field)
with 10 character positions (positions /00-09). The character
positions allow for the encoding of information about stairway
ramps, special doors, furniture, equipment, display racks,
restrooms, the existence of elevators, telephones, special
emergency lights, the availability of sign language
interpretation, and sub/supertitles. Although the Community
Information format provides a variety of note fields where
textual information relating to accessibility can be recorded,
the physical accessibility aspects were considered important
enough to merit the definition of coded data elements to
facilitate machine processing, particularly retrieval.
Since the Community Information format was first published in
1992, many large-scale projects have built databases of community
information. The state of Ohio followed the lead of several
other states in creating state-wide databases of community
information. The Ohio project has included special agencies such
as the Ohio Resource Center for Low Incidence and Severely
Handicapped. The creation of community information records at
the Ohio Resource Center makes extensive use of field 007 to
encode information about accessibility of resources for the
handicapped. During their experience of trying to encode
physical access information they were surprised to find no field
007 position defined for encoding information about parking.
Considering that Ohio includes state forests, lakes, parks, etc.
in its community information database, a large number resources
should include information about the parking of automobiles and
vans. Information about the availability of wheel chair ramps,
special doors, and elevators is only useful if a handicapped
person also knows whether he or she will be able to park at a
site so equipped. For the wheelchair bound, information about
height restrictions related to covered parking is also important.
3. PROPOSED CHANGES
The following is presented for consideration:
-- Define an eleventh character position (007/10) for
handicapped accessible parking information in field 007
in the Community Information format. The new character
position could contain one of the following values.
a No handicapped accessible parking available
b Handicapped accessible parking available with high
clearance for special vehicles
c Handicapped accessible parking availabie with low
clearance only
n Not applicable
u Unknown
4. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Most of the other field 007 positions have proven to be adequate
as currently defined. Despite this success, the values currently
defined for some of the positions have not always proven to be
clear and/or adequate. While working with field 007, some USMARC
users have suggested that the values for Special door (field 007
position /02) need to cover more than special hinges. Special
handles and automatic door openers are also part of the equipment
for the handicapped recommended to comply with the Americans with
Disabilities Act. The problem could be taken care of by making
the existing values for position /02 more generally, for example,
instead of identifying hinges, the byte could identify special
doors, that is, doors having one or all of the following: special
hinges, special handles, automatic openers. Specific details
about the special equipment would be given in field 575
(Accommodations for the Disabled Note).
Comments on one other fixed-length data element, 007/08 (Sign
language) suggest that the Community Information format needs to
address the language interpretation needs of more than the
hearing impaired. Oral/voice interpretation is sometimes
provided for the vision impaired. Tactile interpretation can be
provided for the vision and hearing impaired. Other
interpretation-related services might also be coded in field 007.
The question about how inclusive the format should be needs to be
answered. If the goal is to accommodate interpretation for all
disabilities, the definition of position /08 should be reexamined
and a proposal written to redefined it more broadly.
_________________________________________________________________
ATTACHMENT A
007 Physical Description Fixed Field--General Information (NR)
Indicators and Subfield Codes
This field has no indicators or subfield codes; the data
elements are positionally defined.
Character Positions
00 Category
01 Stairway ramps
02 Doors
03 Furniture, equipment, display racks
04 Restrooms
05 Elevators
06 Telephones
07 Flashing emergency lights
08 Sign language
09 Subtitles and/or supertitles
< 10 Parking>
_________________________________________________________________
FIELD DEFINITION AND SCOPE
This field contains [10] <11> character positions (00-
[09]<10>) that provide coded information about physical
accommodations for people with disabilities. Textual
information for the coded information found in this field
may be present in field 575 (Accommodations for the Disabled
Note).
The data elements are positionally defined. All defined
character positions must contain either a defined code or a
fill character (รพ). A fill character may be used in a
particular character position when the creator of the record
has decided not to attempt to supply a defined code. Code n
(Not applicable), when it is defined for a data element,
indicates that the character position definition does not
apply to the record.
_________________________________________________________________
-- EXAMPLE
007 edbbcbcaaa<b>
[Information pertains to people with a disability (007/00);
there is a stairway entrance ramp but no internal ramps
because the organization is on one floor (/01); the doors
have been widened so as to accommodate wheelchairs (/02);
the furniture, equipment, and display racks have been
arranged to meet the needs of people with disabilities
(/03); there are special restroom accommodations but no grab
bars in toilet stalls (/04); there are special elevators to
accommodate wheelchairs and the elevator control buttons
have raised letters (/05); the telephones have been lowered
but no handset amplifiers are available (/06); there are no
flashing emergency lights (/07); sign language is not used
(/08); there are no subtitles or supertitles available
(/09)<; and handicapped parking is available with high
clearance for special vehicles (/10)>.]
_________________________________________________________________
ATTACHMENT B
007/10 Parking
Codes
a No handicapped accessible parking available
b Handicapped accessible parking available with high
clearance for special vehicles
c Handicapped accessible parking availabie with low
clearance only
n Not applicable
u Unknown
_________________________________________________________________
CHARACTER POSITION DEFINITION AND SCOPE
A one-character alphabetic code indicates the availability
of parking for the handicapped including vehicles with special
height requirements.
_________________________________________________________________
GUIDELINES FOR APPLYING CONTENT DESIGNATORS
* CODES
a - No handicapped accessible parking available
Code a indicates that no handicapped accessible parking is
available.
b - Handicapped accessible parking available with high clearance
for special vehicles
Code b indicates that parking spaces are available for
handicapped access in areas, either covered or in open air,
that do not present obstacles to vehicles with special
height requirements.
c - Handicapped accessible parking availabie with low clearance
only
Code c indicates that handicapped accessible parking spaces
are available but that they cannot be accessed by vehicles
requiring high clearance due to either indoor (e.g., low
ceiling) or outdoor (e.g., anti-RV arches) obstacles.
n - Not applicable
Code n indicates that parking availability information is
not applicable to the community information entity involved.
u - Unknown
Code u indicates that it is not known whether parking for
the handicapped is available.
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