Every new DepEd school building needs a ramp at least 1.20 m wide and no steeper than 1:20, tactile paving for learners with visual impairment, and at least one accessible toilet. DepEd Order (DO) No. 022, s. 2026, the Enhanced Minimum Performance Standards and Specifications for DepEd School Infrastructure and School Furniture, sets these in its accessibility standards (Encl., Sec. VI.F) and draws them in its Annex A. The order also calls the accessible toilet the PWD toilet; PWD is its abbreviation for “Persons with Disability” (Encl., Sec. IV). It adopts the 2004 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of Batas Pambansa Blg. 344, the Accessibility Law (para. 3). The standards apply to projects “funded under Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 appropriations and thereafter” whose procurement had not commenced when the order took effect; FY 2026 projects and those already in procurement stay under DO 64, s. 2017 and DO 006, s. 2021 (paras. 5 and 6).
The model below draws each part to the order’s sizes. Pick a stop to see one requirement with its numbers and its section. The model of the classroom itself is in The DepEd Standard Classroom: An Interactive Model.
The ramp
- Where
- In all new school buildings; wherever the entrance is not level with the ground a visitor arrives on
- Clear width
- At least 1.20 m
- Gradient
- At most 1:20; up to 1:15 in special cases, subject to approval
- Surface
- Non-skid or slip-resistant
The corridor here is 0.30 m above the ground, as in Annex A's details of a ramp, so at 1:20 the ramp is 6.00 m long.
DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026, Encl., Secs. VI.A.4.b.6, VI.F.1.a, VI.F.1.b and VI.F.1.d; Annex A
Landings
- Long ramps
- A ramp longer than 6.00 m includes a landing at least 1.50 m long
- At 1:20
- A landing every 15 m
- At 1:15
- At most 10.50 m long with a rise of 0.70 m, and a landing every 10 m
The landing here is at the top of the ramp, where it meets the corridor.
DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026, Encl., Sec. VI.F.1.c and Table 6.0
Handrails
- When
- On both sides of a ramp that rises more than 0.17 m
- Heights
- 0.70 m and 0.90 m, from the finished floor to the top of each handrail
- In Annex A
- 38 mm stainless steel pipe, running 300 mm past each end of the ramp
DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026, Encl., Sec. VI.F.1.e; Annex A, details of ramp and of ramp handrail
Warning blocks
- Ramps
- At the top, the bottom and every landing, 300 mm from the ramp's edge
- Stairs
- At the top and bottom of each flight, 300 mm back from the stair's edge, across its full width
- Hazards
- 300 mm from any sudden drop or obstruction
- Rule
- At all level transitions
DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026, Encl., Sec. VI.F.2 and Table 7.0
The route and its sign
- Directional blocks
- At least 300 mm wide, in a continuous line along the accessible route
- Ramp marking
- A pavement marking or sign of 0.30 m by 0.30 m with the international symbol of access
- The symbol
- A person in a wheelchair: white graphics on a United Nations blue background, with a white border
- Clear width
- Tactile paving must not narrow a route, ramp or landing
DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026, Encl., Secs. III.o, VI.F.1.f and VI.F.2.b.5; Table 7.0; Annex A
Tactile tiles
- Kinds in Annex A
- Hazard warning, directional and positional tiles, each 300 mm square
- Domes or bars
- 5 to 6 mm high, 25 to 30 mm from center to center
- Material
- Durable, weather-resistant and non-slip, fixed firmly into the floor
- Color
- In high contrast with the floor beside it
The domes and bars are drawn larger and fewer than the order's spacing gives, so they can be seen.
DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026, Encl., Sec. VI.F.2.b; Annex A, details of tactile
The accessible toilet
- How many
- At least one in each building
- Cubicle
- At least 1.80 m by 1.80 m
- Turning space
- 1800 mm by 1800 mm for a wheelchair, outside the cubicle
- Door
- A clear opening of at least 0.90 m, with a kick plate 0.30 m to 0.40 m high
- On each floor
- At least one accessible female and one accessible male cubicle for every 20 or fewer gendered cubicles
The order also calls it the PWD toilet: its rules are headed "Accessible Restrooms (PWD toilet)", and PWD is its abbreviation for "Persons with Disability". Annex A's own door for this toilet is 1000 mm wide and 2100 mm high, with a PWD logo whose top edge is 1500 mm above the floor line.
DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026, Encl., Secs. IV, VI.A.4.b.4, VI.F.3.a, VI.F.3.b and VI.F.3.c; Table 5.0
Grab bars
- L-type bar
- Fixed on the side wall: level from the back wall to 300 mm past the front of the water closet, then 750 mm straight up
- Flip-up bar
- On the other side, anchored on the back wall, reaching 100 mm past the front of the water closet, and able to hold at least 200 kg
- Height
- Both 300 mm from the top of the seat to the top of the bar
- Reach
- At most 150 mm between the L-type bar and the edge of the seat
DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026, Encl., Secs. VI.F.3.d and VI.F.3.e
Seat, flush and basin
- Seat
- At most 0.45 m high
- Water closet
- Tank type, with a lever-type flush valve
- Washing
- A bidet, or a flexible hose with a spray head
- Handwash area
- No higher than 0.85 m
- Faucet
- Heavy-duty, single-lever and pressure-balanced, with a corrosion-resistant finish
- Around the basin
- Flat, with a non-slip surface
DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026, Encl., Secs. VI.F.3.f to VI.F.3.k
The way to the toilet
- Blocks
- Directional and warning blocks: a path 300 mm wide to the entrance
- At the door
- Blocks at the door's threshold
- Sign
- The toilet access sign for male, female and PWD in Annex A
DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026, Encl., Table 7.0; Annex A, details on universal access
Handwashing
- Faucets
- One for every 5 to 10 students, or two for each toilet unit
- Where
- Near all toilets and urinals, and accessible to all users
- Annex A's counter
- A tiled counter and back splash on a concrete platform, fed by a 20 mm cold water line
- Fixtures
- Chosen and installed for students of varying ages, sizes and abilities
Annex A's typical counter is 400 mm deep, with its top 700 mm above the platform, and its elevation shows nine faucets. The counter's length here, 7.50 m, is the model's.
DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026, Encl., Sec. VI.D.4.c and Table 5.0; Annex A, details of hand washing counter
Key findings
- Ramps. Accessible ramps “with a minimum clear width of 1.20 m shall be provided in all new school buildings, regardless of funding source”, at “a maximum gradient of 1:20” (Encl., Secs. VI.F.1.a and VI.F.1.b).
- Handrails. A ramp that rises more than 0.17 m has handrails on both sides, “at heights of 0.70 m and 0.90 m from the finished floor to the top of the handrails” (Sec. VI.F.1.e).
- Tactile paving. It “shall be provided in all new school building construction”: warning blocks 300 mm from the edge of stairs and ramps, and directional blocks at least 300 mm wide along the accessible route (Sec. VI.F.2.a; Table 7.0).
- Accessible (PWD) toilet. At least one in each building, in a cubicle of at least 1.80 m by 1.80 m, with a turning space of 1800 mm by 1800 mm outside it (Table 5.0; Secs. VI.F.3.a and VI.F.3.b).
- Grab bars. An L-type bar on the side wall and a flip-up bar on the other side, both 300 mm above the seat, the flip-up bar able to hold at least 200 kg (Secs. VI.F.3.d and VI.F.3.e).
- Signs. A ramp carries “pavement markings or signs measuring 0.30 m x 0.30 m painted or marked with the international symbol of access”: a person in a wheelchair “on a UN blue square background” (Secs. III.o and VI.F.1.f).
- Toilets and faucets. One water closet for every 20 to 25 girls and every 25 to 30 boys on each floor, one urinal for every 35 boys, and one handwashing faucet for every 5 to 10 students (Table 5.0).
