Uct Disability Unit

Student Affairs: Disability Service

UCT DISABILITY UNIT
PHYSICAL ACCESS AND THE UCT BUILT ENVIRONMENT

2002 edition by Cindy Watermeyer

Vision and Philosophy

The University of Cape Town strives to promote an inclusive working physical working environment and study environment in which every individual is able to reach his or her full potential. To this end UCT will take every reasonable action to ensure that its built environment is safe and accessible to the broadest possible spectrum of society including people with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant women and those accompanied by children.

The University recognises that the historical legacy of its present built environment entrenches exclusion and prejudice and will work determinedly and consistently to rectify this problem. In addition, the University undertakes to ensure that any development, refurbishment or extension of the existing built environment will conform to physical access specifications stipulated by the UCT Disability Unit in this publication.

In accordance with UCT's operating Principles in respect of Disability (adopted by Senate on 3 November 2000), the Vice Chancellor and members of senior management will provide leadership in improving access for people with disabilities and will be responsible for implementing the principles of equal access at the University. All alterations / refurbishments and new developments at UCT must plan for, design creatively for and budget for provisions for access for disabled staff, students and visitors to the campus.

The Disability Unit draws it criteria from:

The South African Bureau of Standards Code of Practice "Accessibility of buildings to disabled persons" SABS 0246:1993

The Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities, Jan 1998 known hereafter as the ADAAG.

Extensive experience in the field of physical access and Barrier Free Design.

The following specifications and guidelines must be adhered to in order to comply with the UCT Disability Unit's Access Standards.

General Note

If an 'alternative' access route needs to be designed for some reason, the access solution should be congruent with the main entrance/route.

The use of a 'service' entrance is not considered an acceptable access solution, nor is the use of a goods lift.

Walkways

The camber of 'banking' of any walkway or ramp must not exceed 1:40.

If a walkway is raised with a drop off on any side appropriate safety kerbs and/or handrails must be used.

Covering a walkway for weather protection is always desirable when taking people with mobility impairments into account.

Steps & staircases

A threshold of 15mm or less is acceptable. Anything in excess of 15mm will need a ramp, not greater than 1:10 in gradient.

All steps and staircases must have alternative ramped routes or a lift. All stairs must have handrails on both sides, complying with the specifications below.

The rise of any step must not exceed 175mm. A landing must be provided after at least every 3m of vertical rise.

Note: open risers are dangerous and must be avoided.

Hazard warning: all stairs must have a sharply contrasting line along the edge of each step to ensure that users can see them clearly. A change in floor texture at the top of a flight of stairs is useful to blind users.

Handrails

All handrails should be continuous as far as possible. Where they are not continuous, they must extend at least 300mm beyond the top and bottom of the ramp or step segment and must be parallel with the floor.

All handrails must have a maximum diameter of 60mm, and at least 40mm clear width between the handrail and the adjacent surface.

Ramps

Gradient:

When the height to be ramped is less than 400mm, gradient can be 1:10.

When the height is greater than 400mm, the gradient must not be greater than 1:12 with a resting platform every 5m, 1:16 is desirable for longer ramps.

All ramps must have handrails on BOTH sides, complying with the specifications set out above. Handrails must be between 900 - 1000mm above the surface of the ramp.

All ramps should ideally be at least 1200mm wide. The minimum possible clear width at any one point is 915mm.

Ramps need level landings at the top and bottom, equal to the width of the ramp and at least 1525mm long.

Any changes of direction on a ramp must have a landing at that point, with a minumum specification of 1525mm x 1525mm.

If a door opens onto a landing, the level landing must be at least 2m in length and equal to the width of the ramp, provided that said width allows for a minimum nib of 450mm on the handle side of the door, where the door opens towards the wheelchair user. Where the door opens straight onto the landing (towards the wheelchair user), the length of the landing is measured from the wall next to the doorway or, where the door opens across the landing from the right or left hand side, the length of the landing is measured from the position of the door when open at 90 degrees.

If a door opens away from a landing, the level landing must be equal to the width of the ramp and at least 1500mm in length.

All ramps need a kerb along the side edges, of at least 75mm high.

All surfaces need to have textured, non-slip, even surfaces. Take care to ensure that the surface remains even, and that the material used to make it non-slip has not made the surface 'bumpy'.

Lifts

Call buttons and controls inside the lift need to be between 900mm and 1200mm above floor level. Ideally the emergency buttons should be near the bottom of the set of buttons.

All controls need to have braille, and the lift needs to 'ping' as it passes each floor. A voice recording must announce the number of the floor it is on when the doors open.

