Wednesday, April 21, 2004 Tom rolls out plans to open doors for all By: Michael GallagherThe age-old problem of access to buildings and parking spaces for disabled people still exists but a Newport man has been making great efforts to come up with solutions.Tom Chambers is the Access Officer with the PWDI (People with disabilities Ireland) and he’s revelling in the role. He has been a tireless campaigner for disabled rights over the years and believes that the message is slowly getting through“Many developers have provided excellent access for the disabled but there are a number still out there who would look the other way if they got away with it. A lack of awareness and education exists among some architects, designers and service providers as to how to include people with a disability in the provision of full accessibility in buildings. Their actions are very distressing and they have no excuse because all they have to do is contact me and I will fill them in on all the regulations. Access sometimes focuses only on wheelchair users, however visually impaired people and others need to be included too. Facilities must be designed with everyone in the community in mind and this has to be correctly implemented.”The concept of ‘design for all” was introduced after the BarcelonaDeclaration came into being in 1995. The declaration was designed to enable local authorities to introduce measures that make cities, towns and villages accessible for all.Tom is regularly consulted by the local authorities and private developers when buildings are being designed and this has helped the situation greatly, he believes.“Simple consultation with the PWDI can divert a lot of problems. There’s little sense in providing wheelchair accessible toilets if disabled people cannot get into the building. There’s little point providing access at the front door if the building has stairs and no lift. A little thought, planning and consultation can go a long way.”