Why are our public places and spaces not already fully accessible?
We can do better to ensure we can all use our communities equally. We need to raise the bar and go beyond minimum compliance. Current legislation requires only minimum accessibility to get consent. This can still include a barrier filled path of travel to, through and out of a building, meaning that an older person, disabled person or young family will be required to seek support or take a different route than their friends and whānau.
If technical universal design expertise was consistently sought during every design and build, our public buildings and outdoor spaces would be barrier-free and future-proof. Universal design is a technical discipline that works alongside engineering and other professional disciplines. More can be done to ensure that universal design consultation consistently occurs in practice and that the technical specifications which make a design universally accessible are understood.
More research and education needs to be provided so that those developing public places and spaces understand how people with disabilities use buildings and outdoor spaces.
The Accessibility Charter will address these factors.