The lift door must provide a minimum clear width of 915mm. The depth of the lift must be a minimum of 1370 measured from back wall to door, and 1291mm measured from back wall to control panel.

Where the lift door is in the centre of the lift, the width of the lift must be a minimum of 2030mm. Where the lift door is situated on one side of the lift, the width must be a minimum of 1730mm.

Hoists / wheelchair lifts / platform lifts

The Disability Unit does not recommend the use of 'chair lifts' or hoists unless there is no other viable solution.

If a platform lift is used, it must facilitate unassisted entry, operation and exit from the lift.

Controls and operating mechanisms must be operable with one hand and shall not require tight grasping, pinching or twisting of the wrist. If buttons are used at all, then they must be of the type which can be pushed down by the palm of your hand - they must not be set inside a metal surround.

All controls must be located between 900mm and 1200mm above the floor surface. The recommended height is 1000mm.

If the user is not required to turn around on the platform, a clear floor space of 760mm x 1220mm must be provided on the platform. If the user is required to enter the lift and then turn to the left or right before exiting the lift, a clear floor space of 1525mm x 1525mm must be provided on the platform. In both scenarios, a clear floor space of 1525mm x 1525mm must be provided in front of the lift from which to embark and to which to disembark.

Issues to bear in mind when considering this option: all possible attempts must be made to integrate this piece of machinery into the aesthetics of the surrounding area. Platform lifts need regular maintenance to ensure that they are always in good working order whenever a user needs them.

Turning space

The amount of space required for a wheelchair user to make a 360 degree turn is 1525mm x 1525mm.

The space required for a 90 degree turn (eg to make the left or right turn in an L- shaped corridor is 1100mm x 1500mm where 1100mm is the width of the approach (corridor) and 1500mm is the turning 'landing'.

Heights

Protruding signs, fire equipment and any other objects hanging from ceilings, walls etc must be at least 2m above the walkway. This also applies to windows which open over walkways. Anything which is lower than 2m (for example a window), must have a permanent floor barrier of at least 500mm in height.

All controls, door handles, card swipe access points, light switches, window controls, heater / airconditioning / fan controls, speaker phones, security controls etc must be between 900mm and 1200mm in height. The recommended height is 1000mm. Socket outlets (eg power points etc) must all be at least 500mm above the floor, 150mm above a worktop and at least 450mm from corners.

Doors

The SABS guidelines state that all doors must provide a clear open width of at least 750mm. The Disability Unit (in line with ADAAG requirements) requires a minumum of 813mm - the width of a standard door. For double doors, then this clear width apples to each door.

If the door to be approached from the left or the right (ie not straight on) then the width of the corridor must be at least 1200mm. If the approach area is narrower, the door must be wider: for example an approach of 1000mm requires a clear door width of 950mm.

If the door has to open towards the wheelchair, a nib of at least 450mm must be provided at the handle side of the door.

If there is a series of doors one after the other, there must be enough room for the user to get beyond the fully open door before opening the next door, and enough space to turn beyond the fully open door if the corridor require a left or right turn at that point. 2m between doorways should be sufficient for this, provided that the doors open consistently towards or away from the user. In the case where sliding doors are used, 1.5m should be sufficient, provided that the corridor is a minimum width of 900mm. Sliding doors can be a useful way to overcome potential difficulties in places where a series of hinged doors would hinder circulation or manoeuvrability.

Sliding doors must be able to be opened with finger-tip pressure.

Revolving doors and turnstils are inaccessible and an accessible gate must also be provided if revolving doors and turnstiles are used.

If a door is made of glass, the glass must be adequately marked at a height of between 800mm and 1000mm from the floor, to make the door easily visible.

Kick plates

All doors which will regularly be used by people in wheelchairs, must have 'kick plates' or protection plates at the bottom at least 300mm in height and the full width of the door.

Door and window handles

All door handles must not exceed 1000mm above the floor and must be of the lever variety, at least 150mm long.

All doors must be able to be opened with one hand.

Doors must be as light as possible.

Door closers can be a hindrance and should be avoided, but where necessary the adjustable, delayed-action type must be used. Ideally self-closing doors should open automatically.

Window handles: locking and opening controls for windows must be lever type, readily accessible less than 1200mm above the floor, operable by one hand and easily accessible even when the window is fully open.

Toilets

Accessible bathroom facilities should be unisex.