Ramps: width, gradient and landings
A ramp is required where a building’s entrance is not level with the ground a visitor arrives on. “Where entrance levels differ from site grade, ramps or level landings shall be provided” (Sec. VI.A.4.b.6), and Annex A says the same of its drawing of a ramp at an entrance. The first-floor finish elevation is 225 mm for a single-story building and 325 mm for a multi-story one, higher where the site has flooded (Sec. VI.A.5.a.2).
| Requirement | Standard | Encl., Sec. |
|---|---|---|
| Clear width | At least 1.20 m | VI.F.1.a |
| Gradient | At most 1:20; up to 1:15 “in special cases, subject to approval” | VI.F.1.b |
| Landing | A ramp longer than 6.00 m includes a landing at least 1.50 m long | VI.F.1.c |
| Surface | Non-skid or slip-resistant | VI.F.1.d |
| Handrails | On both sides where the rise is more than 0.17 m, at 0.70 m and 0.90 m | VI.F.1.e |
| Marking | A pavement marking or sign of 0.30 m by 0.30 m with the international symbol of access | VI.F.1.f |
A gradient of 1:20 means 20 units of length for every unit of rise. The model’s corridor is 0.30 m above the ground, as in Annex A’s details of a ramp, so its ramp is 6.00 m long. A rise of 225 mm needs 4.50 m.
Table 6.0 adds limits for each gradient. At 1:20 it gives a landing every 15 m. At 1:15 it allows a ramp of at most 10.50 m with a rise of 0.70 m, and a landing every 10 m. Sec. VI.F.1.c asks for a landing on any ramp longer than 6.00 m. The order does not reconcile the two; a landing at least every 6.00 m satisfies both.
Annex A’s handrails are 38 mm stainless steel pipes that run 300 mm past each end of the ramp.
Tactile paving: where each block goes
Tactile paving lets a learner with a visual impairment feel the route underfoot or with a cane. Table 7.0 sets where each kind goes.
| Place | Blocks | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Stairs, top and bottom of each flight | Warning | 300 mm back from the stair’s edge, across the full width of the landing |
| Ramps, at the top, the bottom and intermediate landings | Warning | 300 mm from the ramp’s edge |
| Corridors and main circulation paths | Directional | 300 mm wide, in a continuous line along the accessible route |
| Elevators and lifts | Warning | 300 mm from the door or platform edge |
| Accessible toilets | Directional and warning | A path 300 mm wide to the entrance, with blocks at the door’s threshold |
| Hazards and level changes | Warning | 300 mm from the hazard’s edge |
The raised domes or bars are 5 to 6 mm high and 25 to 30 mm apart from center to center (Secs. VI.F.2.b.1 and VI.F.2.b.2). The paving has “a high visual contrast with the adjacent floor finish” and “shall not reduce the required clear width of accessible routes, corridors, ramps, or landings” (Secs. VI.F.2.b.4 and VI.F.2.b.5). Annex A draws three tiles, each 300 mm square: hazard warning, directional and positional.
The international symbol of access and the PWD signs
The International Symbol of Access is “a standardized symbol depicting a person in a wheelchair on a UN blue square background, used to identify accessible facilities and features” (Encl., Sec. III.o). Annex A labels its three parts: white graphics, a United Nations blue background and a white border.
The enclosure requires it by name on ramps, which “shall include pavement markings or signs measuring 0.30 m x 0.30 m painted or marked with the international symbol of access” (Sec. VI.F.1.f). Annex A’s details on universal access draw it with three signs that use the same figure, “common signs and symbols that help support students with disabilities in school.”
Annex A: details on universal access
International Symbol for Access
White graphics on a United Nations blue background, with a white border
Accessible route
The figure in a wheelchair, in black on a white sign
Ramp access
The figure in a wheelchair above a ramp that rises to the right
Toilet access for male/female/PWD
A man, a woman and the figure in a wheelchair, side by side
DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026, Encl., Sec. III.o; Annex A, Details on Universal Access
| Sign | What it shows | What its name says |
|---|---|---|
| International Symbol for Access | The white figure on United Nations blue, inside a white border | An accessible facility or feature; on a ramp, 0.30 m by 0.30 m |
| Accessible route | The figure alone | An accessible route |
| Ramp access | The figure above a ramp | Access by a ramp |
| Toilet access for male/female/PWD | A man, a woman and the figure | Toilets for male, female and PWD users |
The 0.30 m by 0.30 m size is the ramp marking’s, which Annex A draws on the ramp’s floor. Annex A names the other three signs and prints no size, color or place for them. Its drawing of the PWD toilet’s door adds a “PWD LOGO”: the figure in a wheelchair inside a rounded square, its top edge 1500 mm above the floor line.
