Comment
from Niall 2
This is the second of a series of Comments
from Niall. It is designed as part of a series that will hopefully raise
awareness of the contribution that people with disabilities can make to the
community
Who
benefits from Inclusivity?
First, who are these people who will
benefit? The immediate answer is people with disabilities. And yet there are so
many more people involved in every interaction in our modern society. What
about all the family, the friends, even the representatives (such as lawyers)
of those people with disabilities? All of them will also hope and indeed, expect
to be able to enjoy life or work together in a fully inclusive environment.
And yet, there are also the owners and
people that work in every business. In an inclusive environment everybody
benefits. The service or workplace environment is available to all and then
everybody is happy, or at least they all share the same experience. This allows people with disabilities to be an
expected and valuable part of the community.
Meeting
the needs of people with disabilities
This is often easier than it may at first
appear. Most people with disabilities are very aware of what they need to be
part of the community and are therefore a main source of information. There is
also a wide range of design guides available to assist when building or
renovating a building. But the most important thing is common sense. Speak and
listen to people that have experience in this area. Best practice and good
examples are so much more effective than trying to just achieve compliance with
the law.
How
to achieve inclusivity – an introduction
This will be covered in more detail in the
next Comment from Niall but broadly includes: Design (of a building or a
space), Attitude (of builders, managers, staff and users) and Quality Control
(are access elements in an environment effective and truly meet the needs of
people with disabilities).
The
next Comment from Niall will expand on the various ways to achieve as much inclusivity
as possible. Followed by an introduction on how to maintain that inclusivity.
Niall
can be contacted at niall@btinternet.com
401-846-1960
Fax: 401-846-1944
Twitter:
@AccessInclude
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