ADA Design is an extremely important topic, one that CBA actually offers HSW Continuing Education courses about, to keep designers up-to-date with requirements, changes, and guidelines.
However, the topic is extremely tricky in the real world, where problems crop up that are never covered in design manuals. I had to take a photo of a design issue in a hotel I where I recently stayed.
There are certainly guidelines and mounting heigh requirements for the safety bars in ADA-compliant showers. However, the number of bars in this photo goes above and beyond requirements, and I would argue may even pose a hazard of their own by conflicting with each other, reducing the usable space of the shower, and even offering snagging issues on unsuspecting limbs or washclothes.
I have also attached a PDF of ADA Design guidelines for showers and washrooms to help you decide how best to install these features to avoid problems like those in the photo!
