AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2017
Junior ambulant toilet design guide Adaptable Housing in today’s market Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Initiatives Automatic Parking Systems: do they stack up for access? The Disability Rights Movement:Part 1 of Series ACCESS 2017 CONFERENCE 18 - 20 October, Brisbane We hope to see you there !
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FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK by Mark Relf President of the Association of Consultants in Access Australia
W
ith only a few weeks to the ACCESS 2017 conference in Brisbane we are delighted to bring you another bumper edition of Access Insight - the ACAA member’s newsletter. While Access Insight is still in its infancy we want to remind our readers that the newsletter is both a member’s forum and statement of the Association. With this in mind this edition provides the first in a series of articles on the topic of the Disability Rights Movement and the impact on built environment matters. It is envisaged that the elders of Access Consulting will respond to the call of recording the early days and the progress into the 21st century and hopefully where to from here. Will the future be dominated by building and planning regulators or will disability rights again play a part? To begin the proceedings Lindsay Perry has provided a snapshot from the US story dappled with the UK and Australian experience. But of course there is much more
to tell and learn from history. For example, what preceded AS1428 and how was AS1428 born and what protections existed before the Disability Discrimination Act?
Access for Adults with Profound Disability -Sanitary Facilities With thanks to Bruce Bromley for his eforum posting, the Australian Building Codes Board has released a consultation paper regarding the potential inclusion of a requirement for adult changing facility within an accessible toilet with the NCC and Premises Standards. At the time of writing only 20 people had downloaded the documents, which includes a response form. I urge you to CLICK HERE to download the paper and respond accordingly. With the ACAA conference program locked in, registrations growing and if you haven’t booked as yet and you missed the early bird rates, don’t worry there are some last minute specials to make attendance worthwhile. Hope to see you at the conference.
Mark Relf
IN THIS ISSUE The Association of Consultants in Access Australia
CPD opportunities.................................4 Hot Apps................................................5 Accessible and Inclusive Tourism..........6 The Disability Rights Movement...........11 Adaptable Housing.............................. 16 A personal challenge for an Access Consultant........................................... 18 Automatic parking systems.................20 Junior Ambulant toilet design guide...22
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Address: 20 Maud Street, Geelong VIC 3220 Email: secretary@access.asn.au Phone: +61 3 5221 2820 Web: www.access.asn.au Editor: Farah Madon vicepresident@access.asn.au August / September Issue Cover Photo: Kurilpa Bridge of Brisbane
Please email the Editor if you would like to showcase your project on the Cover of the next Access Insight
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YOU'RE INVITED! KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Commissioner Alastair McEwin Alastair McEwin is Australia’s Disability Discrimination Commissioner. He commenced in this role in August 2016. Alastair’s educational background is in arts, law and business administration. Following his undergraduate studies in Adelaide, he spent time in Vancouver, Canada, pursuing postgraduate studies. Prior to moving to Sydney to commence as a consultant with Accenture, a global management and IT consulting company, he worked as Associate to the Hon. Justice John von Doussa at the Federal Court. Alastair has a strong background in working with non-profit organisations. He was the Executive Director of Community Legal Centres NSW, the peak body for Community Legal Centres in NSW. Other roles include CEO of People with Disability Australia and Manager of the Australian Centre for Disability Law. Prior to commencing in his current role, he was the Chairperson of the NSW Disability Council, the official advisory board to the NSW Government on disability issues. He was also the President of the Deaf Society of NSW and Chairperson of the Australian Theatre of the Deaf. He has also been the coordinator of the World Federation of the Deaf Expert Group on Human Rights and an adjunct lecturer for the Masters of Community Management degree at the University of Technology Sydney.
FULL CONFERENCE REGISTRATION Includes: ● ● ● ●
attendance to all sessions one ticket to the Trade Show Launch one ticket to the Conference Dinner daytime catering on the conference days
MEMBER: $1,100 NON-MEMBER: $1,200
DAY ONLY REGISTRATION Includes: ● attendance to sessions ● daytime catering on the day of the registration
MEMBER DAY ONLY: $500 NON-MEMBER DAY ONLY: $600
REGISTER HERE
CONFERENCE SPONSORSHIP Calling all product suppliers. Do you have a product that you would like to show case to Architects, Access Consultants, Specifiers or Occupational Therapists ? This is your last chance to grab one of the remainder Trade booths at a discounted Fee. Call Farah Madon on 0412 051 876 or via email on vicepresident@access.asn.au for details
SPONSORSHIP BROCHURE
ACCESS 2017 - Proudly hosted by Association of Consultants in Access Australia (ACAA) 18 - 20 October 2017, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Merivale & Glenelg Street, South Brisbane, QLD 4101 www.access2017.com.au
CPD OPPORTUNITIES ACAA NSW Access Consultant Network Meeting Date: 29th Nov 2017, 11am-3pm. Contact ACAA NSW Chairperson Robyn Thompson for details.
ACAA QLD Access Consultant Network Meeting Date: TBA. Contact ACAA QLD Chairperson Cynthia Lawes for details.
ACAA SA Access Consultant Network Meeting Date: TBA. Contact ACAA SA Chairperson Grant Wooller for details.
ACAA VIC Access Consultant Network Meeting Date: TBA. Contact ACAA VIC Chairperson Kellie Millar for details.
