APA/GCPD Accessibility Awards
Since 2010, the Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities (GCPD) has worked with the Accessibility Professionals Association (APA), formerly known as the Texas Registered Accessibility Specialists Association (TRASA), to recognize businesses and organizations that go significantly above and beyond the legal requirements of both physical and service accessibility for people with disabilities. Nominations can be submitted by accessibility specialists, building owners or managers, or by appreciative public citizens. Site visits are made by APA professionals to inspect physical accessibility and by professionals familiar with disability issues to inspect for service accessibility (friendliness of staff, easily accessible accommodations, innovations such as Braille menus, etc). See the Submission Guidelines (PDF) for more information. Nominations are due in the fall of each year, using the official Nomination Form (PDF).
Winners of the award are selected in several different categories, including Recreation, Education, Medical and Health Services, Restaurant and Entertainment, others. Each year, the winners are recognized as part of APA's annual conference in January. For more information on the APA/GCPD Accessibility Awards ceremony, contact our office at or 512-463-5739, or contact APA at or 512-415-5938.
Advanced Announcement of 2012 APA/GCPD Accessibility Awards
Announcing the 2011 Winners of the APA/GCPD Accessibility Awards
The winners of the 2011 APA/GCPD Accessibility Awards will be honored at a ceremony on Friday, January 27, 2012, at 12:15pm at the Austin Marriott Hotel North, 2600 La Frontera Blvd, Round Rock, as part of the Accessibility Professionals Association Annual Conference. The awards presentation after lunch is free and open to the public.
Congratulations to this year's winners: Mandolin Gardens Park, Houston, UT Dallas Student Services Building, Richardson, and the Historic Downtown River Walk, San Antonio!
Mandolin Gardens Park (Houston)
10310 Summit Bridge Lane
Owner: MUD No. 230; President - Gary Simpson
Design Professional: Talley Landscape Architects, Inc - Merrie Tally
Construction Team: T.F. Harper & Associates, LP
Spanning over eleven acres in a community neighborhood park at a detention basin, Mandolin Gardens Park has two miles of fully accessible trails, all built to a minimum width of 72 inches (the legal standard is 60 inches) in order to be comfortable enough to provide for two wheelchairs to pass throughout the park and for a standard wheelchair to comfortably execute a 180-degree turn at any point in the park. Other design modifications intended to offer a seamless interface between walking and rolling park users include guardrails in the fishing areas with lowered sections to allow a person in a wheelchair to fish with better visibility and easy access; open paved areas adjacent to every bench in addition to the required flat space in front of benches so that a person in a wheelchair can sit next to a person on a bench; fully accessible bulkheads along the basins so that anyone can take part in the "catch and release" fishing; an isolated meditation spot that was built for full accessibility; and a safety ledge that surrounds the basins. The design team emphasized their sense of obligation to provide everyone with an opportunity to enjoy the landscape and environment.
University of Texas at Dallas Student Services Building (Richardson)
800 West Campbell Road
Owner: The University of Texas System Board of Regents
Design Professional: Perkins + Will - Richard Miller, AIA, LEED AP
Construction Team: Hill & Wilkinson - Steve Camp
The new UT Dallas Student Services Building serves as a "one-stop shop" destination for all student service activities, offering 14 different departments under one roof, making access to services easier for all students. The design team had several environmental and accessibility goals, including utilizing space efficiently and safely and providing easy and accessible access to the building and all programs and building areas and spaces. They worked in conjunction with a landscape project to coordinate accessibility campus-wide. All exterior doors have auto-operators. All students with disabilities will visit this building at some point during their career, so design was focused on creating a welcoming, open, safe and accessible environment, including attractive low barriers around the staircase to prevent people who are blind from bumping into the bottom of the staircase and an accessible bathroom large enough to comfortably accommodate a person in a wheelchair and an attendant. The staff is welcoming, friendly and familiar with disability etiquette.
City of San Antonio Historic River Walk Downtown (San Antonio)
Downtown San Antonio
Owner: City of San Antonio
Design Professional: Beaty Palmer Architects, Inc - Michael Beaty AIA, Principal
Construction Team: Guido Brothers Construction Co - Tom Guido, President
The City of San Antonio began planning of improvements to the Historic River Walk with a specific focus on Universal Accessibility while maintaining the historic fabric and aesthetic ambience that draws people to the setting in the first place. The Master Plan, which began in 1995, developed a comprehensive approach to the elimination of physical barriers and provided a framework for creating universal access. Phase One provided improved pedestrian passage along the River Walk as well as the construction of two new public elevators, and design plans concentrated on hot spots where repairs related to safety and accessibility were addressed and accessible routes to and along the River Walk were extended and restored to its original, historic aesthetic architecture. Phase Two is ongoing, extending the accessibility and design of the entire walk, including lifting and re-setting historic sidewalk panels; elevating and cantilevering new sidewalks to create room for vegetation growth; restoring historic features; and integrating new construction with little or no perceived change, while increasing accessibility. Public tours of the River Walk are provided in both audio and visual formats.
Visit the APA/GCPD Accessibility Awards Winners Page for information on previous winners.