Supporting the autonomy of movement of disabled youth through guidance and mapping of accessible places

Purpose and principles of CRPD

The purpose of the present Convention is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.

Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

Design for all is “the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialised design”.

Its principles are:

The European Union approach to disability demands the elimination of discrimination and a determination that people with disabilities should have the same rights as nondisabled people, not only in theory but also in practice. Standards are documented voluntary agreements, which establish important criteria for products, services and processes. Standards, therefore, help to make sure that products and services are fit for their purpose and are comparable and compatible.

Standards that consider the diversity of needs of the population and their functional diversity following a Design for All approach will favour the development of products and services that are accessible for all including persons with disabilities and older persons.

The Standardisation Mandate 473 to include “Design for All” in relevant standardization initiatives issued by the European Commission in 2010 aims at addressing the inclusion of accessibility in the manufacturing process for manufactured goods and service provisions following design for all approach.

Crossings and crossing the road are the most discussed topics. The absence of dropped kerbs on the other side of the road, for example, was a particular problem for people in wheelchairs. A car parked in front of a drop kerb could just as easily prevent access. The limited time available to cross at controlled crossings created anxiety among people with mobility and visual impairments. For pedestrians with visual impairments the sounds generated by high traffic volumes are frightening too.

Driver behaviour combined with the absence of safe places to cross on busy roads is a big concern for people with limited mobility. Even with the design features, such as build outs which narrow the road carriageway and reduce the distance pedestrians need to travel, it is impossible to step out in the face of steady traffic. Disabled pedestrians are left waiting for a driver to notice them, slow down and stop to enable them to cross the road. The maintenance of controlled crossings is of responsibility of local authority highways departments. For instance, the new puffin crossings are able to detect pedestrians and to allow more time to cross. However, their design also situates the red and green men at a lower level –out of the line of sight of people in wheelchairs when there are other pedestrians around.

In high footfall areas and residential locations uneven surfaces are commonly notified by people with disability. The fear of tripping (e.g. over raised flagstones) could discourage people from getting off the bus and walking instead. For those who through choice or necessity walked anyway, there is a need to constantly look down and check their footing –reducing their pleasure in walking. There are difficulties caused by temporary obstructions, such as wheelie bins, advertising boards (A-boards) and cars parked on the pavement.

Cycling on pavements and mobility scooters are seen as a menace by people with disability. Design considerations intended to help people with one type of sensory impairment may conflict with the needs of people with other types of impairment. The raised blisters on steps and at crossings can cause trips and falls too, but their need is accepted. For people with visual impairments, the lack of colour contrast could make it difficult to detect uneven surfaces. Well-designed pedestrian environments support functional mobility and boost psychological recovery from limiting conditions.

B. Horne (2016) divides facilitators and barriers into three main categories:

There are many barriers both intrinsic and environmental, faced by people with disabilities when participating in physical activity.

Intrinsic barriers include not having knowledge about the benefits of physical activity. There is very little information available to people with disabilities about the benefits of activity for their main condition or its potential in preventing secondary complications occurring. This lack of knowledge can lead to uncertainty occurring for people with disabilities as to whether physical activity is beneficial or harmful to the person’s condition.

Inaccessibility to facilities is an obstacle that hinders participation of people with a physical or sensory disability, as often buildings are not designed to accommodate people with physical and sensory disabilities, i.e. ramps, doors, changing facilities etc.

Despite progress in barrier removal and advancements in universal design-based practices, significant environmental barriers remain, sometimes in places where one would not expect them, for example, hospitals and physicians’ offices that lack buildings, equipment, and services suitable for people with physical mobility, sensory, and other impairments. The persistence of such environmental barriers will only become more serious as the number of people at the highest risk of disability grows substantially in coming decades. Still, growing numbers should mean a larger market for accessible products and an increasing demand for accessible environments.

Transport is another major barrier as many people with disabilities do not have their own transport and as a result have to rely on public transport or someone else to bring them to the facility. This can be an inconvenience to both the person with the disability and those providing the transport.

Families can also act as a barrier to participation, as they may not understand the benefits that physical activity can bring to people with disabilities, while also fearing that injury or accidents may occur while participating in sport.

Asking disabled people to assist in assessing accessibility of buildings would appear the logical way of ensuring both that measurements are meaningful and that the measuring instruments are administered by those to whom they are most relevant.