In February 2016, Equal Opportunity Tasmania ran a workshop on how to make sure new and upgraded buildings meet all the requirements for access for people with disability.

The workshop was funded by the Attorney-General through the Solicitors’ Guarantee Fund and participants came from disability advocacy groups, Council Access Advisory Committees, community legal centres, Equal Opportunity Tasmania and disability service providers.

The main aim in providing the workshop was to increase community understanding of what laws and regulations cover access to buildings and what people can do if they think those laws and regulations have not been not complied with.

One of the suggestions that came out of the workshop was that organisations such as Equal Opportunity Tasmania could assist in increasing community understanding of the importance of building access by including information in our newsletter about what a building with good access looks like.

Accessible buildings ensure people with disability and their families and friends can participate in and contribute to the social, economic and political life of our community. However, good access is not just important for people who have a disability now, it will be important for all of us as our abilities change over time.

This resource was prepared by Michael Small of Michael Small Consulting Pty Ltd, who also prepared and delivered the workshop.  It is being published to both inform readers and enable them to understand what they can do when they see something that might not provide the level of access now required in new buildings.

In 2011, major changes were introduced to the laws that govern building access.  As those changes take effect with new buildings (and older buildings undergoing upgrades) we will see important improvements in building accessibility.

Developers, architects and builders all have a responsibility to make sure the buildings they are responsible for incorporate the new access requirements. Building certifiers and Councils play an important role in ensuring completed buildings comply.

Some of the significant improvements in access we should expect to see in new buildings include:

• increases in the number of entrances to buildings that must be accessible;
• increases in the numbers of accessible unisex toilets;
• improved safety and access features on stairways to assist people with low vision;
• wider doorways for people who use wheelchairs or walking frames;
• improved access to places such as swimming pools, cinemas and hotels;
• a new type of toilet designed to assist people with mobility difficulties, but who do not use a wheelchair called the ambulant accessible toilet.

Figure 1: shows high contrast strips on the nosing of steps which makes the edge of steps easier to see for people with low vision

Figure 2: shows a ramp access to a council swimming pool

In the next section, there is information about the access requirements so people with disability can get to a building from the footpath or car-parking area.

In this section, we are looking at what the minimum requirements are to ensure people with disability can get to a new building from the footpath at the allotment boundary or car parking spaces.

The law says that there must be a path of travel from the allotment boundary (usually the public footpath) suitable for use by people with disability, including people who are blind or who use mobility aids such as wheelchairs.

This means that the path must be at least 1 metre wide, it must be firm and smooth with no steps, no overhanging hazards such as tree branches, and no obstacles that a person might walk into or trip over.

Figure 3: shows a good firm level approach to a building from the footpath

If the path of travel includes a ramp because of a difference in height between the footpath and building, then the ramp must have handrails on both sides, a gradual incline (a 1 in 14 gradient) and landings every 9 metres so a person can rest on a level surface.

A ramp should also have tactile ground surface indicators (tgsi) at the top and bottom. The tgsi are important for blind people as they give a cue that the ramp has ended and that the person is moving out into an area that may be busy with other pedestrians moving across the path of travel.

Figure 4: shows a ramp leading from the footpath to the entrance of a building with handrails, a gradual incline (shallow gradient) and tactile ground surface indicators at the bottom of the ramp

The law also requires a path suitable for use by people with disability from any accessible car-parking space in a car park linked to the building.

All new buildings should be designed and built to provide this level of access. If a new building doesn’t meet these access requirements, those responsible for the building could be subject to a successful discrimination complaint. If you see a new building that does not have good access, you can also ask your local council to look into why it doesn’t.

In this section, we are looking at what the minimum requirements are to ensure people with disability can get into a building through the principal pedestrian entrance (main entrance) and any other entrances that are required to be accessible.

The law says that for new buildings the main entrance used by pedestrians must be accessible. If there is more than one pedestrian entrance then 50% of all entrances must be accessible including the main entrance. So, for example, if a building has two pedestrian entrances only the main entrance is required to be accessible, however, if the building has four (4) entrances at least two (2) of the entrances (50%) must be accessible.

The law also says that someone should not have to travel more than 50 metres from an inaccessible entrance to find an accessible entrance. This means that sometimes more entrances will need to be accessible.

An accessible entrance is one that:

• has a door opening of at least 850 mm: if the entrance has two or more door leaves, at least one must be 850 mm opening;
• has enough room on the latch-side of the door to allow someone using a wheelchair to pull in sideward to reach over to grab the handle;
• has a door handle that is easy to grasp and turn;
• is easy to identify with strong contrast around the frame or with the surrounding wall;
• has a high-contrast marking across the doorway if the door and surrounding area is fully glazed so that people with low vision can identify it as a door.

Figure 5: shows the minimum door width

Figure 6: shows the clear area on the latch-side (opening side) of the door

Figure 7: shows a clearly visible doorway with good contrast markings

Figure 8: shows a door with poor markings

Figure 9: shows an entrance that is easy to identify with good width and circulation space on the latch side of the door

All new buildings should be designed and built to provide this level of access. If a new building doesn’t provide this level of access, those responsible for the building could be subject to a successful discrimination complaint. If you see a new building that does not have good access you could also ask your local Council to look into why it doesn’t.

In this section, we are looking at what the minimum requirements are to ensure people with disability can move around inside buildings and access services and facilities.

The law says that for new buildings people with disability must be able to get to all parts of the building, safely move between levels of a building and locate features such as toilets or emergency exits.

