Ireland —
The massive non-compliance with disabled
access regulations is a sad reflection of society, it was
claimed tonight.
A new study has found that only 4% of new housing
developments under construction in Dublin were accessible
to people with disabilities while outside Dublin, and
only 25% of one-off houses in rural areas were compliant
with building regulations.
The People
with Disabilities in Ireland group said owners,
designers and builders were paying lip-service to the
requirements for disabled access.
“It’s a big problem and with all the
building that’s going on, it’s a sad reflection
that there isn’t some consideration for those who
find it difficult to get about,” said its chief
executive Michael Ringrose.
Under Part M of the building regulations, all new
houses built since 2001 are supposed to be accessible to
disabled people.
But the National
Disability Authority study found that none of the
local authorities were obliged to carry out compliance
inspections and that the regulations themselves were
inadequate for the needs of disabled people.
They contain no requirements for visual and audible
signs in buildings; for illuminated entrances and exits;
for toilets with doors that open outwards (to give
wheelchair users more room) or for the maximum force
required to open doors.
Mr Ringrose said that while the building regulations
were being reviewed by the Government, many of the
problems could be solved at the planning stage.
A newly-opened shopping mall opposite the Millennium
bridge in Dublin’s city centre contains a pedestrian
walkway which dips down and thereby cuts off access for
wheelchair users.
“There are new restaurants which have just opened
up but they can’t get access to them because the dip
is such in the street, that it creates a lip at the
entrances,” said Mr Ringrose.
“What it does point to is that you can still open
up a premises in this day and age, without having regard
to the current thinking about disability and
accessibility.”
There are more than 300,000 people in the country with
disabilities, which includes those with physical
disabilities, the deaf, the blind and those with
intellectual disabilities.
The NDA study found that among 2,000 houses surveyed
in new estates in Dublin, around 750 were affected by
footpaths that were not dished.
It said that in rural areas, there appears to be a
notably lower level of compliance in one-off houses than
in residential developments. Some small builders were not
even aware of the requirement to provide disabled access
under Part M.
The report recommended the introduction of a mandatory
self-certification scheme for new houses and buildings,
which would be enforced by increased inspections.
It also recommended the setting up of an Access
Ombudsman to rule on difficult access problems and a
media campaign to increase public awareness.