ACAA 2017 National Conference The ACAA Conference presents a big opportunity for members to network and achieve CPD points. CLICK HERE for further details
U.S. Access Board Webinar: Accessible Hospitals and Medical Care Facilities A free webinar will take place October 5 from 2:30 – 4:00 (ET) and cover accessible medical care facilities, including hospitals and long-term care facilities. CLICK HERE for further details
Assisitive Technology Australia provides a Home Modification Course which includes units CPPACC5016A and CPPACC4020A. Details are available on their website though this LINK
ACAA WA Access Consultant Network Meeting Date: 5th December 2017, 4pm to 5:30pm Topic: Lifts - what happens when it doesn’t comply. Contact ACAA WA Chairperson Anita Harrop for details.
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HOT APPS!
August-September 2017 Hot Apps
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n this section we have featured 4 different apps that are Access Industry related. If you have an app that is useful for Access Consultants, please let the Editor know so that it can be included in the next issue of Access Insight.
Using Inclinometer and finding out slopes of ramps of walkways is one of the most common requirements of any site inspection. Below are 4 apps that claim to be useful for just that.
Access Slope This is one of the coolest apps I have seen in a while. The app uses the phone to measure the slope of a run, landing, or a cross slope of a given ramp. It also lets you save the measurements along with a description and has a scale which shows if the access is considered to be good or poor. Download from Itunes Store
Level HD This app provides four adjustable spirit levels, surface level, a digital Inclinometer. It also boasts of Automatic calibration -1/10ยบ precision! Handy for the quick checks for slopes on site. Download from Itunes Store
Angle Meter This app lets you measure the angle or slope by the angle of the phone, or to measure the angle of the target a short distance away from you by means of a camera. Download from Itunes Store Download from Google Play
Angle Pro This is a very user friendly app to check levels and measure angles. Angle Pro claims to be an accurate angle meter and level app and measure angles with +-0.2ยบ to +-0.3ยบ accuracy. Download from Itunes Store Download from Google Play 5
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FEATURED ARTICLES
Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Initiatives Editorial Note Tourism activities for people with disabilities, their families and friends has been, for an eternity, a combination of challenges, barriers, information vacuum and negative attitudes from tourism providers that this market segment is either non-existent, not “sexy” enough to promote, unappealing or just not worth the trouble. This sentiment is generally fuelled by ignorance, stereo-typing of people with disabilities, poor design, fragmented regulations and an absence of accessible infrastructure and accessible transport. However, as accessible transport is gradually emerging and the DDA Premises Standards are having an effect on new buildings and infrastructure, albeit in a limited manner, the time is right, many will say decades overdue, to develop new standards and educational materials about accessible fitout of all forms of accommodation from the camp site to 6 star hotels to enable an inclusive tourist experience. How often as Access Consultants do we provide recommendations about fitout only for them to be rejected by the developer/operator only to be told it is “not required by the BCA so do we won’t be implementing the suggestions”. With the impending revision of AS1428 part 2 it is hoped that a section on accommodation fitout will be a key component of the document and that the Australian Human Rights Commission would reference the material in a DDA Advisory Note. Remember the DDA Advisory Note on Premises … this was the forerunner to the DDA Premises Standard and the watershed 2011 BCA. With all this in mind please read on as Simon Darcy (Deputy Head of Research & Standards at the UTS Business School-University of Technology Sydney) provides a national and international overview of accessible and inclusive tourism initiatives.
by Prof Simon Darcy
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017 has brought about a series of initiatives involving accessible and inclusive tourism. To say that this is pleasing is an understatement given that the United Nations World Tourism Organization had dedicated 2016 World Tourism Day as accessible Tourism for All. While there were initiatives in many parts of the world sadly there were none in Australia. However, the UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai’s video message provides a summary of the human rights and market arguments for universally accessible tourism. Other resources focused on destination development through accessible tourism experiences that focused on the five senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell and taste that then demonstrated how these may be operationalised through video on Thailand. 6
Figure 1: World Tourism 27 September 2060 promoting universal accessibility through tourism for all
Most of the Australian initiatives discussed are using the term inclusive tourism where they connect people with disability, seniors and families with young children. However, the very first definitions that have been previously used on accessible tourism, including Darcy and Dickson (2009, p33) and Buhalis & Darcy (2011) identified these key stakeholder groups together with those with temporary disability and employees working in safer WHS conditions meaning that 31% of the population benefited from accessible tourism provisions. Inclusion more broadly within public policy also identifies people from LGBTSI, indigenous, ethnicity and gender.
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FEATURED ARTICLES The danger from an industry and government perspective is an expectation that inclusive tourism is also addressing these groups, which may lead to a diluted
People with disabilities 20%
Temporary disability (no estimate)
message with respect to the needs of people with disability, seniors with access needs and families with young children who are reliant on using prams.
Families with young children 3%
Safe working environment (no estimate)
Seniors with access needs 8%
Total with access requirements < 31% of the population
The Queensland government were first off the rank in 2017 with a resource titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Inclusive Tourism - make your business more accessible and inclusiveâ&#x20AC;?. The document focuses on tourism operators to assist them with understanding both their human rights and legal responsibilities, together with developing an understanding of the business dynamics and how to better market their business to a wider range of people with access needs. The guide also provides basic information to assist people with disability plan travel and holidays. The resources are available HERE.
