|03 9001 5805Call Now
A question we have received a number of times within our practice is the provision of and identification of ‘Gender Neutral’ toilets. Upon researching signage options we were dismayed at the various designs currently being used. For this reason, we decided we would develop our own. Tanisha Cowell from our practice has discussed this in … Continue reading A New Inclusive ‘Gender Neutral’ Toilet Sign
F2.4 Accessible Sanitary Facilities In a building required to be accessible – accessible unisex sanitary compartments must be provided in accessible parts of the building… The above reference from the 2016 National Construction Code (NCC) Volume One of the Building Code of Australia (BCA), instructs the provision of hygiene facilities fit for use by males … Continue reading Is gender specified signage in sanitary facilities required?
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) refers accommodation for participants who are eligible for specialist housing solutions to assist with the delivery of environmental supports to cater for their significant functional impairment and/or meet their very high (support) needs. SDA refers to the homes in which support services are delivered, and may include specific designs for people with … Continue reading NDIS Specialist Disability Accommodation
We are regularly told in our practice by clients, that building modifications to provide access for people with disability cannot be undertaken due to “Heritage Restrictions” on the subject property. This, however, is an incorrect statement and I hope the following post makes things clearer, particularly in terms of the hierarchical levels of Australian legislation. Firstly … Continue reading Heritage Premises and Disability Access
A unisex toilet is a public toilet designed to be suitable for use by both males and females, and is now often extended for use by persons of any gender, which benefits population groups who identify themselves as any identity outside the boundaries of male/female. Here at Equal Access we often receive inquiries as to … Continue reading Why Can’t I Have A Unisex Ambulant Toilet?
There is currently a lot of confusion regarding what toilets are required to be provided in a childcare centre, being a Class 9b building. The current Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standards 2010 (Premises Standards) and Building Code of Australia (BCA) requires the following amenities be provided for people with a disability. The Building … Continue reading Accessible (Disabled) and Ambulant Toilets within Childcare Centres
Drop Down Grab Rails – Compliance Issues. “If we use a drop down grab rail in the accessible toilet, the facility can double as an ambulant toilet, right?” This is a general enquiry that pops up in the office from time to time but our view is simply no, it can’t. Most frequently this question … Continue reading Can an Accessible (Disabled) Toilet be used as an Ambulant Toilet
We often get asked about openings in floor surfaces, and how big these openings can be in order to meet the AS 1428.1 standards. AS 1428.1 Clause 7.5 accepts that a grate may be used on a continuous accessible path of travel if circular openings are not greater than 13mm in diameter. This Clause also … Continue reading Is it a great grate or a not so great grate?
As of the 1st of May 2014, the Building Code of Australia (BCA) introduced amendments to include specific requirements surrounding slip resistance for buildings. These requirements were introduced to help enhance building designs to minimise the risk of slips to and within buildings and extended to ramps, stairways and landings. Parts of buildings required to comply … Continue reading Slip Resistance in Wet areas (Updated)
As a disability access consultancy we get the opportunity to review a lot of architectural drawings, which we love to do. The main reason we get to do this is to undertake desktop reviews of architectural designs to ensure that they comply with all access requirements of the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and the … Continue reading Stair Landings and Compliant Internal Handrails