Over 10% of the population in Ireland experience disability as part of their everyday life. That is nearly 400,000 people. Disability is something that a person experiences. It is not a condition or an illness. A disability is something that a person has on a permanent basis and acquires either at birth or through an accident. Examples: Wheelchair users, Blind/visually impaired persons, people with learning disabilities, people with mental health difficulties, etc.

The Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities, in their report to Government in 1996, A Strategy for Equality defined a person with a disability as:


A person with a physical, mental, intellectual, emotional or sensory impairment, and who because of the way society is organised, encounters obstacles to participation on equal and equally effective terms with others.



Understanding Disability Issues
There are several ways of looking at and understanding disability issues. The two main models or ways of doing this are known as the medical model and the social model.

The Medical Model of Disability
The medical model tends to individualise disability issues and generally does not question how society treats its disabled citizens. Disability itself is seen to be the problem and the approach is taken that disability can be 'solved' by medical or rehabilitative action. This model suggests that a ‘cure’ will solve the problems and, when this is not possible, the strategy will be to provide care. This approach places the problem on the individual rather than on the way services are planned and organised. The medical model is informed by the individual perspective of a person's impairment. Under this model, all people with disabilities and all impairments are different, and it is hard to generalise or to imagine ways of improving the situation of disabled people as a group.

The Social Model of Disability
By contrast, the social model of disability holds that it is society that disables people with impairments by the way in which it is organised and by the conventions and priorities it displays. The social view or model of disability argues that disability (and handicap) is a direct consequence of people’s attitudes and the way things are organised. For example, if a person who uses a wheelchair cannot get into a premises, is it because they use a wheelchair or is it because no one has thought about this person’s needs? For example, many buildings are inaccessible to people with impaired mobility, but this results from specific conventions and traditions in building design and is not a consequence of mobility impairment per se. The social model emphasises that the barriers to the full participation of people with disabilities are located in the way society is organised, and it challenges society to address and dismantle these barriers.

Most people with disabilities understand disability through the social model and this is the approach taken by most disability groups throughout Ireland. It is important to note however, that some people with disabilities, particularly older people and some with recently acquired impairments, may identify more closely with the medical model.

The social model or view of disability is in direct contrast to the medical model of disability that focuses on what is ‘wrong’ with the disabled person.

The social view or definition of ‘Disabled People’ is understood to Include children and adults who because of an impairment - (whether physical, sensory, hidden, mental health or learning disabilities) - are prevented from participating fully in the social, economic, and political structures of society.
An awareness of the issues of access and participation for people with disabilities; and a willingness to take the needs of disabled people into account when planning and implementing policies will help to overcome some of the disabling aspects of society.

The issue of Language & Terminology
"People with Disabilities" or "Disabled People"?

The question of disability terminology is the subject of much debate amongst the disability community. For those who use the term "people with disabilities" the importance lies in the fact that the word "people" comes first and disability only afterwards.

Those who use "disabled people" point out that it is in line with the social model (people are disabled by society) and use analogies from other minority groups (for example, the accepted term is "black people" not "people who are black").

In practice, "people with disabilities" is the accepted term in general use in the Republic of Ireland, although both terms are used are often used interchangeably.

Positive language empowers. When writing or speaking about people with disabilities, it is important to put the person first. Catch-all phrases such as "the blind," "the deaf," or "the disabled," do not reflect the individuality, equality or dignity of people with disabilities. The following are some recommendations for use when describing, speaking or writing about people with disabilities:

Terms no longer in use: Preferred terms:
wheelchair-bound person who uses a wheelchair or wheelchair user
cripple, spastic, victim person with a disability
sufferer, retard etc. disabled person
the handicapped people with disabilities
the disabled disabled people
mental handicap learning disability
mentally handicapped learning disabled
normal non-disabled, able-bodied
schizo, mad person with a mental health difficulty

Disability Proofing
Disability Proofing is a strategy that aims to make sure that people with disabilities and their requirements are included from the start in the development of all structures, policies and practices. It is the basic tool of inclusion. Disability proofing aims to bring about equality of outcomes for people with disabilities.
Disability Proofing Checklist
This practical checklist enables all those involved in planning, organising or delivering education and training to ensure that people with disabilities are included from the start and to enable learners with disabilities to achieve equality of outcome. This practical checklist is a guide to help and support individual trainers or facilitators, groups and organisations and those with whom they contract, to develop and implement a learning environment that is accessible to learners with disabilities.