The cubicle must be at least 1800mm x 1700mm. The toilet must be installed along the wall with width 1700mm and must be set off to one side, with a space of 500mm measured from the centre of the toilet facility / cistern to the adjacent wall, the remaining space on the other side of the toilet allowing space for a wheelchair.

A 150mm lever extension to the flush handle must be fitted to all flushing devices and must be located on the side of the toilet with the open space next to it.

The top of the toilet seat must be 470mm above the floor surface and the seat lid must remain upright when raised to act as a back rest.

The top of the sink, shelf and toilet roll holder must be 820mm from the floor surface.

All taps must be the lever action type. Care must be taken to ensure that the flow of water can be well controlled. Problems have occurred in the past when lever action type taps fitted to existing facilities have resulted in a tap which turns the water on at high pressure when the lever is moved by only a small amount.

Grab rails for use in these facilities must have an outside diameter of 32mm and be made of stainless steel. A grab rail must be installed behind the toilet seat, either along the wall or across the cistern at a height of 800mm and a grab rail along the wall adjacent to the toilet must be fitted in a backward L-type shape, beginning at 800mm in height and ending 380mm higher.

See Appendix A (refer to the booklet) for the detailed design, as per SABS 0246:1993. Additional useful information can be found in sections 4.17 - 4.27 and figures 30A-d and figures 31-37 in the ADAAG.

Note: sticking to the exact design (for example including the shelf next to the basin and ensuring that toilet paper is not enclosed in a metal case) is crucial.

Lighting

Good lighting is essential, especially in stairwells, where lighting is often dimmer than in corridoors. Outdoor staircases must also be adequately lit for dusk and night time.

Signage

Good signage is essential. All ramps, toilets and lifts must be clearly signposted, using the international sign for disability.

Signs must be large, clearly visible and well-lit, preferably with good contrast for easy reading.

Parking bays

At least 3.5m wide, with good signage pointing out the location the bay for the users as well as clearly spelling out the harsh UCT penalties for abusing the bay. The bays must be near the entrance to the building / facility and access from the bay to the entrance must be as direct as possible. Kerb cuts will probably be necessary from the parking area to the pavement area.

Kerb cuts

Kerb cuts must be provided opposite the entrance / exit to all buildings / facilities and should have a corresponding kerb cut on the opposite side of the road.

Fire escape routes

The Disability Unit encourages the design of comprehensive independent fire and disaster escape routes for all users. However, where these are currently not provided, or are impossible to provide, acceptable areas of 'rescue assistance' must be provided as a basic minimum requirement which should be implemented throughout the built environment at UCT:

An area of rescue assistance could be: a portion of a stairway landing within a smoke-proof enclosure (as per Fire Safety Regulations); a portion of an exterior balcony located immediately adjacent to an exit stairway; a portion of a one-hour fire-resistive corridor located immediately adjacent to an exit enclosure, or some similar area which complies with UCT's Fire and Safety Regulations. A method of two-way communication between the area of rescue assistance and an appropriate authority is vital. The area should be identified with appropriate signage as an area of rescue assistance, with instructions pertaining to the use of the area in emergence conditions posted next to the two-way communication system.

Seating / tables

If seating for people in wheelchairs is provided at fixed tables or counters, a clear floor space of at least 760mm x 1200 mm must be provided in front of the surface to allow forward approach. The clear floor space should extend a minimum of 485mm underneath the surface.

Knee clearance of at least 685mm high and 760mm wide and 485mm deep must be provided.

The height of the tops of the tables or counters must be from 710mm to 865mm above the ground.

Office space design

Most of the above specifications can be taken into account when designing an office area. The heights of light switches, door handles, the kind of handles, window controls etc are all relevant.

Also bear in mind to leave approx 915mm as a clear passage between desks and furniture and bear in mind the turning circles (for 360 degree and 90 degree turns) outlined above.

Storage facilities such as cabinets, shelves and drawers need a clear floor space of at least 760mm x 1220mm. If approached from the front, the maximum height forward reach is 1220mm and the maximum low reach is 380mm. If it is approached from the side and the clear floor space is next to the storage facility, the maximum high side reach is 1370mm and the low side reach is no less than 230mm.

Note that a carpet with thick pile is a hindrance.

General dimensions

The minimum clear width for a single wheelchair is 815mm at a given point and 915mm continuously.

The minimum clear width for two wheelchairs to pass if 1525mm.

The space required for a wheelchair user to make a 180 degree turn is a clear space of 1525mm diameter.

The minimum clear floor space or ground space to accommodate a single, stationery wheelchair and occupant is 760mm x 1220mm.

FEEDBACK

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