Mobility Accessibility " Build it in, don't Exclude it out"

Most builders , hoteliers, landlords if you have a conversation with them about including accessibility in their building will tell you of how difficult it is, how confusing the regulations are, as an excuse as to why it does not figure on their collective radars unless confronted with a situation they can not get out of.

I know in certain situations there is a need to build to the full accessibility standards, providing the ramps , hand rails, contrasting colours, sound aids etc. and the more of this the better of course.

I would like to get people thinking of what they can do to make everyone's environment more mobility accessible and not to the exclusion of the able bodied, giving a little more choice all round.

1. Showers -
If you are going to have a separate shower and bath , why not consider making the shower a wet-room area? Wet-rooms can look very stylish / chic and if the opening wide enough allow access to a wheeled shower chair. They are easier to clean as well.

2. New build / Refurbishments -
Why not make the doors wider than the norm, it does not cost that much more, allows access to wheelchair users. Hotels easier access for those hostess trolleys, residences easier to move in with furniture.

3. Steps & ledges.
Is it really necessary to have that high lip to a patio door , that step to the front door ? Able body people will you never have a visit from a wheelchair-ed friend member of family?

4. Luxury Hotels.
You supply high end furniture to your hotels, why not investigate whether companies do stylish high-low reclining  beds. Even more luxury everyone would love.

5. Restaurants.
You supply parents with high chairs for their children, why not adjustable(height) tables for those in wheelchairs ? When buying new tables do you think about whether someone in a wheelchair can get their foot plates under the table ?

6. Carpets.
Does that carpet have to be a thick pile ? Tiles can look great, are easier to clean and allow easy pushing for wheelchair users.

7. Lifts (Elevators).
Is the lift you are building big enough to take an ambulance trolley, electric wheelchair plus attendant / carer ?  Does it have a low set mirror that allows the disabled person to see how close their feet are getting to the edge. Dual controls at a good height to allow for not being able to reach over / turn around to operate.

8. New Pool
Make one access point ramped, not all disabled people can use hoists. People love zero entry pools, they can sit in the shallows keeping cool, older people find steps difficult, severely disabled people find floating out of a wheeled pool chair a lot easier and safer.

This list could go on and on, but hopefully has been thought provoking enough to get everyone thinking about what they could do to make things a little more accessible, for EVERYONE.

look around you, while you are refurbishing / building , at what YOU can do and not at what you can't do.  



       

What could I do if we won the Euro-millions

I got to thinking what good could I do if we were the lucky winners of the enormous Euro-millions jackpot.

There is a empty plot of land opposite us, I would love to have 5 state of the art accessible bungalows built on it. I would build a little community, with a ramp accessible warm therapy pool , that the local community could use as well. Staff up the place with physiotherapists, senior experienced nurses to run the place and well paid / trained carers to help the people living there.

The spacious 2 bedroom, bungalows would be open plan so that wheelchairs have easy access everywhere. for example , ceiling hoist tracks built in. Electronic sliding front doors. Use the latest technology in Eco friendly heating and recycling of water. Make use of technology to aid those living there with their independence. The site would also have office / shower  facilities for the support staff. The gardens with shade, would be accessible, with sensory elements, raised beds etc.

if we got the business template right we would then open other sites around the country in areas where the council is failing to meet the needs of the local disabled community. I would also use the project to indulge my passions in developing business talent as I would encourage the physiotherapists to develop themselves into business units using the provided facilities to provide services to the wider community, in the spare under utilised slots for the bungalow community residents.

I would also like to fund research into new electric wheelchair battery technology, to make them last longer, maybe by some sort of recycling energy technology, plus make the batteries physically lighter and smaller. Why can't the disabled have chairs more akin to Professor Xavier's wheelchair from the X-Men.

On a personal front we would of course get Hubby the best treatment available , hire well paid / trained personal staff to help him. Buy the equipment that would make his life a lot easier, place to live, car, specially adapted electric wheelchair etc.

But at the moment no amount of money in the world would probably  be able to make him be able to walk again. 


Final thought for today : Money can do a lot of things but can not make the impossible, possible.