Article: New Harkin Institute building will be ‘state-of-the-art accessible’

This article appeared in the Business Record on February 14, 2020. You can read it and other content related to the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act in the Business Record’s ADA Generation series here.

Accessible entrances and accessible parking are just two of the elements in building designs required for compliance since the passage of the ADA in 1990. But these features have often stopped there – at compliance. A Des Moines building set to open this fall will include accessible features – beyond compliance – that are designed to eliminate many barriers that people with all kinds of disabilities face.

And what better organization to call the building home than the Harkin Institute on Drake University’s campus. The organization produces nonpartisan research, learning and outreach to promote understanding of the policy issues to which Sen. Tom Harkin devoted his career, including the advancement of people with disabilities.

Harkin said the goal is to make the building the most accessible in the country. Harkin Institute Executive Director Joseph Jones said: “It gives us the opportunity to really work in an environment that matches the quality of work we do.” A hallmark of the new building will be its various gathering spaces to offer programs and other learning opportunities. Continue reading here.