A bottom rail is the bottom most part of the door. It is the part of the door that is closest to the ground. When referring to an ADA bottom rail this means that the bottom rail for the door that you're ordering must be at least 10" in height. The reason for a ADA 10" bottom rail is for handicap people in wheelchairs can open the door by pushing the storefront door open with their wheelchair. If the bottom rail is lower than 10" then the person in the wheelchair will hit the glass portion of the door while opening the door.