Environmental Accessibility For Handicapped PDF

Environmental Accessibility For Handicapped The purpose of an environmental assessment  Assess the degree of safety,  level of function and comfort of the patient in the home, community and work environment.  Make realistic recommendations to the patient, family.  Assess the patient’s...

Environmental Accessibility For Handicapped The purpose of an environmental assessment  Assess the degree of safety,  level of function and comfort of the patient in the home, community and work environment.  Make realistic recommendations to the patient, family.  Assess the patient’s need for additional adaptive equipment.  Assist in preparing the patient and family for discharge from the hospital and to help determine whether further services may be required. Principle of Universal Design Universal Design means designing products buildings, services, facilities and exterior spaces to allow the maximum number of people to use them without the need for adaptation or specialized design. Physical, sensory, cognitive and language needs are taken into account during the initial design phase Universal Design eliminates the necessity for specific disabled access provision, while at the same time reducing barriers and promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities. Universal Design creates “an environment that can be used by all people, regardless of their age, size or ability. Universal Design is recommended because it reduces the need for costly future adaptations to accommodate accessibility needs For example, Wider doors and corridors will make access more comfortable for a broad range of people, including parents with buggies, elderly people, people who use wheelchairs , etc. This same principle applies to hotel guest rooms, lifts, and approaches and entrances to buildings. Space Requirements These space requirements are intended to accommodate all people with limited mobility, including users of large powered wheelchairs Forward Reach. If the clear floor space only allows forward approach to an object, the maximum high forward reach allowed shall be 48 inch (122 cm). The minimum low forward reach is 15 inch (38cm) Exterior Accessibility PARKING PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION Poor parking facilities. Insufficient width of the parking aisle. No allocation of parking space for the disabled PLANNING PRINCIPLE To provide accessible parking facilities as close as possible to the point of destination. People with limited mobility who travel to buildings by car need to be able to park, have sufficient space to enter and leave their vehicle, on occasion move to the rear of their vehicle, then walk or travel in a wheelchair to the main entrance. If people need to obtain tickets for pay and display parking, the ticket dispensing machines should be located in a way that allows a person in a wheelchair to gain close access to the machine and reach the payment and ticket dispensing functions.  DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS Parking bays designated for people with limited mobility should be provided as close as possible to the building entrance, with a maximum travel distance of 25m. The bays should be clearly signposted with an upright sign sited out of the circulation space The bays should be on firm and level surfaces. Avoid the use of inappropriate materials such as gravel, sand, cobbles. The design of the parking bay should also plan for the safe transfer (dished kerbs, level approach routes, adequate lighting, etc) from the bay to the access route to the building without undue effort, barriers to wheelchair users, or hazards that could cause tripping. Pavements, Crossings and Approach Routes PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION Uneven curbs with obstacles and holes. Inconvenient or dangerous interruptions in the path of travel. Insufficient width. Changes in level. PLANNING PRINCIPLE To provide clear, obstruction-free, level and wide pathways for the convenience of all users, especially the sightless and people with mobility problems. DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS A. Surface materials: Ground surfaces along accessible routes including walks, ramps, and curb ramps, shall be stable, firm, and slip-resistant. Sidewalks and walkways should be constructed of concrete or similar materials. Soft or loose materials such as sand, gravel, bark, mulch or wood chips are not suitable. B. Cross walk All such pedestrian routes should be free of obstacles, such as light standards, traffic signal supports, posts as well as temporary objects such as pots, boxes and garbage containers.  Crosswalks should have suitable curb ramps at each end of the walkway where sidewalks are provided. Crosswalks should be at least 3000 mm wide and clearly marked by 100 mm painted white/ yellow lines.  C. Street furniture should be located so as to allow for the free passage of all people without creating hazards. D. Textural : changes in the footpath surface help sightless people to identify the location of public amenities  SIGNAGE PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION Orientation difficulties resulting from illegible directional signs, street names and numbering and/or the lack of them. Pedestrian accidents due to badly positioned signs. Hazards due to lack of warning and traffic signals. DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS All types of signs should be visible, clear, simple, easy to read and understand, and properly lit at night. signs should not be placed behind glass because of possible reflection. Signage placed on the pedestrian path of travel are considered obstructions; thus, they should be detectable Contrasting colours should be used to differentiate the figure from the background. The commonly employed colours are white for the figure and blue for the background.  The commonly used colours are: white, black, yellow, red, blue and green. The colour combinations red/green and yellow/blue should not be used in order to avoid confusing colour- blind persons Shape of signboards Information signboards should be rectangular. Warning signboards should be triangular. Interdictory signboards should be circular  Route of entry  Ifthere is more than one entry to the dwelling, the most accessible should be selected (closest to drive way, most level walking surface, least amount of stairs, available handrails)  Ideally , The driveway should be a smooth, level surface with easy access to the home.  The entrance should be well lighted.  The height, number and condition. Ideally, steps should not be greater than 17.5cm high with depth 28 cm. The steps also should have a nonslip surface.  Hand rails should be installed on both sides. ELEVATORS PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION Inadequate space inside the elevator cab. High position of switches, buttons and control panel. Narrow entry doors. PLANNING PRINCIPLE To provide well-dimensioned elevators, that disabled people can use conveniently DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS The accessible elevator should serve all floors normally reached by the public. Wide elevator cabs are preferable to long ones The minimum internal elevator dimensions, allowing for one wheelchair passenger alone, are 1.00 m x 1.30 m. The door opening should not be less than 80 cm. The inside of the elevator should have a handrail on three sides mounted  For ease of reach, the control panel should be mounted 90cm to 1.20 cm from the floor Control buttons should be in an accessible location and illuminated. The numerals on the floor selector buttons should be embossed so as to be easily identifiable by touch. The elevator should signal arrival at each floor by means of a bell and a light to alert sightless and hearing-impaired passengers simultaneously Entrance Main entrance doors and other accessible entrance and exit doors should be a minimum of 91.5 cm wide to allow safe passage of persons who use mobility aids. The door locks should be accessible to the patient. All door opening hardware on entrance, and room doors should be easy to grasp and use. Alternative lock system (voice or card activated or push buttons) may be important consideration for some patient. Door handles should be located at a comfortable height between 90 cm and 1.00 m from the floor surface. Round knobs are not recommended. Threshold should be omitted wherever possible. The threshold should not be more than 1 cm higher than the finished floor level. Interior Accessibility Furniture arrangement 1- Sufficient room should be made available for maneuvering a wheelchair or ambulating with an assistive device. 2- Clear passage must be allowed from one room to the next. 3- Unrestricted access should be provided to electrical outlets, telephones and wall switches. Outlets may need to be raised and wall switches lowered. Floor Surfaces 1- All floor covering should be glued or tacked to the floor. This will prevent or rippling under wheelchair user. 2- Scatter rugs should be removed Bed room area 1- The bed should be stationary. Stability may be improves by placing the bed against wall or in the corner of the room. 2- The height of the sleeping surface must be considered to facilitate transfer activities. 3- The mattress should be firm , comfortable surface 4- Bed side table might be suggested , it will be useful to hold lamp , telephone, necessary medication Coat Closets and Coat Racks 1- The clothes bar may require lowering to provide wheelchair accessibility. Accessible closets and coat racks should have coat rods and/or coat hooks fixed securely and mounted between 1.20 cm and 1.30 cm high. 2- Shelves also can be installed at various level. The highest should not exceed 1.20 cm Bathroom Area 1- an elevated toilet seat toilet seat will facilitate transfer activities. 2- grab bar will assist in both toilet and tube transfer. 3- bathmat or non skid adhesive strips may be placed. Thank you