October 10, 2005 -- With an annual spending power of £50 billion, making sure that people with disabilities can fully access your buildings makes sound financial sense.
“ We haven’t had many approaches from companies about what they need to be doing. ”
However, not all leisure service providers seem to appreciate this. Many companies still haven’t fully got to grips with the implications of the new regulations and the steps they need to take to ensure that their buildings are fully accessible for everyone, regardless of ability, both internally as well as externally.
The Disability Rights Commission works with disabled people, employers and service providers to achieve its vision of “a society where all disabled people can participate fully as equal citizens.” It was established in April 2000 by an Act of Parliament to stop discrimination and promote equality of opportunity for disabled people.
Its role includes ensuring that all organisations take the required steps to meet the new regulations set out in the DDA by closely monitoring the provision that is made available, and encouraging people with disabilities to exercise their rights by highlighting any instances where access is inadequate.
To help organisations in the leisure sector meet these requirements, Portaloo, a Portakabin subsidiary, has helped lead the modular building industry, and specifically the portable restroom sector, in interpreting and devising workable solutions to help meet the regulations.
John Smith, Portaloo Business Manager, said: “A popular misconception is that Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act covers only wheelchair access to premises. This isn’t the case, as it covers all forms of access to goods and services, including provision of access for the partially sighted and people with physical disabilities.
“Unlike the employment provisions of Part II of the DDA, there are no exemptions for service providers on the basis of their size. All types of businesses are now legally required to take positive steps to make all goods and services accessible to disabled people. Portaloo can provide building solutions that can help companies in the leisure sector provide the vital amenities that will help them to achieve this.”
Jake Fowler, Head of Building Control and Property Information at York City Council, who worked with Portakabin to devise workable access solutions, added: “The scope of this legislation is huge and we’ve had to standardise on many features. For example, doors should be wide enough to take a wheelchair, which is common sense really, but there have been no regulations previously.
“Unfortunately I think a lot of people will get caught out. Portakabin is the exception rather than the rule. We haven’t had many approaches from companies about what they need to be doing. They seem to have buried their heads in the sand.”
Kevan Halliday-Brown, Regional Manager of the Federation of Disability Sports Organisations (FDSO), supports this sentiment. He said: “Our mission is to encourage people with disabilities to get involved in sport and leisure activities so that they can explore their talents and abilities. We have an extensive programme of events that runs throughout the year, and while we have a good network of leisure facility providers that host the events for us, we are always looking to increase this.
“Access is obviously a key criteria for us when looking at the suitability of a particular venue, and we still regularly come across buildings that don’t provide adequate access despite the introduction of the final part of the DDA.”
Updating facilities to accommodate the regulations often requires refurbishment work to be done. However, the DDA requirements state that ease of access for all must be provided at all times, even during periods of refurbishment.
To help achieve this, Portaloo can provide disabled persons toilet and shower units, which allow organisations to provide high quality amenities for disabled people where they might not have previously existed. Typical features of the 9m² toilet unit include a single pedestal, allowing plenty of room for wheelchair manoeuvring, grab handles around the hand basin and pedestal, as well as a raised toilet seat for easy transfer from wheelchairs, and a low-level door threshold for easy access.
As a subsidiary of Portakabin, Portaloo is also able to provide entry ramps to ensure that all of an organisation’s buildings meet the regulations. Portakabin Access is one of the few organisations in Europe that provides ramps that meet all the requirements of the DDA on a short or long-term basis. The ramps are delivered, installed and removed by a dedicated team of access experts, which means the process is totally hassle-free for the customer.
John concluded: “We always strive to help our customers in every way possible. Ease of access for everyone is an important subject and I hope that all organisations across the country that aren’t meeting the needs of disabled people are doing everything they can to ensure they are very soon. If they don’t they will certainly find themselves under pressure to do so in the very near future.”
Any company requiring advice and guidance on providing access for people with disabilities can contact the Disability Rights Commission for further information or visit www.drc-gb.org.
For further information on the products and services available from Portaloo contact 0845 200 5555 or visit www.portaloo.co.uk.