Committee, Gold Coast tourism and Gold Coast City Council came together on 7 February 2017 to present a seminar the businesses of the Gold Coast, associated government organisations and the not-for-profit sector about the accessible tourism opportunities provided by hosting the games. The seminar included Nick Morris, Accessibility manager for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games; Prof Simon Darcy from the UTS Business School; and Jonathan Sims Gold Coast Sailability to present an organisational, business and recreational understanding of the opportunities presented by a major international games. The seminar focused on pre and post games opportunities
Figure 3: Gold Coast sailability
In preparation for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games three organisations Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Organising 7
Figure 4: Gold Coast 2018 XXI Commonwealth Games logo
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FEATURED ARTICLES
Figure 5: Info graphic of the impact of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games
to leverage on new and upgraded infrastructure, information provision and the systems required in attracting the accessible tourism market. One identified weakness on the Gold Coast is a lack of a consolidated accommodation inventory on which to market, promote and distribute accommodation as the “anchor” which all accessible tourism experiences require as part of the travel trip chain when people with disability are travelling away from home.
Local Government New South Wales LGNSW has received federal funding to undertake an Inclusive Tourism project. A key objective of the project is to address the lack of information on accessible activities and services which prevents seniors, people with disability and their families and carers from participating in tourism and recreational activities. Project partners include UTS Institute for Public Policy and Government, Trip Adviser, Destination NSW, FACS and the NSW Business Chamber. As part of their inclusive tourism networking Events they are undertaking a series of regional workshops around New South Wales including: 8
• • • • • • • • •
Bega Batemans Bay Ballina Port Macquarie Tamworth Parkes Orange Blue Mountains & Broken Hill
The regional workshops include an overview of market opportunities outlining the proportion of people with disability in the community; 80% of which take a holiday every year, and the $8 billion injected into the economy from this holiday taking. The regional workshops target local suppliers and seek to provide practical ways to engage with the market and promote the regional areas as inclusive tourism destinations. Whereas many businesses initially regard inclusive tourism as a high cost and low yield market, the workshop sets out a series of low-cost marketing, promotion and distribution frameworks to challenge stereotypes and provide suppliers with practical ways to increase business opportunity. As part of the overall federal funding LGNSW and its partners are working with the
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FEATURED ARTICLES
Figure 6: Gold Coast Accessible Tourism Forum graphic
Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) (CLICK HERE for a fuller understanding of the ATDW). The ATDW collects information each quarter with a survey of its operators, then stores and distributes this information. Data includes product and destination information from all Australian States and Territories, with more than 40,000 listings. This content is electronically accessible by tourism business owners (operators), wholesalers, retailers and distributors for use in their websites and booking systems such as TripAdviser, Bookings.com, Dimmi, Zomato etc. The ATDW can be thought of as the back of house supplier of information to all major federal, state and regional tourism areas. As such, it has been a disability Achilles heel with ACAA luminary Bruce Cameron having worked long and hard to try and get accessibility improvements in the system as far back as 2006 where a business case was costed for an accommodation module only to have this scuttled at the last-minute. The opportunity presented for a full-scale review of the inclusions of the ATDW are a wonderful opportunity to have a more inclusive system that feeds through to business operators, wholesalers, retailers and distributors for use in websites and booking systems. The objectives of the workshop were to: 1. Amend and expand the accessibility questions included in their quarterly survey of operators 2. Provide an explanation/description/criteria for each accessibility question 3. Make the accessibility questions mandatory. 9
Additionally a workshop took place on Friday 23 June at the Local Government New South Wales offices in Sydney. The workshop was attended by 15 members of the disability, ageing and advocacy communities. Input was sought across all areas of ATDW information provision presented by Jeremy Connolly including: Accommodation; Attraction; Destination Information; Events; Information Services; Journey; Food & Drink; Tours; Hiring; General Services; and Transport. The ATDW, with the assistance of LGNSW, sought to expand the very basic accessibility inclusions of the current database and proposed as a starting point the following set of questions: • Does your business actively welcome people with access needs? • Does your business have an access and inclusion statement? • Do you cater for people who require cognitive assistance? Such as people with dementia, Autism or Down’s Syndrome? • Do you cater for people who require hearing assistance? • Do you cater for people who require vision assistance? • Do you cater for people with sufficient mobility to climb a few steps but who would benefit from fixtures to aid balance? • Do you cater for people with high support needs that travel with a carer? • Do you cater for people who use a wheelchair? • Do you cater for people with allergies and intolerances? To provide input for the workshop the attendees were grouped into specialist areas together with attendees from Local Government NSW and the NSW Business chamber with specialist groups representing people from: • intellectual disability and autistic spectrum communities; • physical and mobility disability; • those with vision and hearing related disability
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FEATURED ARTICLES The specialist groups worked together for over an hour on the ATDW areas of information provision and the accessibility questions. At the end of the hour each group reported on their major findings, the areas they believe were able to be covered and the areas requiring further work. LGNSW & ATDW are now working on incorporating the workshop feedback into the expanded ATDW accessibility features. Margaret Kay and Anita Ceravolo can be contacted for further
details in regards to the Local Government NSW projects.
