How many accessible car parks should you expect to see at a shop, eating room (restaurant/cafe), hairdresser or service station?

These buildings are Class 6 (BCA) and therefore if there's more than 5 parks, these businesses should have 1 accessible park per 50 car parks (or part thereof). If you've got 49 total parks, one of these must be accessible. If you have 51 total parks, two must be accessible. Over 1000 parks, there must be an extra accessible park per every 100 parks or part thereof.

Note in the image below, the requirement of accessible parks needing a shared area (with a bollard - not negotiable!)

We can help you navigate the requirements around car parks and make sure your business is accessible to all.

Tactile ground surfaces indicators (TGSIs) need to be seen a bit differently to how they are used.

TGSIs are like a language to those who need them to navigate and unless they are signaling a ramp or a set of stairs (which a white cane user will recognise due to the gradient/stair), they need to be in direct opposition to each other before and after a hazard (like a driveway where pedistriand and vehicles might conflict).

The other thing that’s important to recognise is that TGSIs tell the user the angle they must traverse (walk). In this photograph the language that the TGSIs are laid in directs users to walk out into the street!

Not so grate!

Open grates such as this pictured are often found leading into carparks and are a cheap and easy way to divert excess water. This is where the pros of this style of drainage end. It is often the case that the only way out of a carpark is over one of these creates which pose massive safety risks to people using mobility devices and white canes. Grates like this have not been permitted in the Standards for a while now - if you have one of these in your carpark, have a chat to us about alternative accessible and compliant drainage solutions.

The importance of lines;

We were recently travelling through NSW and came across a number of accessible car parks on the side of the street with no line markings, as pictured.

It may seem irrelevant, but line markings are very useful and important allowing people who are entitled to use accessible car parks are afforded the space they require to access their vehicle through any door. It is because of this access requirement that accessible carparks and their many specifics (dimensions, location, features) are enshrined in Australian Standards.

What is an ambulant toilet?
An Ambulant Toilet is a facility designated for people with ambulant abilities (such as people using mobility aids). People with ambulant abilities may find it challenging to lower and raise from the toilet pan. You can say that ambulant toilets are like a halfway mix between a regular toilet and an accessible toilet.

Thinking of renovating or building a new toilet block?
It's important to remember that as per Australian Standards, at least 1 cubicle in every bank of toilets must be an ambulant toilet (Male and Female count as 2 seperate banks). If you are building only one non accessible toilet, it must have ambulant features (such as specific door and handrail requirements).

TGSIs provide cues, which, when combined with other environmental information, assist people who are blind or vision‐impaired with their orientation.

Warning TGSIs indicate an approaching hazard but not what the nature of the hazard will be.

Directional tactile indicators help vision‐impaired people to navigate in open spaces and designate the continuous accessible route to be taken.

The seat pictured is obviously not compliant with the Standards. There are a number of elements that must be considered if you’re wanting to improve accessibility in your public spaces. These accessibility features include:

- Seat height

- Seat depth

- Backrest/height

- Arm rests/height

- Luminance contrast

- Drainage provisions

Whenever you have a compliant seat, it is relevant to consider a space for mobility aid stowage next to the seat (clearly designated with the International Symbol of Disability). All these accessibility features allow for safe and easy use as it allows people the ability to push up out of the seat or adequately balance as well as allowing contrast for those with visual requirements.

When constructing a commercial building with a staircase, there are a number of stipulations required to meet AS1428.1 (the Australian Disability Access Code). This handrail is required on both sides of the stairs and it needs to extend the full length of the flight of stairs (when no balustrade is in place). This rail must terminate 300mm from the last stair riser and must either turn down 180°, return to the wall or to the ground.

Although this circular turn does often look rather aesthetically pleasing (you'd be forgiven for thinking that's the only reason these are installed), this fixtures allows a person with vision impairment to establish the beginning or ending of a staircase. A 180° turn down rail ending is also a safer alternative to a blunt ending, which one can get caught or injure themselves on.

