Access Access Access

Olan McGowan

Access Access Access. The disabled person's equivalent of Location Location Location.

As a full-time advocate in the Irish Wheelchair Association, I can scarcely have a conversation about any disability-related topic without reverting to the issue access. Employment, education, social life... all problematic areas for people with disabilities today, each for their own reason. Common to everything, however, is the very simple issue of physical access.

First of all, let me make an important point. As someone who uses a manual wheelchair, I can speak in access terms only from my own point of view. The huge spectrum of disability gives rise to an enormous variation in what disabled people are able to achieve independently. I, for example, am completely unqualified to discuss access issues for the blind any more than they are for my issues. Indeed, an electric wheelchair user would have different capabilities again. Whereas many electric wheelchairs can mount kerbs up to four inches, a feat which would be impossible for me, it is my greater arm and hand ability which enables me to use a manual wheelchair and gives me greater independence in terms of opening doors, for example. For the purposes of this article, I will confine myself generally to issues of physical access for people with limited mobility rather than sensory disability.

In terms of access, housing ranks alongside transport as the number one area of concern. Given that an estimated 99% of current Irish housing stock can be classified as inaccessible to wheelchair users, it is small wonder that this is the case.

Surely, you might think, in this era of social inclusion and social partnership, the situation is changing, albeit gradually? Unfortunately, this is far from the case. And even though 2003 has been designated European Year of People with Disabilities, recent developments at a government level have shattered any promise that existed.

So, what exactly are the problems facing people with physical disability in the area of housing? Let's start with the above statistic, and why it shows no signs of coming down. Government guidelines covering access for people with disabilities in the built environment are contained in The Department of the Environment Building Regulations Part M. Although this looks like an impressive enough document to the untrained eye, it is riddled with problems. First of all, the dimensions are far from all-inclusive, a fact even admitted in the document's introduction! The regulations constitute a "minimum standard" and designers and developers are merely "encouraged" to go further, a completely unrealistic aspiration. Secondly, and far more importantly, the policing of Part M is virtually non-existent, a fact of which developers seem well aware.

Since the year 2000, the year in which the regulations were reviewed and updated, their scope was extended to cover private housing, having previously been only applicable to publicly accessible buildings and workplaces. There again, the intention was merely to make houses "visitable" by people with disabilities rather than liveable. Consequently, the 99% statistic above is likely to remain pretty much intact. Moreover, the absence of policing means that the "visitable" requirement can be overlooked with impunity by developers, making future adaptations all the more costly, adaptations which have their own problems.

The Irish Wheelchair Association has advocated for some time for a fundamental review of Part M. Expansion and enforcement of these regulations would give rise ultimately to a "building for all" culture in this country which could only serve to add value to the community. Coupled with this, Ireland urgently needs a strong national team of "access auditors" to assist developers and designers in getting things right from the outset. Some years ago, a form of "access auditing" was available from two officers at the the National Rehabilitation Board but, when this organisation was dissolved and its functions divided between F�S and the NDA, this valuable service was somehow lost. At the moment, developers can contact the Institute for Design and Disability who offer access auditing as a private service but it is ludicrous that this service is not available freely and easily to those who are at least willing to address this important issue.

The publication "Building for Everyone" by the National Disability Authority is available for � 45 from the NDA offices on Clyde Road, Dublin 4. The great value of this publication is that it has been developed without compromise, in other words, away from the influence of politicians and lobby groups. Its standards far exceed the notion of a "minimum requirement" contained in departmental building regulations and its recommendations are designed to encompass all forms of disability, not just physical disability. The National Disability Authority is a statutory body set up to develop standards in all areas of disability, from products and services in private industry through to codes of practice in public service. It also acts as an advisory body to government and the development policy. However, the chances of bringing the guidelines in current building regulations up to the high standard of "Building For Everyone" remain, at least for now, pretty slim.

In the interim, all we can do is encourage architects, builders and designers to put their thinking caps on! I am simultaneously amazed and amused at some of the things I see in so-called "accessible" premises around Ireland. On a recent visit to a newly opened restaurant in Dublin 6, I asked whether they had an accessible toilet. The staff was extremely pleased at the extent to which their restaurant was accessible and I was escorted to the door which led to the toilets. Unfortunately, a perfectly accessible loo was compromised by the fact that, in the corridor that led to the toilet, a radiator had been placed directly opposite the bottom step of the stairwell. A gap, which would have been around 750mm, had effectively been reduced to under 600. Although I squeezed through (barely), many electric wheelchairs would never have managed. I have absolutely no doubt that architect involved was extremely conscious of disabled access at the planning stage. All of the drawings were probably perfectly laid out, with Part M rigidly adhered to. But one minor oversight such as the placing of a radiator can spoil the party.

Similar situations occur when toilets are built which, although the four walls appear to give ample space, are made redundant by an inward opening door which cannot be closed when the wheelchair is inside. Other amusing "placements" are mirrors in disabled bathrooms which are placed at a standard height enabling the average wheelchair user to check how the top of his or her hairdo is holding up, but not much else! And, try as I might, I cannot understand the prevalence of doll-sized sinks in disabled toilets. Perhaps there is the feeling out there that wheelchair users have tiny hands?

Apart from planning things on paper, there is absolutely no substitute for common sense. Indeed, if I can address the architect, designers, builders and any other interested party reading this article, the Irish Wheelchair Association have an excellent wheelchair sales and hire service. Why not take the plunge and spend an afternoon getting around an environment of your choice. I can guarantee, it will be a learning experience!

Olan Mc Gowan is the National Advocacy and Media Co-ordinator for the Irish Wheelchair Association