Smartips

Outside and Around Buildings

Pedestrian routes in open spaces or between buildings should be free from obstructions.
Street furniture, bollards, gulley gratings and signposts need careful sitting as they can be hazardous.
Pathways should be wide enough for wheelchair users. Surfaces should be slip-resistant.
Where there are changes in level, shallow ramps should be provided in addition to steps and stairways which are clearly marked, and provided with handrails.
Public toilets for PwDs should be sited where they are accessible and usable.

A place to park adjacent to a building or complex is essential for either passengers or drivers with a disability.
Parking bays should be sufficiently wide to allow access for wheelchair.
A route from a parking place to a building should be level or ramped and unimpeded by steps.

Entrance to a building should be easy to distinguish and preferably be under cover.
The access should be level.
Entrance door should be easy to open and wide enough to permit entry of a wheelchair. Automatic door is convenient to the elderly and wheelchair user. Revolving doors and frameless glass doors are hazardous.

Inside the building, floor surfaces should be slip-resistant.
Where there are changes in level, ramps should be provided.
Step and ramp should be clearly marked.
Where a building is multi-storey, a lift with controls that are usable from a seated position should serve all main circulation areas which provide facilities.
Lift should be large enough for a wheelchair and one other person.
Amenities for example, lavatories and telephones should be clearly signposted and usable.

A building will be easier to use where signposting is legible, well illuminated and where lettering and numerals are embossed or raised.
Names and numerals on doors should be at eye level.
A building will be easier to use where there is a loudspeaker system, inductive loop system and where audible signals are interlinked with visual signals.
Switches and environmental control must not be out of the reach of people who use wheelchair.
A contrast in colour, distinguishing routes and parts of buildings, together with changes in floor texture where there are hazards, will assist the visually impaired.

A known and well managed scheme to assist PwDs moving from buildings in an emergency will eliminate much of the prejudice which often bars persons from getting into buildings.

It is important to provide an equal and dignified access to All. No matter the sex, age, physical or sensory disability is.
Some PwDs rely on handrails or sticks, wheelchairs and guide dogs, essential aids in their ability to use buildings. No one should be barred on account of a disability from entering a place which has been designed for public use.

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