In my years of access consultancy work, I am still yet to find a fully compliant accessible bathroom. That being said, one of the easiest things to change is the colour of your toilet seat. Why is this relevant?

Luminance contrast in an accessible bathroom is of extreme importance. A luminance contacting toilet seat allows a user with a visual impairment to visibly recognise the outline of the pan/toilet. For some, when looking from above, and more specifically when the ground is a similar colour to the toilet, it can be challenging to determine the exact location of the toilet seat and this can lead to falls and accidents.

There are many specific requirements to ensure adequate luminance contrast - it's not as simple as picking two different colours. Contact Inclusion Access if you are planning accessibility modifications and we can ensure your luminance contrast is compliant with the Standards.

Pictured here is an extended tap handle that should be found in all accessible washrooms in order to meet the Australian Standards for disability access (post 2011). An accessible washroom is defined as a toilet, bathroom, shower or a combination of all of these.

AS1428.1 2009 discusses the accessibility of the built environment for those living with disability and has been adapted for all new and renovated building work required by the BCA (requiring Development Approval, or DA for short).

When selecting the required products to comply with the appropriate Australian Standards, it is crucial to ensure required regulatory approvals to avoid costly and time-consuming retrofitting.

An extended tap handle makes it significantly easier to use the fixture especially if a person has impairments affecting their arms, vision or at a lower height (for instance, a wheelchair user).

Inclusion Access can assist in the identification and finding of accessible bathroom fixtures. Get in contact to find out how we can make your washroom compliant.

This ramp looks very aesthetically pleasing, but I don't think it'd be very pleasing pushing yourself up or using a mobility device to assist.

These form of ramps require landings every 9 meters so those using mobility devices can take a break.

What's wrong with this image?

The International Symbol of Access is a Standardised (ISO 7001) logo that was designed in 1968 to provide easy designation of accessibility features such as accessible car parking, toilets and entries.

The standard stipulates that the image should display a blue square (of specific dimensions, although scaling is acceptable in some cases) with an overlay of a person using a wheelchair facing the right.

The image depicted below shows an incorrect use of the International Symbol of Access. No big deal, right? For some people living with disabilities such as learning difficulties or vision impairment, this image would be hard for them to interpret and might mean they cannot find the signed accessible feature.

So grateful to be involved during a time where access and abilities are apart of the conversation.

Let’s make our world inclusive for everyone, ever day!

Happy International Day of People with Disability!

Why are signs so important?

These wayfinding signs are very important to help people navigate in and around buildings and streetscapes.

Signs like these show the international sign of disability which is a white wheelchair on a blue background.

They are important to assist those with a disability to find a safe access point, car parking space, or toilet in or around a venue.

Signs are useful as a quick to spot visual marker for accessible areas. Also many signs (especially at accessible toilets) incorporate Braille for people who are blind.

If you need a review of the signs that you use in your business, please contact us at Inclusion Access.

Ableism:

You could be forgiven for thinking we might use this word to speak favourably about someone living with disability because it has the word ‘able’ in it, well not so.

Ableism is discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities and / or people who are perceived to be disabled. So in actual fact ableism is discrimination in favour of non-disabled people.

There are stereotypes often associated with disability in general, as an example, the presumption that because someone is a wheelchair user, they might also have an intellectual impairment. This is not the case.

Stereotypes like these often serve as justification for discriminatory practices and attitudes.

I can’t think of a better time to reinvigorate the old quote “don’t judge a book by its cover”.

Let’s do better at keeping labels for coffee jars, school books and folders, not people.

For more information on Inclusive Practice Education to positively influence your team culture, reach out to us! contact@inclusionaccess.com.au

Toowoomba Changing Places: 2 min read

With a little over 4 weeks until Christmas, a timely reminder for those planning to travel about the new Changing Places facilities in Toowoomba’s Queens Park.

