Building access for the intellectually disabled

Abstract

Purpose

This paper has three aims: to assess the extent of the Australian population affected by intellectual disability who are also capable of accessing buildings independently; to investigate the extent of research and legislation covering building access for this group; and to consider implications for building designers, owners and facility managers.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics report on Disability, Ageing and Carers are used to assess the size of this building user group and to make comparisons with other disabled user groups. Electronic databases are searched to assess the scope of existing research about building access for the intellectually disabled and current Australian legislation is searched for any references to this building user group.

Findings

The paper suggests that the intellectually disabled building user group represents about 1.24 per cent of the Australian population but that there is limited published research and/or discussion about building access by this group. It also finds that they are not specifically referenced in either the Building Code or Australian standards affecting building design.

Research limitations/implications

There may be unpublished research and/or discussion covering the topic. There is also some debate about the variability of responses in disability surveys.

Practical implications

There is a need for more research about building access for the intellectually disabled to help building designers and ultimately building owners and managers to comply with Disability Discrimination Acts.

Originality/value

There is limited reference to building access for the intellectual disability in literature and legislation. This paper adds to the literature and hopes that greater attention will be paid to their building access requirements.

Citation

Castell, L. (2008), "Building access for the intellectually disabled", Facilities, Vol. 26 No. 3/4, pp. 117-130. https://doi.org/10.1108/02632770810849463