Access by Design

This journal I found to be a fascinating read, as it makes an architect or designer acknowledge the accessibility within their design for people suffering from disabilities.

The main focus of the journal is 'accessible design for disabled people' and which environments manage to be accessible, and which fail to do so, and why.

For my design I should consider wheelchair access routes as well as ramps rather than stairs. There is also the possibility of having platform lifts by the stairs. Routes have to be understandable and easy to navigate to users with mobility, hearing and visual impairments and learning difficulties.

Maneuvering areas and ramps are vital for easy access and circulation space. Plus hand rails could be used for added support where the ends would be textured to signal their ending. Sliding doors or power assisted doors that open automatically allow for people with disabilities to access areas easily.

For visually impaired people I should consider the use of audio devices as well as the technique of lighting. General areas could be illuminated as well as concentrating the light at low-level to highlight paths and provide directional way-guiding information. Risers and stairs could also be lit to show the potential hazard. Visual systems would also help those with hearing disabilities.

Improved signage would also help, along with the colour contrast to provide tactile descriptions and colour contrasted controls or parts in the space where consistency could be used to indicate similarities and changes (points of hazard).

Two other things I should consider is the height of the desk, so that it is accessible for wheelchair users, as well as people who suffer from vertigo where maybe an important design feature would be to have the office on ground level.

In today's modern society, nobody should feel disadvantaged. The aspirations of disabled people to live independently within the community is achievable through careful planning of the accessibility of a design. To achieve this for my office, I could try to have a consultation with a few people who suffer from disabilities in order to design an efficient office space that they would deem accessible.

I have come to learn the importance of why places must be accessible for people with disabilities to remove discrimination and to allow those people to participate within society. Therefore to educate my colleagues about the importance of access, I shall attempt to make my office space aware of accessible design where any person would be able to access my design easily and comfortably by including some of these necessary steps.