Just 3 months ago, 2 new amenity buildings were the latest instalments in the $12 million Queens Park Revitalisation Project (jointly funded by Toowoomba Regional Council and the QLD Government’s Building our Regions Program).

One of the new toilet blocks is located at the southern end of the Botanic Gardens and has 6 unisex, ambulant toilets and a Persons with Disability (PWD) cubicle with baby change facilities.

At the other end of the Park, the new Vera Lacaze amenities (near Frogs Hollow fronting Margaret Street) include 8 female toilets, 3 male toilets, 3 unisex, ambulant toilets, a Persons with Disability (PWD) cubicle and an accredited Changing Places Room (the first of its kind for the Region).

Changing Places toilets are larger than standard accessible toilets and they are designed to assist people with high support needs and complex disabilities. This space features a peninsular toilet, a height adjustable adult sized change table, an electric tracking hoist, shower, privacy screen and room for 2 carers in a safe and clean environment.

Please Note: Access to this facility is by MLAK (a Master Locksmiths Access Key) very common with many organisations and Councils.

In Photos: Josh takes a look at the new Changing Places Room (lower Queens Park Toowoomba).

We are incredibly proud to showcase this video about the Kingaroy Transformation Project in Kingaroy, Queensland and very humbled and excited for Josh Marshall from Inclusion Access to be invited to be the Access Consultant for this project. In just a few short years our small organisation of dedicated Disability advocates (all volunteers) has received so much community support to pave the way for better inclusion in neighbourhoods just like yours. We can help you to understand why access is far more than ramps and rails and show you how you can make a real difference. PM us to plan a catch up. Thank you from Kim Stokes Mick Bampton-hore and Josh Marshall. Together we can achieve so much!

https://youtu.be/PlQqX3pZd-M

In photos: Josh reviews some of the KTP plans and takes a tour of the Kingaroy CBD

A stark reminder this weekend as to why our inclusive education is SO vital! Accessible

1. easy to approach, reach, enter, speak with or use

A representative of this establishment advised Josh (prior to a lengthy drive for a weekend away) that this unit was “fully” accessible ….. ummmmmm

We can help you and your staff understand what accessible looks like. Our fully trained Access Consultant is Toowoomba’s only Access Consultant and we service all regions.

Photo of a bathroom showing a step up to the bathtub.

Wow! Every now and again you see a post that just really hits you at your core, you know; right down deep. This one on the Joy of Autism Facebook page really did it for us! It just truly reminds us that the term human kind has a really important word in it ‘kind’. Practice makes permanent!

It is great when you look around the world that you live in and see the people are starting to take accessibility seriously! Beach mats are becoming the norm and small ramps are being used at the entry of most venues. Yes, we still have quite a far way to come but we are certainly on our way. An access consultant can help you realise true accessibility. Accessibility is so much more than ramps and rails, but as I said, we are getting there.

A quick photo of my wife and I at this years Disability Business Awards.. Josh

We are so humbled to share the news of our recent recognition at the Toowoomba Business Disability Awards. Inclusion Access feels very honoured to be the 2021 winner of the Innovation and Access Award! This is the culmination of a team effort by all of our Directors (including former Director Elizabeth Schneidewin). Congratulations to Josh Marshall, Kim Stokes and Mick Bampton-hore for their outstanding commitment to this not-for-profit organisation and all of the support team behind the scenes!

We love working alongside people and organisations who want to make the world more inclusive!

Thank you Bardon Bowls Club for engaging Inclusion Access to do a Barrier Identification Audit. We look forward to working with your team and make changes for good!

Great news from Inclusion Access HQ today as we say congratulations to Josh on being one step closer to his Masters! Josh has now attained his Graduate Certificate Of Disability and Inclusion!

We specialise in Advocacy, Education and Access Consultancy and we’d love to be of service to you.

It’s amazing what a difference a yellow line can make! Did you know that a yellow line around the edge of a kerb ramp can literally be a life saver for some people?