The accessible toilet (PWD toilet)
The order’s rules for the accessible toilet are headed “Accessible Restrooms (PWD toilet)” (Sec. VI.F.3), and Annex A’s drawings call it the PWD toilet.
“Accessible toilet cubicles should have a minimum area of 1.80 m x 1.80 m”, and a turning space “with a minimum dimension of 1800 x 1800 mm for wheelchair users shall be provided outside water closet cubicles” (Secs. VI.F.3.a and VI.F.3.b). Its door has a clear opening of at least 0.90 m, against 0.80 m for the other toilets, with a kick plate 0.30 m to 0.40 m high on its lower part (Sec. VI.A.4.b.4). Annex A’s own door is 1000 mm wide and 2100 mm high.
| Part | Standard | Encl., Sec. |
|---|---|---|
| L-type grab bar | Fixed on the side wall; level from the back wall to 300 mm past the front of the water closet, then 750 mm up; at most 150 mm from the edge of the seat | VI.F.3.d |
| Flip-up grab bar | On the other side, anchored on the back wall; reaches 100 mm past the front of the water closet; holds at least 200 kg | VI.F.3.e |
| Height of both bars | 300 mm from the top of the seat to the top of the bar | VI.F.3.e |
| Water closet | Tank type, with a lever-type flush valve; a bidet or a flexible hose with a spray head | VI.F.3.f and g |
| Seat | At most 0.45 m high | VI.F.3.h |
| Handwash area | No higher than 0.85 m | VI.F.3.i |
| Faucet | Heavy-duty, single-lever, pressure-balanced | VI.F.3.j |
“The flip-up bar shall only allow upward and downward movement” (Sec. VI.F.3.e): in the model, raise it to see the space it clears beside the seat.
“On each floor level or area accessible for PWDs,” there is “at least 1 accessible female toilet cubicle and 1 male toilet cubicle for every 20 or fewer gendered toilet cubicles installed” (Sec. VI.F.3.c).
How many toilets and faucets a building needs
Table 5.0 sets the fewest toilets and faucets, by the number of students. Water closets and urinals are provided on each floor.
| Facility | Ratio or minimum | Table 5.0’s notes |
|---|---|---|
| Female toilet (water closet) | 1 per 20 to 25 female students | Privacy and menstrual hygiene disposal |
| Male toilet (water closet) | 1 per 25 to 30 male students | “One water closet may be replaced by a urinal, provided the total number of fixtures is not reduced below 2/3 of the minimum required” |
| Urinals | 1 per 35 male students | Partitions for privacy |
| Accessible toilet | At least 1 per building | Safe and inclusive |
| Handwashing faucets | 1 per 5 to 10 students, or 2 per toilet unit | Near all toilets and urinals |
Calculator
Toilets and faucets for one floor
Enter the learners who use one floor of a building. Each answer comes from Table 5.0.
- Water closets for girls
- 5 to 6
- 1 for every 20 to 25 girls
- Water closets for boys
- 4 to 5
- 1 for every 25 to 30 boys
- Urinals
- 4
- 1 for every 35 boys
- Handwashing faucets
- 24 to 48
- 1 for every 5 to 10 students
- Accessible toilets
- At least 1
- In each building
DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026, Encl., Table 5.0
Enter the girls and boys who use one floor of a building. Annex A’s typical handwashing counter is a tiled counter with a tiled back splash, 400 mm deep and 700 mm high, on a concrete platform beside the toilets.
What this means for school heads
When a building built under DO 022 is turned over, walk the route a learner in a wheelchair, or one who cannot see, would take from the gate:
- The ramp. It is at least 1.20 m wide and climbs no faster than 1 in 20, with a non-skid surface.
- The handrails. Two on each side, at 0.70 m and 0.90 m, firm when pulled.
