Most doors within a means of egress are required to be side-hinged or pivoted swinging doors, but there are specific exceptions in the model codes which define where sliding doors are allowed.  Many of the accessibility requirements that apply to swinging doors also apply to sliding doors, although some of the requirements are slightly different for sliding doors vs. swinging doors.  For example, the maneuvering clearance required for a sliding door is different from that required for a swinging door.

Past editions of the model codes and accessibility standards did not require automatic operators in particular locations, however, each of these standards includes a section that addresses automatic doors.  The mandates of these sections are different from those of the manual door section, so it's important to reference the correct paragraphs depending on whether the door in question is manual or automatic.

Door and gate hardware is required by the accessibility standards to have a shape that is easy to grasp with one hand and that does not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist.  Lever handles, extended-length thumbturns, panic hardware, and many door pulls meet these requirements.  Because keys are not considered an "operable part" of the hardware, they are not addressed by the accessibility standards and are acceptable even though they require tight grasping, pinching, and twisting of the wrist.

The accessibility standards do not require doors to have vision lights, although there are other code requirements that mandate vision lights in certain instances.  When a vision light is provided in a door or sidelight that is part of an accessible route, the light must be mounted at a height where it can be used by all building occupants - including those using a wheelchair.  If a door opening has multiple vision lights or sidelights, only one light must be located at the height prescribed by the accessibility standards.

Changes in level in existing buildings can be very difficult to modify in a code-compliant manner. This entrance to a historic building does not meet the requirements for maximum slope (click the image for more photos of this building).

The doors in this photo do not appear to meet the requirement for a 10-inch flush surface at the bottom.

The area around a manually-operated door is required to be kept clear of obstructions, in order to allow a person using a wheelchair, walker, or crutches sufficient space to maneuver when opening the door.  This area is called the maneuvering clearance, and the size of the required clear space can vary depending on whether it is on the push side or pull side of the door, and if the approach to the door is from the front, the latch side, or the hinge side.

The accessibility standards include limitations on the amount of opening force required to open a door and the amount of closing speed allowed for doors equipped with door closers or spring hinges. These limitations are intended to ensure that doors on an accessible route open easily and close slowly so they do not impede building occupants who are attempting to use the doors. Often, these requirements can be met by adjusting the door closer.

Back in the 1980s and 90s, when accessibility standards began to be applied more rigorously to new and existing buildings, some of the accessibility standards included a requirement for hardware to have a tactile warning.  Although this requirement disappeared from most accessibility standards decades ago, questions still arise.

This existing pair of manually-operated doors was replaced by an unequal-leaf pair so the active leaf would provide the required clear opening width of 32 inches.

The Fair Housing Act is a US federal law that applies to most multifamily dwelling units built since March of 1991.  The Act requires all covered multifamily units - including apartments,  condominiums, assisted living units, time-share/vacation units, public housing, dormitory rooms, and hospice facilities - to be accessible and usable by people with disabilities.

There are two accessibility standards that are commonly used in the US for new and existing buildings, and the door-related requirements in these standards are almost identical.  The two predominant accessibility standards are: