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Full-Spectrum Inclusion: Disability Inclusion

Full-Spectrum Inclusion: DISABILITY INCLUSION . Ask everyone if there is anything they need to make it possible/easier for them to attend/enjoy an event, participate effectively in work, etc - not all disabilities are visible, & some people who need accommodations do not necessarily feel they have a disability; many disabled people also feel uncomfortable asking for accommodations. . When you are building property, whether domestic dwellings, public spaces, or commercial premises, keep to single stories wherever possible, and build ramps, not stairs. If you have to have multiple floors, lifts should be wide enough to comfortably accommodate more than one wheelchair, including power chairs. Lifts should be on a 24/7 priority response service contract, with monthly maintenance checks. . Ensure lighting gives full coverage, but can be adjusted by individuals, for individual spaces. Provide additional desk lighting. . Install desks and work surfaces which are fully height-adjustable, and full-width sliding doors which can be locked/unlocked and opened by remote. . Use clear signage, in high contrast, with audio narration, in public and commercial places

Disability inclusion is the art of planning for the future; when you create places and spaces that are inclusive by design, you accommodate the frailties and limitations that can come with ageing, you accommodate the way peoples' needs will change, outside of ageing, over time, as their circumstances and preferences change.

Including disability from design, through build, and into completion saves resources, creates significant cost-efficiencies, and creates a consistency in development and provision which can both predict demand trends, and respond to emerging demands.

Disability inclusive design isn't just about making entrances wheelchair accessible.  

Disability inclusive design is about how a place is built, how space is laid out, how adaptable by individuals it is, how easily and to what degree things can be adjusted to suit individual needs and preferences.

So much of the building of places and design of spaces is just an unthinking continuation of "the way we've always done it", and accessibility is very much a piecemeal affair - whichever group seems to be shouting the loudest gets "their" accessibility addressed - usually not in the way that would best meet their needs, usually not without resentment.  And everyone else is told to "wait their turn" - but, very often, that "turn" gets derailed by political agitation before it ever comes around.

Inclusive design is intricately individual; every place, every space, will be different, and the way that inclusion is designed into these spaces will be different.

It's simply not possible to explore disability inclusive design in a single blog post, so, if you're a UK business, looking to engage with inclusive design, contact The Productive Pessimist Ltd by email:
theproductivepessimist@yahoo.com



 

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