Home

Welcome to AEMA

We are a non-profit organization formed in 1990 to meet the needs of the accessibility equipment manufacturers, distributors and end users. In 2005 the association modified its vision and its bylaws in order to create an .all industry members association.. Any person, firm or corporation with an interest in the private residence elevator and accessibility equipment industry may join the association and become a full voting member with equal input into the activities of the association.

The following excerpt is direct from the bylaws of the association: Article II - Scope and Definition a. Scope AEMA is an association of persons and entities with an interest in the .Private Residence Elevator and Accessibility Equipment. industry. b. Definition The term "Private Residence Elevator and Accessibility Equipment. industry includes the design, manufacture , installation , servicing and maintenance of vertical, inclined and horizontal conveying systems which are used primarily to provide access and/or egress for persons in public and private residence environments, commonly known as platform lifts, stair-lifts, wheelchair lifts, access elevators, private residence elevators, home elevators, stairway chairlifts, limited use/limited application elevators, LULA elevators and similar products. (See Article V-Section 1 for membership qualifications).

Message From

Wes Jones, 2009 AEMA President

Welcome to the 2009 AEMA website. As the President of the Association for 2009, I would like to make it clear that AEMA is an Association for it's members and to ensure that all Accessibility and Residential products are safe, reliable and that as members we take into consideration the end user as our partners as well as our customers.

So far in 2009, we have updated the current website, which has been on-going for the last year behind the scenes with the guidance of Mike McKinley. This has been a trying 12 months with the web host to get information so we may update the membership section as well as the code section of the web site.

Kevin Brinkman of TK Access has been busy at code meetings, representing AEMA to help ensure that the codes stay favorable to the Accessibility Industry. There have been several changes proposed, so keep watching the AEMA Newsletter for updates. The newsletter is usually a quarterly production.

The current slate of officers are listed within this website, so please feel free to contact any of these individuals for answers to any questions concerning this Association, but more importantly we need your input on what you or your company is looking for from the Association. The current Board is in it's 3rd year after changing AEMA's composition. We need your guidance on the future direction to steer this Association.

Please take time to Login in the members section of the site and go to the code section. See if this information for your State or Province is correct. If not, please email the correct information to wjones@lift-aids.com or mike.mckinley@mckinleyelevator.com and we will forward to the web master for him to change on the web site. The code section is the most out dated portion of the site I believe. Please feel free to let us know of any other changes that need to be made.

I appreciate the opportunity to serve as the President of this Association and am looking forward to serving the Accessibility and Residential Industry. Again, please feel free to contact me with any suggestions.

Best regards,

Wes Jones

News

April, 2008: AEMA members are active in all areas of the code development process. Of immediate interest is the ICC / ANSI A117 changes being considered. Particular interest is in the platform options for LU/LA elevators, which is good for the industry. Platform lifts are more of a challenge. Clear platform sizes vary when alcove requirements are used. We are striving for uniformity that can be universal and work with inclines. Power operators are also an issue being addressed. Any support will be greatly appreciated and can be directed through Kevin Brinkman at National Wheelovator.

September, 2007: Annual General Meeting held in Atlantic City. Membership again stressed the need to communicate and provide industry news, code change updates, and model elevator law updates. States vary on this topic so AEMA can serve as a focal point for information and action steps. Elections of the 2008 Board to be held in October. Next Board meeting scheduled for the ANSI meetings in Florida.

March, 2007: AEMA’s first newsletter is distributed nationally. Bylaws were revised and a new slate of officers and directors has been installed. Meetings into the future and purpose of the organization have been the primary discussions at Board meetings. Membership contact and needs is the driving force. Emphasis on telecommunication has been stressed.

April, 2006: At the last Annual General Meeting of AEMA, the members present were in full agreement that the Accessibility industry required an association to represent all members of the industry. The charge that came forth from the meeting was to review and modify the by-laws to open up the director positions and to give equal voting privileges to all members. This has been done and AEMA is now prepared to move forward with the election of a new.

September, 2006: AEMA has a new name and a new focus. I don’t know if you have heard, but AEMA is no longer only a manufacturer’s association, and is now An Association of Members of the Accessibility Equipment Industry. As the name implies, our organization’s focus has shifted from solely the manufacturer to all members of our industry.

Codes Corner

September 22, 2009

A18

The next meeting will be

held January 14 in

conjunction with the

A17 code week

in Las Vegas.

A17

The PRE committee

met September 17&18 in Orlando. No major changes were finalized. Work is continuing on several TN’s. PRE and LULA will meet in January.

A117

Work for the 2008/9

edition is continuing. A teleconference meeting was held on August 19. Rob Murphy participated in the meeting. The tentative schedule is to publish the new edition in December or January.

ADAAG

On June 17, the DOJ announced its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to adopt Part I and III new guidelines proposed by the Access Board in 2004. No news on when the DOJ will adopt the new guidelines.

IBC

The complete set of

proposals for the next

cycle is available on the

ICC website. Don Birdsell

has submitted a change to eliminate the requirement for short rise staircases to accommodate products where the stairs convert to a lift to eliminate a possible hazard. The committee hearings are scheduled for October 24 to Nov 11 in Baltimore. I will be reviewing the proposed changes to see if there is a need to attend.

State/ Provincial

No report

International

No report

NEII

No report

NEC

Deadline for public proposals for the 2011 edition was November 7, 2008. We did not submit any proposals for this cycle.

AEMA

An Association of Members of the Accessibility Industry