Planning for Inclusion
Do you have an Equality Policy and a Statement of Policy on achieving the inclusion of people with disabilities?

Do you consult and encourage learners to identify their individual access and participation needs before and during the training or learning events?

Do you ensure that your information is as widely accessible as possible (in format, style and use of language) to people with disabilities?

Are your handouts, notes and overheads provided in accessible formats (e.g., large print, audio-tape, on computer disk, free of unnecessary jargon, etc.)?

Access
Ensuring accessibility involves more than just providing a ramp, it is also about using a premises with ease and as independently as possible. You should make sure that your building is accessible to people with a disability. This does not just mean people with a physical disability. People with a hearing impairment, a visual impairment or with learning disabilities may also find it difficult to access your building or the services provided within it.

How do you ensure that access exists to and within buildings, and that information materials and work processes are accessible? Below are some of the things you need to consider/provide:

Making your building(s) accessible -
Provide level access, or ramps to ground floor entrance.

Provide lifts to upper floors.

Fit handrails to both sides of any steps or ramps.

Make sure doors are wide enough for people using wheelchairs to get through.

§ If there are heavy doors, they need to have automatic opening devices fitted and an automatic door needs to be set so as to give enough time to allow the disabled person through the doors before t close (this also applies to lift doors).

§ Make sure that access for disabled people is through the main entrance to the building and not a side entrance.

If you have a parking area mark some of it for authorised badge holders only, using appropriate specifications and a level site. Make sure that it is the spaces near to the entrance of the building and that the space is large enough for a person with a wheelchair to get in and out of the car.

Use smooth floor surfaces, consider using natural materials such as timber or stone, carpets create drag for wheelchairs.

Leave space for people to move around in your office - don't let it get cluttered up with boxes and other stuff.

Provide chairs for people to sit on but also make sure there is space available for a wheelchair if it is needed. Chairs should have arms and be of an appropriate height so that a person with a physical disability can use these to lean on to get up and down.

Make sure door handles, bells and entry phones are at a height that people in wheelchairs can reach.

While reception counters have to take into account staff safety, you should also consider the effect of the height of a reception counter on someone in a wheelchair if they can't see over it and therefore can't see who they are talking to.

Make sure you have a toilet that is adapted for wheelchair users (Get someone who is a wheelchair user to advise you, some so called disabled toilets are badly designed and can't be used by wheelchair users and/or other people with physical disabilities). Disabled toilets should be unisex rather than based within individual sex toilets, so that a carer/relative of the opposite sex can enter with the disabled person when this is required.

All desks and bookshelves should be supported off walls or screens if possible i.e. No leg supports to restrict wheelchair users.

Aim at optimising wheelchair turning circles by avoiding clutter.



Information display / leaflet holders should be located at a convenient height for accessibility.

Two-drawer filing cabinets should be integrated in the centre to ensure ease of access for wheelchair users.

Reception area seating should incorporate arm rests.

Signposting
Consider how you can help people to move around in the building and get to the place they want to get to.

Think about the position of the reception area - can people find it easily?

Some people may need help immediately as they come through the door, consider this.

A visually impaired person may need to be shown to a seat, or guided to another part of the building.

Are there things that can be done which will help a visually impaired person find their way around (colour contrasts in furniture, carpets, walls and doorways or indents in the floor covering etc.)?

Have notices in large clear print so that people who are partially sighted can see them clearly.

Braille signs by door handles might make it easier for some people.

The use of graphics and pictures as signs may be easier for people with learning disabilities to understand or for young people.