The yellow line offers luminous contrast for those with visual impairment and it helps those with intellectual disability determine the opening of the ramp.

In 2019 it was reported that Toowoomba Regional Council allocated a total of $2.39 million dollars to numerous footpath, cycleway and kerb upgrade projects throughout the region. This type of an inclusive practice is essential to create accessible communities for all. Photo supplied.

Accessible Parking Signs & Permits - 1

A BLUE accessible parking permit allows permit holders to park in all on-street parking and local government (metered and un-metered parking) as long as the permit is displayed.

For BLUE Parking Permit holders you may park up to 30 minutes EVEN if the sign indicates a limit less than 30. If the time limit indicates 30 minutes or greater, BLUE parking permit holders may ACTUALLY use these parks for an unlimited time.

Your BLUE Parking Permit must always be displayed WITH the expiry date on the permit visible from the outside of the vehicle.

Own a cafe, a restaurant, a motel or even an office space? Every day you, your team, your customers / clients come in and out of doors to visit your premise. That’s obvious but what may not be obvious is the difficulty some people experience due to the closers on doors. In the pic we show a typical closer used with doors to accessible toilets. It can often be the case for those using any type of mobility aid or a pram or even for someone challenged by fatigue or weakness that any type of door closer may need a slight adjustment in order to make door operation easier. The heaviness of the door can be altered simply using an Allen Key.

If you’re a venue owner make a mental note today to check the door operation of any doors with these type of closers, and if you’re struggling with a door that has a closer affixed, please respectfully let the venue owner know. They can’t improve a problem they don’t know about! Door Closers - a great invention but like many things, they sometimes need a minor adjustment for optimal operation.

Thank you MS Queensland for inviting Josh Marshall to be a guest speaker at your Community Information Session on SDA (Suitable Disability Accommodation) last night at the City Golf Club Toowoomba.

Josh also participated in a panel discussion with Brianna Barry and Rebecca Graham (MS QLD) during the evening covering the housing needs for people living with disability across Toowoomba and the Darling Downs.

As a former nursing educator, a qualified Access Consultant and someone who lives with MS, Josh can offer a highly valuable and unique perspective to Developers and Home Owners alike.

It’s excellent to see venue owners installing appropriate accessible car parking spaces.

An appropriate space is one that is parallel to a shared space with an appropriate bollard, International Sign of Disability (white on blue) and an appropriate path to the PPE (principal pedestrian entrance) as per the Access to Premises Standards 2011.

In this image we see a bollard in a shared space however with insufficient luminance contrast (a coloured strip is required).

We love getting into the heart of communities, building relationships and sharing and hearing about what inclusion really looks like! Another busy week this week with Inclusion Access on the road for an educational workshop on “Barriers to Ageing” at the Bulimba Community Centre. Thank you to Board Director, Kim Stokes for making this possible and to the team at Bulimba Community Centre for being so keen to improve their inclusive practices for the benefit of all who visit their facilities. We were also joined by Jude Kalman from FishFilms.

Thank you to Krush Design Co for rushing to get our new banner to us just in time! Our small team is taking big steps to make a difference!

Everything evolves, people evolve and ideas do also. In an ideal world, we evolve into someone who, on more days than not, is good, kind, decent and fair and, our ideas evolve to produce a harvest that brings benefit, joy and betterment to the communities we call home.

George Matthew Adams said “There is no such thing as a self-made man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success.”

In terms of an organisation; we’ve not ‘made it’ because the ‘it’ that includes our vision is ever ‘evolving’ and our organisation is truly in its infancy but as a team, with the small positive steps and learnings we have made, we agree it would be impossible to acknowledge, recognise and thank the many who have contributed to where we are right now.

Please know, we know, many faces represent Inclusion Access...it is ‘the sum of us’. We are forever grateful for the guidance, generosity and leadership you bring, so many of you bring to the table.