- The paving. Warning blocks at the top and bottom of the ramp and of every stair, and a line of directional blocks to the accessible toilet. Nothing is parked or stored on them.
- The accessible (PWD) toilet. It is unlocked and not used for storage. A wheelchair can turn outside it and fit inside it. Both grab bars hold, the flip-up bar moves, and the hose and the lever flush work.
- The count. The water closets, urinals and faucets on each floor meet Table 5.0 for the learners who will use that floor.
- The symbol. The ramp carries the international symbol of access as a pavement marking or a sign, 0.30 m by 0.30 m. Annex A also draws a PWD logo on the door of the PWD toilet.
Report what is missing to the Schools Division Office. Its Division Engineer or Architect monitors construction against the approved design and plans (Sec. XI.C.b). This is part of managing school facilities and equipment in PPSSH Domain 2, Managing School Operations and Resources. The wider standards for buildings are in School Building and Furniture Standards: DO 022, s. 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How steep can a DepEd school ramp be?
No steeper than 1:20: 20 m of ramp for every meter of rise. A gradient of up to 1:15 may be allowed in special cases, subject to approval (DO 022, s. 2026, Encl., Sec. VI.F.1.b; Table 6.0).
How high are the handrails of a ramp?
0.70 m and 0.90 m, measured from the finished floor to the top of each handrail, on both sides of any ramp that rises more than 0.17 m (Sec. VI.F.1.e).
How big is an accessible toilet in a DepEd school?
The cubicle is at least 1.80 m by 1.80 m, with a turning space of 1800 mm by 1800 mm outside it and a door with a clear opening of at least 0.90 m (Secs. VI.A.4.b.4, VI.F.3.a and VI.F.3.b).
What is a PWD toilet in a DepEd school?
It is the accessible toilet. DO 022, s. 2026 heads its rules “Accessible Restrooms (PWD toilet)” and uses PWD for “Persons with Disability”. Each building has at least one, in a cubicle of at least 1.80 m by 1.80 m, with grab bars on both sides of the water closet (Encl., Secs. IV, VI.F.3.a, VI.F.3.d and VI.F.3.e; Table 5.0).
What is the international symbol of access?
“A standardized symbol depicting a person in a wheelchair on a UN blue square background, used to identify accessible facilities and features” (Sec. III.o). Annex A labels it as white graphics on a United Nations blue background, with a white border. A ramp built under DO 022 must carry it as a pavement marking or a sign of 0.30 m by 0.30 m (Sec. VI.F.1.f).
How many toilets does a school building need?
One water closet for every 20 to 25 female students and every 25 to 30 male students, one urinal for every 35 male students, and at least one accessible toilet in each building (Table 5.0).
Sources
DepEd issuances
- DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026, Enhanced Minimum Performance Standards and Specifications for DepEd School Infrastructure and School Furniture, September 24, 2026. Paras. 3, 5 and 6; Encl., Secs. III, IV, VI.A.4.b, VI.A.5.a, VI.D.1, VI.D.4, VI.F.1 to VI.F.3 and XI.C; Tables 5.0 to 7.0; Annex A.
- DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020, National Adoption and Implementation of the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads, September 7, 2020.
Laws
- Batas Pambansa Blg. 344, An Act to Enhance the Mobility of Disabled Persons by Requiring Certain Buildings, Institutions, Establishments, and Public Utilities to Install Facilities and Other Devices (Accessibility Law), February 25, 1983.
The school building standards series
- School Building and Furniture Standards: DO 022, s. 2026
- The DepEd Standard Classroom: An Interactive Model
- DepEd Ramps, Tactile Paving and Accessible Toilets: A Model (this post)
- Stairs, Railings and Fire Exits in DepEd Schools: A Model
- DepEd School Buildings in Typhoons, Quakes and Floods
- DepEd Classroom Sizes by Room Type: An Interactive Model
- DepEd School Paint Colors and Markings: A Paint Studio
Written by Mark Anthony Llego for NASH Reviewer. Sources: DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026 and DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020. The model may be reused only with written permission from support@nash.com.ph.