Make sure that you have caught the person's attention before you start speaking. Do not rely on calling a person's name over a tannoy or saying 'who's next' - someone with a hearing impairment may not hear this.

Providing Information
Leaflets and brochures are only one way of passing on information. You also need to think about what you are going to do with them and who is going to read them. Many organisations produce leaflets which are never read because they are badly designed or because they don't get to the people who need the information.

Make your reception desks, display areas and leaflet racks at a height that people using a wheelchair can reach.

Always talk directly to the person who wants the information. If the person has brought a helper or interpreter with them, you should still talk directly to the person who wants the information. If someone uses a computer or machine to speak, talk to the person and not the machine.

Produce easy to understand leaflets in plain English with pictures.

Produce leaflets and information in Braille, large print, tape or on computer disk, where appropriate.

Tell people that you have leaflets / information available in different formats.

Think about other ways that you could pass on information.

If you are producing or using video, make sure it has sub-titles and Sign Language interpretation.

Communication
Face the person you are talking to - this makes it easier for someone with a hearing impairment who might lip-read. So don't hide your mouth behind a piece of paper, your hand or a screen.

Make sure that the lighting is right - if necessary adjust your seating so that the light is behind the person with a hearing impairment.

Don't shout - speak clearly and not too fast.

Don't pretend to understand what the person has said. If you haven't understood - ask them to repeat what they said.

Check every so often that the person has understood what you are telling them. If the person doesn't understand you, try rephrasing what you have said.

Give people time to understand what you are saying. If necessary write it down.

Train some staff in basic Sign Language so that they can communicate with Deaf people with who use sign language.

Provide an induction loop system. This can make it easier for people who use hearing aids to hear.

If possible provide a private interview space so that people can have privacy.

Provide a minicom so that those people with a hearing impairment, who also have a minicom, can contact you by phone. A minicom is like a typewriter that you can attach to your phone.

Consult and use the Welcoming Customers with Disabilities booklet for further information. The booklet is available from the Kerry Network of People with Disabilities, James Street, Tralee, Co. Kerry, Tel/Fax: 066-7180611, e-mail: kerry@pwdi.org.

The following pages offer you a number of key questions to consider from the perspective of a disabled person using your premises.
1. Arriving…
· Disabled parking.
· Clear set down area
· Getting in the door.
· Level access.
· Ramp to avoid steps.
· Finding the door.
· Avoiding the leading edge of an open door.
· Warning sounds indicate open or closing movement.
· Location of doorbell.
· Finding where to speak into intercom.
· Finding which side of the door that is hinged.

2. Getting past reception:
· High counters obstruct communication with a wheelchair user.
· Can the receptionist cope with someone with a speech impediment?
· The language of explaining where to go.
· Getting through the waiting visitors.

3. Meeting others:
· Room to stop and chat.
· Room to let others pass.
· What happens when the wheelchair user meets the tea trolley?

4. Getting upstairs:
· Is there a lift?
· Is it in a reasonable place?
· Avoid the back door.
· Gentle stairs.
· Finding the beginning of the stairs when blind.
· Finding the handrail.
· Follow guidelines in part M – Building Regulations.

5. Getting to the loo:
· Consider having more than one wheelchair accessible toilet.
· Must the wheelchair user change floors?
· Keep passages free of boxes etc.

6. The work / learning space:
· This is where the employee / learner will prove his or her worth.
· Proper table and chair height.
· Consider the style of the chair for back support.
· Arms free or arms supported.
· Getting the wheelchair under the table can be difficulty.
· "L shaped" might be better than straight bench. Gives a surround effect.
· Overhead storage not accessible to wheelchair user.
· Braille documents are bulkier than print versions.

7. Typical workstation for a blind employee:
· Scanner, computer, loudspeakers, headphones, notetaker, tape machine, telephone.


8. Communications:
· Blind means non-visual usage, printed material difficult better electronic.
· Deaf means sign language or paper-based communication. Audio difficult electronic better.
· Learning means explaining the message difficult. Need to simplify or use visual graphics.