This means that, for example:

• any reception area, office, meeting room, shop or café, bank of toilets, staff room, training room, outside courtyard or wheelchair space in a cinema or sports stadium must be able to be entered by a wheelchair user;
• facilities like male and female toilets must be identifiable by blind people through having Braille and tactile signs located outside every toilet;
• stairways must be able to be safely used by blind people;
• lifts must have audible and tactile information to assist in identifying what level the lift is on;
• lecture theatres, convention centres and or cinemas that have a built-in public address (PA) system must provide a means for people with hearing impairments to access the information, such as through the installation of a hearing loop or other technology; and
• at every bank of toilets there must be a unisex accessible toilet.

Figure 10: shows signage for a male toilet with raised tactile lettering and symbol and Braille

Some of the technical requirements for providing good access:

Any stairs must have access and safety features such as:

• handrails on both sides to assist people to safely move up and down;
• high contrast strips across the front of each step to assist people with low vision to judge where the edge of the step is;
• handrail extensions at the top and bottom of the stairs to allow people to steady themselves before going up or down the stairs; and
• tactile ground surface indicators (tgsi) at the top and bottom of stairs to alert blind people and people with low vision to the change in level ahead.

Figure 11: shows an example of a stairway with handrails on both sides, high contrast strips across the front of each step and tgsi at the bottom of the stairway

All doors must be at least 850 mm clear opening and have enough room on the latch-side of the door to allow someone using a wheelchair to pull in sidewards to reach over to grab the handle.

Corridors must be at least 1000 mm wide and wider around doorways where a wheelchair user has to turn into a room.

Figure 12: shows a good example of a wide corridor with plenty of room to allow a wheelchair user to turn into a room

Any frameless or fully glazed doors or office walls that might be mistaken for an opening must have a high contrast marking across them. This is to assist people with vision impairment to be able to identify the presence of the glazing and avoid injury caused by accidental contact.

The law does include some limitations to the requirement that all parts of a building must be accessible, for example, access is not required to the upper level of a two storey building where the upper level is less than 200 square metres. The law also allows for some concessions, for example, if a building has two banks of toilets on each level only one of the banks has to have an accessible unisex toilet.

In general, however, all new buildings should be designed and built to provide full access and if it doesn’t those responsible for the building could be subject to a discrimination complaint. If you see a new building that does not have good access you could also ask your local council to look into why it doesn’t.

In this section, we look at what the minimum requirements are to be sure toilet facilities are suitable for use by people with disability.

For new buildings, the law says that wherever there is a bank of toilets there has to be an accessible unisex toilet (often wrongly referred to as a ‘disabled’ toilet).

So, for example, if a new building has a single bank of male and female toilets on the Ground Floor there must be a unisex accessible toilet at the same location. If a 10-storey building has banks of toilets on every level then there has to be an accessible unisex toilet on every level.

This rule does not apply in buildings where there are several banks of toilets on each level as can be the case, for example, in sports stadiums or theatres. In this situation, only 50% of the banks of toilet have to include a unisex accessible toilet.

There are many detailed technical standards that apply to the design and construction of accessible unisex toilets. These are aimed at ensuring the greatest possible number of wheelchair users can independently use toilets. In broad terms, however, a new accessible unisex toilet must have:

• a doorway entry that is at least 850 mm wide;
• enough space inside for wheelchair users to turn and get to the pan and sink (at least 1900 mm wide x 2300 mm long);
• grab-rails to the side and behind the pan;
• a backrest to the pan;
• no furniture, storage boxes or other things in the toilet facility; and
• fixtures, such as soap and paper towel dispensers or coat hooks, at a height that can be easily reached by someone using a wheelchair and away from corners so they are easy to get to

Figure 13: shows a good example of the grab-rails, backrest and location of the toilet roll holder

Figure 14: shows a toilet supposed to be a unisex accessible toilet, but with the grab-rail upside down, no backrest or rear grab-rail, and, to make it even worse, it is being used as a storage room

Accessible unisex toilets are specifically designed to allow wheelchair users to transfer from their wheelchair onto the pan from the front or the side so one side of the pan must be clear of walls or obstructions.

Many people who use a walking frame or crutches, are unsteady on their feet, or perhaps have arthritis or difficulty walking, benefit from a toilet cubicle with grab-rails on both sides rather than an accessible unisex toilet, so for new buildings there is now a requirement for what is called ‘ambulant accessible toilet cubicles.

If, for example, an office or workplace has an accessible unisex toilet as well as separate male and female toilets, at least one of the cubicles in the male and female blocks of toilets must be an ambulant accessible cubicle.

An ambulant accessible cubicle must:

• have grab-rails on both sides;
• be between 900 mm and 920 mm wide so that a person can reach both grab-rails; and
• have a clear space in front of the pan or at least 900 mm that the door does not swing into.

Figure 15: shows the basic layout of an ambulant accessible cubicle

Figure 16: shows an ambulant accessible toilet

All new buildings must provide equal access for people with disability. If a new building does not provide this, those responsible for the building could be subject to a discrimination complaint. If you see a new building that does not have good access you could also ask your local council to look into why it doesn’t.

If you want to find out more about the law and the level of access buildings should provide you can download a Guideline on the application of the Premises Standards at https://www.humanrights.gov.au/guidelines-application-premises-standards

If you want to find out more about the technical requirements for the design and construction of features such as ramps, stairs or accessible unisex toilets you can purchase a copy of the technical standard (AS 1428.1) from https://www.disabilityaccessconsultants.com.au