Making Buildings Inclusive and Accessible 2009: Special Report

A report aiming to convey the latest information and provide practical guidance for anyone involved in the commissioning, design and management of the built environment has been published by Workplace Law.

It identifies the legal, design and management drivers underpinning many of the issues related to inclusive and accessible environments. This information and practical guidance is for anyone involved in the commissioning, design and management of the built environment.

Edited by Keith Bright, Emeritus Professor of Inclusive Environments at the University of Reading and member of the National Register of Access Consultants (NRAC), the report covers a number of different areas.

The report covers the following areas:-

* recent changes in planning legislation and the introduction of the concept of the Design and Access Statement

* guidance on the Approved Document to Part M and BS8300 and how these documents can inform the design and management process

* guidance available for the design of health, education and leisure facilities, all of which have their own particular accessibility issues to address

* the duties placed on employers, educators and service providers by anti-discrimination legislation such as the Disability Discrimination Act

* describes how proposed changes in legislation such as the new Equality Bill will broaden such duties

* practical guidance on developing strategies to ensure that the opportunities and services available to users are appropriate and, importantly, how they can be maintained in the everyday use of the environment

* the complex management issues associated with emergency egress

* how general signage, wayfinding, colour and lighting can be used to enhance safe enjoyment of an environment