9. The printing bay:
· Keep enough space free for wheelchair to enter and turn.
· Store packages at low levels.

10. Finding post:
· High pigeonholes cannot be reached.
· Wheelchair user cannot bring post to colleagues if too high.

11. Meeting / Lecture Rooms:
· Room for wheelchair.
· Reference materials in electronic form.
· Braille not always necessary.
· Use a looped area.

12. Going for coffee:
· Important social activity.
· Spillages.
· Burning fingers.
· Clearing up.

13. Getting lunch:
· Joining a friend.
· Too difficult to ask the disabled person along.
· Giving assistance.

14. Dealing with the phone:
· Holding the instrument.
· Manipulating buttons.
· Using a microphone.
· Using a software device.
· Telephone handling techniques.

15. Operating the computer:
· Voice activation.
· Screen reader software.
· Sticky keys in ms windows.
· Screen magnification.
· Changing colours.

16. Achieving targets:
· Make the work interesting.
· Measurement of performance.
· Frequent reviews.
· Reward success.
· Will the work lead to promotion?

17. Going home:
· Getting one’s coat.
· Accessible transport.
ACCESS CHECKLIST

This checklist is designed to act as a tool for your organisation to ensure that the physical environment is accessible for all.

Entry Yes No
· No steps or alternative to steps at the front door (e.g., ramps)  
· Steps which are non slippery and have edges marked  
· Signage is clear, illuminated, in large letters and at eye level,  
preferably with raised letters which can be felt.
· Accessible parking bays and pick up and drop off areas.  
· Sliding doors or doors which are not too heavy to operate  

Interiors Yes No
· Adequate space for independent access by a wheelchair user  
· Tables and desks at a height for wheelchair to fit underneath  
· Non slip floors and/or short level carpet pile  
· Stairs with handrails and with the edge of the steps clearly marked  
· Adequate, non reflective lighting  
· Provision of seating at strategic points  

Lifts Yes No
· Adequate space for independent access by a wheelchair user  
· Availability of handrails  
· Buttons at a level that can be reached by a person in a wheelchair  
· Large buttons which have tactile identifiers  
· Audible signals to let a person know the lift doors are opening/closing  
and that the lift has arrived at a particular floor
· No lip on lift door/floor to trip on  





Toilets Yes No
· Accessible toilet on each floor or toilets which are easily and quickly  
located in the building
· Clear signage providing direction to the toilet (including symbols having  
a raised profile)
· Entry door easy to open – preferably opening out  
· Sufficient room in cubicle for a wheelchair to access and have  
the door open/close
· Grab rails at appropriate heights beside and at the rear of the toilet  
· Space at one side of the toilet to allow for a side transfer  
· Toilet paper in reach of the toilet  
· Knee space under wash basin  


Other
· Telephones accessible to a person in a wheelchair  
· A telephone with volume control  
· Tea/coffee making facilities accessible to a person in a wheelchair  
· Auditory and visual fire alarms  
· A hearing loop installed in meeting rooms for people with a  
hearing impairment using a hearing aid.

References:
All of the following are available in the library of the National Disability Authority (NDA).

Buildings for Everyone, NRB 1998.

Part M of the Building Regulations (August 2000) Minimum Standards for accessibility for Disabled People.

Inclusive Consultation, A practical guide to involving people with disabilities, Office of Disability, Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services, 1999.

Agencies Responsible for Access


STATUTORY AGENCY LEGISLATION


Equality Authority Employment Equality Act, 1998

Equal Status Act 1999


Gardai Road Traffic Acts


Fire Authority Fire Service Act 1981
Fire Certificates


Building Control Authority Building Regulations
Building Control Act 1990
Building Control Regulations 1997
Building Control Regulations 2000


Planning Authority Local Government (Planning and Development Acts)


Health and Safety Authority Safety & Health Issues
Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989
General Application Regulations 1993