(c) Vista Access Architects
Buhalis, D., & Darcy, S. (Eds.). (2011). Accessible Tourism: Concepts and Issues. Bristol, UK: Channel View Publications. http://www.channelview publications.com/display.asp?isb=9781845411602
References Darcy, S., & Dickson, T. (2009). A Whole-of-Life Approach to Tourism: The Case for Accessible Tourism Experiences. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 16(1), 32-44.
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In particular, the features of hotel rooms could be far more ably represented through the efforts of Mark Relf and Farah Madon through their technical note on the requirements for accessible hotel rooms (see Darcy, Frawley & Adair, 2017). A sample layout for an Accessible Hotel accommodation is shown below.
Darcy, S., Frawley, S., & Adair, D. (Eds.). (2017). Managing the Paralympics. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. http://www. palgrave.com/la/book/9781137435200#aboutBook
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The Disability Rights Movement Editorial Note This is the first of a series of articles on Australian Disability Legislation. It provides an international context upon which the Disability Discrimination Act is based, acknowledges the change in the model for disability and identifies the role of the United Nations in establishing disability discrimination legislation. This Article is by Lindsay Perry, an accredited access consultant. Lindsay has a wide range of experience in the access consulting industry with a career spanning over fifteen years.
By Lindsay Perry
“Disability” is a complex term that is undergoing constant change, debate and consideration (Dempsey, 2006).
T
he World Health Organisation (WHO) defines disability as….
Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations.
models for disability being presented in two distinct parts. The first part references the medical model for disability acknowledging impairments and activity limitations. The second part encourages participation in society which is in keeping with the social model for disability. The model for disability is an important concept to understand as it impacts legislation, the built environment and in turn our approach to access consultancy. Overall, the model for disability has changed from the medical model to the social model over the course of time, the social model being a result of disability rights advocacy.
Disability is thus not just a health problem. It is a complex phenomenon, reflecting the interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives. Overcoming the difficulties faced by people with disabilities requires interventions to remove environmental and social barriers.
Within the medical model for disability, the disability or impairment is seen as a sickness, regardless of whether the person with a disability defines it as such. This is a view that continues to date, especially within the medical profession (Davis, 2004). The medical model for disability looks at a person’s limitations rather than their potential, discouraging independence and interaction with society at large. Prior to the 1960s and the birth of the disability rights movement, the medical model for disability generally saw the institutionalisation of people with disabilities. This did not provide opportunities to interact with the general population and as such, the accessibility of the built environment was not a consideration as people with disabilities were not actively participating in society.
This is a definition upon which many frameworks, policies and legislation is based. It encapsulates both the medical and social
With the momentum of the Disability Rights Movement and disability activists / advocates, the social model for disability was born. The
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FEATURED ARTICLES intent of the social model for disability is self-determination and inclusion. The social model promotes that disability is caused by the way society is organised, rather than by a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impairment or difference. It advocates removing barriers to encourage independence and inclusion. Continued improvements to the accessibility of the built environment and associated accessibility legislation is a direct outcome of the social model for disability. So where did the disability rights movement begin? The roots of disability discrimination legislation are founded in the civil rights movement which originated in the United States of America (Fleischer & Zames, 2001). After World War II, minority groups started to emerge including the Voices of Black America and World War II veterans. This lead to activists who advocated for basic human rights for all people, regardless of race, ability, gender, etc. The US Civil Rights Bill was passed in 1964, which ultimately lead to the recognition of the rights of people with disabilities. At the international level, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 1971 adopted The Declaration on the General and Special Rights of the Mentally Retarded, followed in 1975 by The Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons. These two declarations stated that people with disabilities are to have access to opportunities available to all citizens; a right to inherent human dignity; the right to enjoy a decent life; and be able to develop skills to maximise social integration. These declarations triggered the Disability Rights Movement internationally. 1981 to 1992 was the UN "Decade of Disabled Persons". In 1987, a global meeting of experts held to review progress recommended that the UN General Assembly should draft an international convention on the elimination of discrimination against persons with disabilities. Many government representatives argued that existing human rights documents were sufficient. Instead, non-compulsory 12
"Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities" were adopted by the General Assembly in 1993. In 2000, leaders of five international disability organisations issued a declaration, calling on all governments to support a Convention. In 2001, the UN General Assembly established an ad hoc committee to consider proposals for a comprehensive and integral convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, based on a holistic approach. This lead to The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006 which strengthened international framework for the advancement of the rights of persons with disabilities. This convention is an international human rights treaty of the UN intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Parties to the Convention are required to promote, protect, and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by persons with disabilities and ensure that they enjoy full equality under the law. The Convention has served as the major catalyst in the global movement from viewing persons with disabilities as objects of charity to viewing them as full and equal members of society. Under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, member states have a general obligation to undertake or promote research and development of universally designed facilities which require the minimum possible adaption and the least cost to meet the specific needs of people with disabilities and promote universal design in the development of standards and guidelines. Legislation such as The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Australia and United Kingdom â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are a response to the UN Declarations on the rights of People with Disabilities that embrace human rights legislation making it unlawful to discriminate against a person on the grounds of disability. They are complaint-based laws that allow people who believe they have been discriminated against on the grounds of their
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FEATURED ARTICLES disability to lodge a complaint with the appropriate organisation and ultimately hold the discriminator liable for their actions. In Australia, the 1981 International Year of Disabled Persons is recognised as a turning point for people with disabilities. Prior to 1981, there were few initiatives that promoted. The return of WWI and WWII veterans, many with impairments, also saw the development of various funding initiatives. The growing number of people who had acquired disabilities during wartime led to a belief that people with disabilities had a right to live a decent life. However, it was not until the 1970s that momentum had gained in respect to the Australian Disability Rights Movement. With the Australian government’s ratification of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons in 1975 came a commitment to establish policies and frameworks that would improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. This ultimately led to The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) that was adopted in 1992.
