Polis - Universal Building Design : www.polis-ubd.net
Copyright © 2005

Publications

Ireland's National Disability Strategy

The Disability Act 2005 is a key element of the Irish National Disability Strategy. The Strategy builds on existing policy and legislation including the Employment Equality Act 1998, the Equal Status Act 2000, the Equality Act 2004, the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 and on the policy of mainstreaming services for people with disabilities. More information on the Disability Strategy can be found at the Disability Equality Section of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

An important part of the Disability Act 2005 focusses on access to buildings and services and sectoral plans. It places an obligation on public bodies to make their buildings and services accessible and requires the preparation of Sectoral Plans to support continued improvements in six key areas of public service provision. There are complaints procedures with a right of appeal to the Ombudsman. 

Israël's Accessibility Law

A major amendment to the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Law, 1998, was enacted on 22nd of March 2005. Under the new law, public places and services must be made accessible, such that persons with physical, sensory, psychiatric, mental, cognitive and developmental disabilities will be able to benefit to the full from public services and will be able to enter a public place, move around and enjoy its facilities to the full. full. Read more.

Standards on Accessibility in Israël

The Standards Institution of Israël is preparing a five-part Israeli standard, Israel Standard Number 1918, that deals with accessibility to the built environment. In December 1998, the first part of this series of standards was published. 2 additional parts were published in November 2001, and 2 other are in preparation. Already available are:

  • SI 1918:1998 Part 1: Accessibility of the built environment: Principles and general requirements.
  • SI 1918:2001 Part 2: Accessibility of the built environment: Outdoors.
  • SI 1918:2001 Part 4: Accessibility of the built environment: Communication.

Parts 3.1. and 3.2 of SI 1918, still under preparation, will deal with the indoor environment. 

A new Disability Discrimination Act in UK

In April 2005, a new Disability Discrimination Act (DDA 2005)was passed by Parliament which amends or extends existing provisions in the DDA 1995. This new act makes it unlawful for operators of transport vehicles to discriminate against disabled people. It should make it easier for disabled people to rent property and for tenants to make disability-related adaptations. Private clubs with 25 or more members will not be able to keep disabled people out, just because they have a disability. It also ensures that discrimination law covers all the activities of the public sector and requires from public bodies to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. Finally, it extends protection to cover people who have HIV infection, cancer and multiple sclerosis from the moment they are diagnosed. Some of the new laws will come into effect in December 2005, others only in December 2006. More information can be found at the DRC website.

New Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 receives Royal assent

Ontario’s legislative assembly has passed Bill 118, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. The legislation that will break down barriers for people with disabilities, received Royal assent on June 13, 2005 and is now the law. The purpose of the new act is to benefit all Ontarians by achieving accessibility for people with disabilities. This will be done by developing, implementing and enforcing accessibility standards concerning goods, services, accommodation, facilities, buildings and employment. Improvements will be phased in, in stages of five years or less, moving towards an accessible Ontario in 20 years. More information on http://www.equalopportunity.on.ca.

A series of standards on barrier free building in Austria

In Austria several standards on accessible building design have been published. The standards are only available in German.

  • ÖNORM B 1600 - 2005 05 01:N "Building without Barriers - Design Principles"
  • ÖNORM B 1601 - 2003 12 01:N "Special buildings for handicapped or old persons - Design Principles"
  • ÖNORM B 1602 - 2001 06 01N "Barrier free buildings for teaching and training and possible accompanying facilities" (+B 1600)
  • ÖNORM B 1603 - 2005 02 02:N "Barrier free buildings for tourism - Design principles" (+B 1600)

ÖNORM B 1602 and ÖNORM B 1603 have to be used together with the basic berrier free building standards ÖNORM B 1600.

  • ÖNORM A 3012 - 1994 04 01 N: "Visual guiding systems for public information - Oroentation supported by directional arrows, graphic symbols, text, light and colour"
  • ÖNORM V 2101 - 2003 09 01:N "Technical aids for visually impaired and blind persons - Acoustical and tactile auxiliary signals for traffic-lights"
  • ÖNORM V 2102-1 2003-06-01:N "Technical aids for visually impaired and blind persons - Tactile ground surface indicators - Part 1: For pavements in buildings and in the public area at speeds not higher than 80km/h"
  • ÖNORM V 2103 - 2003 09 01:N "Technical aids for visually impaired and blind persons - Portable transmitters for the activation of auxilliary equipment for disabled persons"
  • ÖNORM V 2104 - 2000 05 01:N "Technical aids for blind, visually and mobility impaired persons - Safety devices for construction and dangerous sites"
  • ÖNORM V 2105 - 2006 06 01:N-E "Technical aids for visually impaired and blind persons - Tactile inscriptions and information systems"

New law in France obliges to build accessible

"Rendre notre société accessible est essentiel pour faire vivre l'égalité des chances et donner tout son sens à la pleine citoyenneté des personnes handicapées. Dans ce domaine, nous sommes en retard, il fallait agir." These are the words of Jacques Chirac, the French president in May 2005. France has clearly the objective to do better. Accessibility of the built environment is one of the major axes of the new French law n° 2005-102 of 11 February 2005. Accessibility of the whole transport chain (the transport itself - the infrastructure - the buildings and their surroundings) is considered as an essential element for an inclusive society. The law doesn't only cover buildings open to the public (both private and public owned), but also housing. Decrees putting the law into application remain to be published in the coming months.

Swiss study on the Cost and Benefits of Barrier-Free Construction

A summary of the results of a Swiss study on adapted construction for disabled can be downloaded as a pdf on http://www.construction-adaptee.ch. The summary, published in August 2004, is available in the French and German language. The study revails that in most cases barrier free construction is economically feasible, and even advisable.

National Plan on Accessibility in Spain

On 25 July 2003 the Council of Ministers approved the national plan on accessibility 2004-2012. The plan was prepared by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security with the help of IMSERSO. Design for all is a key element of the plan. The plan defines 5 objectives and 18 strategies to reach these objectives. The strategies are further detailed into a series of actions. Strategy 7 concentrates for instance on the uptake of accessibility in the normative framework for urban development. The Plan can be downloaded at the IMSERSO website (only available in Spanish).

EN 81-70:2003 Accessibility to lifts for persons including persons with disability

This European Standard specifies the minimum requirements for the safe and independent access and use of lifts by persons, including persons with disabilities. The standard covers lifts with minimum car dimensions defined in Table 1 of the standard and provided with doors and landing doors constructed as automatic power operated horizontally sliding doors. Amendment A1 to the standard (published in 2004) modifies the informative annex ZA to the standard in order to accurately define the correspondence between the clauses of the standard and the Essential Health and Safety Requirements (ESHR's) of Directive 95/16/EC.

Swiss Federal Law on Equal Opportunities for Disabled

This law of 13 December 2002 and an Ordonnance linked to it came into force on 1 January 2004. As a consequence of it, the Swiss confederation, the cantons and the municipalities have to build and organize their constructions, installations, public transport facilities and their services in a way accessible to disabled. Also private organisations have these obligations if their buildings and installations are meant to be open to the public. More info on http://www.ofj.admin.ch/f/index.html (in French and German). 

Expert group report

In october 2003 the Group of Experts set up by the European Commission published its report "2010: A Europe Accessible for All". This report can be downloaded (only available in English).

The Danish disability policy

The Danish Disability Council of Denmark published in April 2002 a document on the Danish disability policy. The document gives a survey of the fundamental principles of the Danish policy, and addresses accessibility to buildings, housing and physical environments. The document, which is available in English, can be downloaded at http://www.dch.dk.

NEN 1814:2001 - Accessibility of environment, buildings and dwellings

This Dutch standard contains requirements for generally applicable accessibility performances in order to respond to the needs of people using assistive instruments such as wheelchairs or 'long canes', but also a pram or a suitcase. The standard is meant to be used in environments, dwellings and buildings. You can order the standard through http://www.nen.nl.

ISO/IEC Guide 71 Guidelines to address the needs of older persons and people with disabilities when developing standards

This Guide provides guidance to writers of relevant International Standards on how to take into account the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities. Whilst recognizing that some people with very extensive and complex disabilities may have requirements beyond the level addressed in this Guide, a very large number of people have minor impairments which can be easily addressed by relatively small changes of approach in standards.

ISO/TR 9527:1994 Building Construction - Needs of disabled people in buildings - Design guidelines

In 1994 this Type 3 Technical Report was elaborated and published by ISO/TC 59/SC1 "Dimensional coordindation". It contains some instruction for urban developers and for the definition of reglementations, standards, local guidelines, etc.