Key Facts About Access

1. Not all disabled people are wheelchair users. 

The Disability Discrimination Act defines disability as a “physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-today activities.” 

The DDO 2006 amends the definition of disability so that people with progressive conditions such as cancer, HIV infection or multiple sclerosis (MS) will be deemed to be disabled from the point of diagnosis rather than from the point when the condition has some adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

The DDO also removes the requirement in the DDA that a mental illness must be ‘clinically well recognised’ before it can count as an impairment for the purposes of the DDA.

The removal of the ‘clinically well recognised’ requirement brings DDA coverage for people with mental illness into line with coverage for other physical impairments. People with a mental illness will still need to show that their impairment has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. 

2. Good accessibility will benefit everybody. 

Part R of the Building Regulations which sets out the minimum technical standards necessary for access is now called “Access to and use of buildings” and no longer makes reference to disabled people.

3. ‘In’ should equal ‘Out’. 

With the provision of access to premises for disabled people equal consideration should be given to evacuation requirements.

4. Accessibility isn’t just about ramps and wheelchair   accessible toilets. 

Good design should take into account the needs of everyone - consider features such as colour and tonal contrast, tactile warning surfaces, hearing enhancement systems (such as loop systems), textphones and signage for wayfinding and information etc.

5. Over one quarter of all families here are affected.

21% (369,390) of adults and 6% (105,540) of children in Northern Ireland has a disability and the incidence is higher here than in the rest of the United Kingdom. 

6. Building management issues are not just about providing facilities. 

Managers need to ensure that their entire range of services is accessible.

How a building is maintained and managed in its day to day running will have a huge impact on how easy it is to use by people with disabilities.

Commercial buildings should set up regular inspection routines to ensure that all aspects of the building are kept to a good standard of repair and not allowed to progressively decline.

It is important that a building management manual can be updated, added to and linked to any Access Statement.

Housekeeping affects the appearance, efficiency and safety of any building and procedures should be established to ensure good practice. The following are some suggestions:

• Ensure that designated disabled parking bays are not abused.
• Ensure that external routes, including steps and ramps, are kept clean, unobstructed and free of surface water and vegetation.
• Ensure that door closers are regularly maintained, door ironmongery is kept clean and free moving and that side-hung doors accompanying revolving doors are not locked.
• Ensure that lifts are regularly checked and that short-rise lifts are not abused by people using them as goods lifts.
• Ensure that supplies of toilet tissue and paper are regularly replenished, that the waste bin is not left in the transfer zone.  Ensure that the alarm pull cord is not tied up or out of reach, and that the accessible toilet is not used as an unofficial storage area.
• Ensure that fire escape routes and doors are not obstructed.

7. People’s attitudes toward disabled people can be barriers to accessibility.

Encouraging proper attitudes is crucially important and the importance of Disability Awareness Training cannot be underestimated, in order to ensure good customer care.

Training in Disability Awareness helps staff to assist and communicate properly with people with disabilities. It may be necessary to train staff to observe people using the building and identify any additional assistance that might be needed, particularly in relation to emergency egress issues.

It is essential that staff know what facilities are available and appropriate for people with various disabilities; for example, loop system operation; updating signage; providing accurate information on facilities and auxiliary aids, etc.

8. Wheelchair accessible toilets meet the needs of some disabled people but not all.

A “Changing Places” WC layout provides plenty of space for the provision of an adult changing bench and use of a hoist.

9. Half of disabled people have difficulty using services like going to the cinema, eating out or going shopping.

• Of those, 4 in 10 have problems getting there.
• Of those who find shopping difficult, 1 in 3 have   problems getting around the shops.
• 80% of disabled people who encounter difficulties are  not offered help by service providers.

11. Not all disabled people consider themselves to be disabled or identify themselves as disabled. 

In a survey by Disability Action, 38% of those who said that they were not disabled went on to describe various disabilities which affect their lives.  Also a high percentage of disabilities are not visibly apparent, which must be taken into account as part of staff training.

12. Many disabled people have multiple disabilities. 

In a survey by Disability Action, 32% of respondents indicated that they had more than one disability.  Respondents experienced between one and six disabilities, with the majority having two.  It is crucial that the impact of multiple disabilities is kept in mind when providing services and designing premises.

13. Disabled people are likely to experience poor access in their own homes.

The Building Regulations now require that new build houses are “visitable”, but there is no obligation to build accessible homes. The “Lifetime Homes” design standard affords a higher degree of accessibility and adaptability.

14. 35% of deaf or hard of hearing people had experienced difficulty communicating with their own GP or nurse. 

32% found it difficult to explain their health problems to their GP.  30% of British Sign Language users said they avoid going to see their GP because of communication problems.