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References: Davis, K. (2004). The crafting of good clients. In J. Swain, S. French, C. Barnes, & C. Thomas (Eds.), Disabling barriers – enabling environments, (pp. 203-205). London: Sage. Dempsey, I. (2006). Legislation and policy. In I. Dempsey & K. Nankervis (Eds.), Community disability services: an evidence-based approach to practice, (pp. 217-240). Sydney: University of NSW Press.
LINEAR TWIN WATERS™
Fleischer & Zames, (2001). The Disability Rights Movement. Philadelphia: Temple University Press
CS-MST-H089 Rev. 0
www.con-serv.com.au
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ACAA MATTERS
From the ACAA Committee of Management September 2017
S
ummary of the Decisions and Discussions of the last committee of management meeting are noted below. Further details can be found on the member’s portal of the ACAA website. • ACAA Conference registrations are available at a Discounted rate. All details can be found at event.icebergevents.com.au/access2017. • The Mentoring Portal is now open on the website. A Mentoring Forum has been set-up on the acaa-forums. This forum is for members learning how to practice as Access Consultants seeking advice and supportive collegial mentoring. The following members have attained Associate level membership: • Kate Cowburn • Alexandrina Gray The following members have attained Affiliate level membership: • Mardiros Tatia • Jenny Linton-Webb • Lauren Hart
• There are changes being made to the process on becoming an Associate member. Discussions are continuing. • The launch of Access Insight has received positive reviews. There was some feedback regarding accessibility, which is being looked into. • The teleconference equipment to be used at this year’s AGM has been successfully trialled. • The committee is considering options for an ongoing tribute to Max Murray, which may be in the form of a sponsorship. More details to follow. • Discussions continue on the proposed changes to the CPD process. • Farah Madon and Mark Relf have been assisting the Summer Foundation with establishing Accessibility Guidelines. These will eventually be presented to the SDA - NDIA.
Congratulations to all.
Committee contact details President Mr Mark Relf Conference, Policies and Procedures, ACAA Research into Luminance Contrast Vice President Ms Farah Madon Editor of Access Insight, ACAA Practice Notes, Membership, ACAA Representative to RAIA NAWG (National Access Work Group), Conference Treasurer Ms Lindsay Perry Finance, Membership, Conference
Ordinary Member Ms Cathryn Grant Policies and Procedures Ordinary Member Mrs Anita Harrop Policies and Procedures Ordinary Member Mr Francis Lenny Mentoring Ordinary Member Mr Bryce Tolliday Membership, 2017 Conference Coordinator
Secretary Mr Terry Osborn Website, Conference, Membership, Policies and Procedures
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ADVERTORIAL
NDIS – the National Disability Insurance Scheme, everyone has heard of it, but what does it really mean for a builder who has been awarded a tender for a new NDIS group home? For one such builder it represented a very real challenge, as without an understanding of future residents needs when it came to the design of the ceiling hoist system and what would work best for the residents and care staff. Luckily, they got in touch with Para Mobility who have the experience and expertise in ceiling hoist systems, power or manual change tables and installation. The Para Mobility team worked with the estimation team to provide a range of suggested reworked ceiling hoist track designs and advice on the system that would best meet the functional needs of the residents and care staff. As these NDIS homes are new builds, the opportunity presented itself to build a recessed track into the ceiling, allowing for a much cleaner, more aesthetically pleasing result for the residents who will be living there.
“
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Fighting Chance gives young adults with a disability the opportunity of meaningful social participation, skills development, work experience and employment.
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FEATURED ARTICLES
Adaptable Housing – Is it a valid concept in today’s market, should it change? bathrooms and kitchens, provided the overall space is available. This also acknowledges that bathrooms and kitchens are commonly renovated every 10-15 years and may be renovated before they are ever adapted for enhanced livability and accessibility.
