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Disability Access Certificate
So what is it about? Galway City Partnership (GCP) expresses it well when they say that “appropriate design enables and bad design disables”. It is a well-recognised fact that our built environment does not provide equality of access to all members of our society. Accessibility issues range from physical issues such as construction dimensions, lifts, ramps, handrails etc, to sensory issues such as Braille signage, vibrating alarm systems, large print notices to communication issues. Equality of access is a vital part of equal opportunities and therefore, an inclusive society.
‘Universal Design' is a philosophy that recommends development of one sound design solution to cover all kinds of considerations and requirements. This approach removes any sense of ‘special needs', and is considered to be a cost-efficient approach. However, in GCP's experience, there is little interest in making provision for ‘Universal Design' or ‘Access for All' among designers in the ‘real world'. Developers are still largely unaware of the design requirements of disabled persons, even under the Equal Status Act or current Building regulations.
Galway City Partnership has designed the Disability Access Certificate in an attempt to address this issue. It is envisaged that it will operate in a similar way to a Fire Certificate. At present developers of any new building (apart from domestic buildings), must apply to their local fire authority for a Fire Certificate, where senior Fire Services staff inspect their plans for adequate escape facilities and appropriate design to limit the spread of fire. A similar inspection required by the Disability Access Certificate will help reduce the number of non-accessible buildings. Areas will be examined for compliance from the approach to a building and external steps/ramps, to inner doorways, corridors, lifts and toilets. This in turn will encourage design courses to promote inclusive principles in design, which will ultimately "enable" rather than "disable" people of all abilities.
With thanks to Michael Conneely, Disability Access Officer Galway City Partnership, and Jack Callanan, Galway CIL.