By Howard & Michael Moutrie
T
his may only be of interest to those in NSW where adaptable housing is required by most Councils in multi dwelling developments varying from 2% to 50% but most commonly 10%. Michael and I have been discussing the validity of the implementation of Adaptable Housing and to a lesser extent the Livable Housing Guidelines. We have been coming from different viewpoints but both agree that some changes are required. Howard has recently been requested to provide advice as to what constitutes and adaptable unit after a purchaser refused to settle the purchase of an apartment because they found it was an adaptable unit. Admittedly, this indicates some ignorance on the part of the purchaser but it is not an isolated incident. There have been other situations, where a purchaser has undertaken an inspection of their unit on completion, and complaints have been made to the developer. Comments such as “why is my sink not in the island bench like the other units?” and “why are my light switches so low?” and similar comments are not uncommon. The popularity of television shows such as Grand Designs and The Block have heightened the level of expectation of buyers. As these are people’s homes, it is not unreasonable to expect a design which they want, and not to enforce a layout which makes it easy for them to adapt if they develop a disability. It is on this basis, that we now tend to accept layouts which require changes to the layout to achieve the accessible layout in both
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Research by the Grattan Institute indicates that home ownership is at 45% for 25-34 age group, 62% for the 35-44 age group, 72% for the 45-54 age group. Using this data you can surmise that the average rate of home ownership is less than 60% and thus it follows that renters make up more than 40%. Separate information from the ABS based on the last census, and published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 29th July 2017, suggests that there are 40 suburbs in Sydney where the level of home ownership is less than 10%. In fact, the same article suggests that in the areas where a lot of the new apartments are being built, such as Parramatta, Waterloo, Surry Hills, Redfern etc the ownership is less than 30%. It again follows that if the ownership is 30% then the renters make up 70%. The principle behind adaptable housing is that a person can easily modify their home, rather than having to move, if they develop a disability later in their life. As current strata laws do not permit a tenant to make modifications to a dwelling, it starts to question the effectiveness of adaptable housing if the majority of units are rented. As the number of adaptable units is generally 10-15% of the total and if only 30% are owner occupied then it follows that the number of units capable of adaption is less than 5% of the total. If you need to modify (adapt) your unit in the future, the odds are not that good that you will actually be living in an adaptable unit that you own. So, where to from here? Housing, whatever its
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FEATURED ARTICLES form, is a person’s home and they should have the right to have the design which they want not what someone feels they should have. If the units are to be adaptable then what is needed is a set of new laws which reflects the increasing trend to long term renting and the rights of a tenant to customise the dwelling for their own use. The adaptable housing
Editorial Note While this article raises numerous issues around community attitudes towards disability, ignorance, lack of education awareness regarding disability and ageing, inflexible design, contradictory housing regulations and construction methodology it is evident that the accommodation needs of people with a disability and generally people with reduced mobility are not being appropriately accommodated by the housing market. In recent years we have seen many stresses applied to the housing sector with;
• Energy conservation measure being imposed on designs.
• Minimum apartment sizes being reduced including local councils being overridden by state governments. • BCA requirements for accessible common areas to parts of Class 2 developments. • Affordable housing for low income earners. • Social housing. • Seniors housing. • Reducing affordability. • Financial institutions imposing yield requirements upon developers that force smaller apartments to achieve more units per hectare. With the possible exception of seniors housing and the minimal BCA initiatives all of the above contradict the design objectives for livable and accessible housing and have the greatest negative impact on people with disabilities, their friends and families. While we would all agree that a person’s home is their castle and they should have the right to do whatever they want, it is also true that regulations and standards have been developed over many decades that aim to;
• Provide safer environments for the occupants
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requirements should also provide sufficient flexibility to allow a person to live in a house that they want but still be able to modify, if required in the future. It would also be a good idea if all new housing was adaptable, livable, universal access designed, which ever term we settle on in a star rating system that allows “the market” to make informed decisions.
• Conserve energy • Provide sustainable use of building materials
• Provide “Positive Development” http://www.yourhome.gov.au/housing Equally we would argue that there is nexus between all of these principles and “accessibility”. However, up till now the concept of incorporating certain features into a home that might enable greater independence and access for people with a disability has been resisted by the “majority” whoever they are. Ironically, almost everybody knows a person who has reduced mobility or disability within their extended family or network of friends and work colleagues. But there is always the NIMBY factor, if is not in my backyard, then I don’t have to worry about it and someone else will do it. Apathy is rife in Australia and we tend to blame “governments” when a failure ocurrs. Reactive policy to market, social, economic and environmental failure leads to regulation in some form. And it is no different when it comes to housing for people with a disability. While the various terms of adaptable, visitable, livable, accessible, smart housing and universal design in housing have been largely misunderstood by the general population including lawmakers, we now have the most complex housing market one could imagine. Like many of the “access” frontiers the education and advocacy towards 100% universal design and livability must continue. In the meantime let’s hope the “person who refused to settle the purchase of an apartment that was adaptable design” never incurs a disability, temporary or permanent, or if they do, that their home, by default has features which do enable easy adaptation to accommodate their life situation.
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A personal challenge for an Access Consultant by Robert Knott FRAIA RIBA ACAA
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Robert is an Architect, Access Consultant and a member of the RAIA National Access Work Group
n October 2009, after extensive medical examination and testing, my wife was diagnosed with Gastroparesis. Gastroparesis literally translated means “stomach paralysis” it is a digestive disorder in which the motility of the digestive and excretory system is either abnormal or absent. In January 2015 after falling from a seated position without warning, further investigative examination and testing resulted in a diagnosis of autonomic dysfunction or autonomic neuropathy known as Dysautonomia and it was then realised that the Gastroparesis was a symptom of a more serious disorder. Dysautonomia, a disorder of autonomic nervous system (ANS) generally involves failure of the sympathetic or parasympathetic components of the ANS i.e. those originating in the brain stem and lower part of the spinal cord. It is a type of neuropathy affecting the nerves that carry information from the brain and spinal cord to the heart, bladder, intestines, sweat glands, pupils, and blood vessels. Dysautonomia is experienced in a variety of ways, depending on the organ system involved, for example, difficulty adapting to changes in posture or digestive system problems (e.g. Gastro-paresis) and as a symptom of neurological degeneration.
• Substantial fall in blood pressure when upright (orthostatic hypotension) causing a blackout and fall. • Complex partial -seizures (lasting 5 to 10 seconds) Triggered by stress, fatigue or hypertension – these can occur when lying down or sitting. • Gastro-paresis – described above. The medical problems are addressed to a large degree by medication, but the limitation on mobility created a challenge for us. We both wanted her to be able to live at home and be as active as possible for as long as possible. Apart from facilitating mobility we had to devise a safe environment for falls to mitigate injury and ways to enable the patient to be as independent as possible in matters such as personal hygiene, dressing, undressing and the ability to move at will – at least around the house. For outings she needs a wheelchair. She is independently mobile using a two wheel walker indoors and a four wheel walker outdoors but the distances travelled need to be short. If she becomes fatigued or frustrated in not being able to pick up and carry anything she is liable to black-out momentarily and fall. Ideally each short trip needs to have a destination where she can safely rest – either seated or lying on a couch
Hallmarks of generalized dysautonomia due to sympathetic failure in this patient’s case include:
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FEATURED ARTICLES where there is a call button. The standard adaptions to the house were easily achieved but standard adaptions to the bathroom were found to be inadequate or inappropriate and fresh solutions had to be found. Call buttons were achieved by using battery operated door bells each with a distinctive tune indicating its location. The one in the bathroom is dangling on a cord from the hand grip adjacent to the toilet to 250mm above the floor for access from a fallen position. All floors including the bathroom are carpeted to minimise falls injury. Falls from the chair in the shower were a potential problem, as all surfaces are hard, so a bath was preferred. The bottom of the bath is level with the bathroom floor and the entry side of the bath is dipped to 355mm above floor level to facilitate entry and exit.
A “Mangar” Bathing cushion is used in the bath. Deflated it is approx 5mm thick and enables the patient to bathe independently. It is inflated by the patient to exit the bath. Its use involves a Carer supervising the whole time - placing it and removing it after use – cleaning and drying – recharging the air compressor. The mechanical alternatives were found to require too deep a bath, were far too cumbersome for the Carer to move and very restrictive for the patient in the bath. The bath is accessible by grab handles located strategically to enable entry and exit to sit on the toilet seat after bathing for drying. Short (300mm) grab handles are preferred to longer grab rails as they obviate any possibility of slipping due to inadequate grip strength or wet/soapy hands. The hand basin front is lipped both inside and out and forms a useful grab handle as does a stout towel rail at the head of the bath. The vanity bar is open below providing a 720mm knee room facilitating use of a ‘Tabouret” stool for seated tooth cleaning etc.
Ifo Sign Toilet Increased Height - S Trap
• Free standing toilet • 460mm height (excluding seat) • Tested to comply with 90% of AU commonly used commode chairs. • Integrated cistern
Enware Australia Pty Ltd (Head Office) 9 Endeavour Road Caringbah NSW 2229 02 8536 4000 www.enware.com.au
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Automatic Parking Systems: how do they stack up for access? by Michael Wheeler, Secretary ACAA VIC Network
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utomatic parking systems – or car stackers, as they are more commonly known – are becoming increasingly popular as a means of fitting more parking spaces into various types of accommodation. The ACAA VIC Network recently hosted a presentation by Andrew McPherson from Car Cram and representing Wohr, a car stacker manufacturer, on the issues associated with provision of access to automatic stacking systems. Andrew began his presentation by
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pointing out that car stackers have been notoriously poor with regard to providing access for both drivers and passengers with disabilities. He then demonstrated that, with correct and effective design, accessibility is possible with automated parking systems. The most common system installed is the mechanical – or manual – system. Typically these are smaller systems where the driver controls delivery of the vehicle to the appropriate storage bay. Due to their common design, these systems are unlikely to ever be accessible. Automatic systems on the other hand, can be designed to service from 2 to more than 1000 vehicle bays. The Capital building in Mumbai has almost 1100 bays servicing 19 levels. Hamilton Scott’s in Singapore has 119 bays
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FEATURED ARTICLES providing for a 30 level apartment complex. Locally, the new Victoria One building in Elizabeth St, Melbourne, has 163 bays; the Shadowplay building in City Rd, Melbourne has 150 bays. Basically, the automatic systems require a driver to park their vehicle in a bay in a transfer cabin or garage, to exit the car, collect a code, and then allow the system to take the car to a location (above, below, or to the same level) where it is stored. When the driver returns, enters the code and the vehicle is returned to the bay for collection.
the vehicle measurement systems within the transfer cabin. This will also provide adequate height for a vehicle with a mobility aid on the roof (the Premises Standards require 2200mm minimum height at the car park entry, and 2500mm minimum height at the bay.) The two standards applicable to installation are: • AS/NZS 5124:2017-Safety of machinery – Equipment for power driven parking of motor vehicles; and, • MFB Guideline 32- Buildings Incorporating Automated Vehicle Parking Systems (AVPS)
It is a belief that most transfer cabins in automatic systems can accommodate the required space for access. Also improvement is commonly required to current designs to provide adequate exit/entry to the transfer cabin (as opposed to exit/entry from the vehicle). Other access issues concern the height of the keypads for access to a code.
The focus of the MFB Guideline is on fire fighter safety.
Typical design requirements for the European automated parking systems closely meet or exceed Premises Standards with a minimum height within the bay at 2700mm to suit
Hopefully this will result in the installation of transfer cabins compliant with the intent of the DDA at future large projects.
Whilst the automatic systems are clearly the preferred access option, they are more costly. For developers, their economic viability doesn’t kick in until you are building projects of substantial size and/or value.
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Junior Ambulant Toilet Design Guide by Francesca Davenport LFRAIA ACAA
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he National Access Work Group of the Australian Institute of Architects has identified the need for an Access Design Guide on Junior Ambulant Toilets. The Design Guide will be shared with ACAA following endorsement by the Institute’s Acumen Content Review Panel for publication in their Acumen website. The overall design of children’s toilets should take into account broader matters, such as
fit-out provisions for children who cannot be manually lifted onto the change table, and the advice from an occupational therapist in regard to the specific needs of children with a disability enrolled at the facility. This draft Design Guide specifically looks at the ambulant toilet cubicle only. It takes into consideration AS 1428.1-2009 Figure 53(A) Sanitary Compartment for People with Ambulant Disabilities, AS 1428.3 Table 3 WC Pan Seat Height and was informed by the design of junior ambulant toilets at a kindergarten project in Victoria. We seek feedback from ACAA members on the fit-out and proposed dimensions to enable us to finalise the document. It is hoped that the proposed dimensions could be evaluated on site at a kindergarten or child care facility. The provision of a junior ambulant toilet should enable the young child to use the toilet independently, just like the other children do, whilst allowing assistance from an adult where necessary. These considerations determine the width of the cubicle and the placement of the fittings and fixtures. There are currently 2 models of junior toilet pans in the Australian market, i.e.: • Junior toilet pan “A”: 350mm-high to top of pan, 367mm-high to top of seat; • Junior toilet pan “B”: 300mm-high to top of pan, 315mm-high to top of seat. AS 1428.3-1992 Table 3 indicates a toilet pan seat height of 325mm for ambulant children with physical disabilities with or without mobility aids and aged between 3 to 6.5 years. If it is considered necessary to provide a higher pan in the ambulant toilet, toilet pan “A” can be used. Please refer to the sketch with the proposed dimensions based on using this pan.
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If a higher pan is not considered necessary in the ambulant toilet and if toilet pan “B” is used, all height dimensions shown in the sketch will need to be reduced accordingly, i.e. by 50mm.
Grabrails should be 19mm to 25mm outside diameter. Please provide your feedback via this link:
www.raiseliftgroup.com.au 23
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RESOURCES
August/Sept 2017 Resources Research by Guide Dogs UK
Changing Places Australia
Guide Dogs research surveys can be downloaded for free from their UK website
• Changing Places Australia has released a new guideline document which can downloaded for free HERE • Design templates including CAD drawings can be downloaded HERE • To find a registered Changing Places Assessor go to http://changingplaces.org. au/build-a-toilet/find-a-consultant/ • For further details contact Changing Places Australia on: Phone: 03 9880 7000 or 1800 654 013 E:mail: info@changingplaces.org.au
Streets Ahead Survey, 2013 A survey of 1,600 supporters carried out in June 2013 revealed the shocking extent of the problems street clutter causes, including that 9 out ten people experience problems with pavement parked cars.
Parking Attitudes Survey 2013 In January 2013 A YouGov survey into parking habits revealed over half of motorists’ park on the pavement.
Proudly exhibiting at Access 2017 24
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ADVERTORIAL BOOKS AND ARTICLES REVIEW
Book: Managing the Paralympics
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he 1st book focusing on Managing the Paralympics has been published by Australian editors Simon Darcy, Steven Frawley and Daryl Adair. They bring together an international team of practitioners and academics to examine the bidding, planning, operations and legacy aspects of the Paralympics. The book has a great deal of learnings for any major disability sport events or accessible destination precincts. Further details of the book can be found on the publisher's website
Document: “Inclusion of Down Syndrome in Architectural Design: Towards a Methodology” from the University of Liège, presented at Proceedings of the second international conference on Universal Accessibility in the Internet of Things and Smart Environments. Authors: Clémentine Schillings, Catherine Elsen; University of Liége, Liége, Belgium A review by Cathryn Grant of Architecture & Access.
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T
he aim of the article is to develop an in-situ methodology to assist architects to work with people with an intellectual disability. Method involved In-situ observation and interview of people with Down Syndrome within their home environment and an unfamiliar environment to assess their perceptions of these spaces. Six participants with Down Syndrome were involved in the study. The authors adapt a method of in-situ observation and interview to suit the abilities of people with Down Syndrome. This included the use of four cartoony human faces representing the emotions (happiness, sadness, nervousness and fear). The authors found them useful when interacting with participants that had difficulties with verbal expression. The authors report that all participants chose their bedrooms as their favourite place, most participants demonstrated a particular attraction to light, such as bay windows, illuminated objects and surfaces. They observed that participants when experiencing the new space or a disturbing environment used a range of senses. Limited conclusions can be drawn due to the limited of the number of participants involved in the study. However the study does develop further a method for capturing the experiences and perceptions of people with an intellectual disability which could be used with other populations including the elderly, children or people with other intellectual disabilities. The take home message being that people with Down Syndrome may experience their environment using a range of senses and consultation techniques with this population will need to be modified.
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secretary@access.asn.au
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www.access.asn.au