TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract 1 Acknowledgement 2 Chapter 1 - An Introduction 3 9 Chapter 2 Disability And the Built Environment 10 17 Chapter 3 Legislation & Policy Framework 18 24 Chapter 4 The Wheelchair And I: A Documentary (An Audit) 25 - 26 Wheelchair Bound in the Sydney CBD Sydney City LGA 27 72 Wheelchair Bound in the Eastern Suburb Randwick LGA 73 114 Wheelchair Bound in the North West Sydney Hornsby LGA 115 146 Chapter 5 Research Outcomes 147 159 Chapter 6 Way Forward & Conclusion 160 - 164 Bibliography 165 169 Appendix 170 - 181 Abstract The built environment always offers many challenges to its users, but especially for people with disabilities. The access limitations of our urban areas, as a result of poor planning and design, are largely attributed to traditional neglect of the disabled population as a minority group. However, recent data reveals a reality which is to the contrary. Moreover, this issue will be further exacerbated by a rapidly aging population. In recent years, there has been greater recognition by government of the need to rectify accessibility barriers, and moves have been initiated to improve accessibility in building design. Yet a holistic approach has yet to be devised to remove such barriers from the public domain in totality. Urban planning must provide a built environment which facilitates the needs of people with disabilities and encourages their independence and social inclusion. The aim of this thesis is to identify accessibility barriers within the public domain and recommend the means in which planning can play a role to rectify them. With the aid of a wheelchair and a camera, an accessibility audit was undertaken in the CBD, inner and outer areas of Metropolitan Sydney to identify barriers. Personal reflections of both physical and attitudinal barriers are also recorded. 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I must express my gratitude to the following people, who have in different ways made the production of this thesis possible: Dr Susan Thompson for supervising this thesis and for her key guidance, enthusiasm, inspirational drive and much support, Tammy and Ka Yan for their precious input, who provided invaluable help with image analysis, computer skills and assistance in my fieldwork observation , and more importantly, their unconditional love and support, Camryn for her consistent encouragement, direction, friendship, emotional support and contribution in fieldwork observation, Kyou and Bertha for their care and support, Ranky and Adz for their invaluable help in fieldwork observation and support, Ms Hume for helping me reviewing the thesis and offering her guidance, Adrian for his love, care, support, company, patience, helpful advice and reviewing the thesis, and My parents, my brothers and my sister for their tremendous support, unfailing love and faith in me. 2 INTRODUCTION In considering the issue of disability in our society, the built environment is probably the most potent symbol of the exclusion of people with impairments from society. - Simon Ungar, Glasgow Caledonian University PROBLEM SETTING The urban environment offers many challenges to its users, but especially for those with physical, sensory or learning disabilities. These challenges often present themselves as obstacles towards full accessibility. How significant is the issue of inaccessibility? . one may ask. Accessibility of the built environment is a key requirement for people with disabilities to achieve greater independence, participation and social inclusion. An accessible environment, which ensures all its users can access goods and services, receive education and seek employment and recreation, is fundamental to a society that is based on equal rights and opportunities. Moreover, the following trends indicate that disability will become a more prominent condition amongst the Australian population: · The disabled population is no minority group. According to the Survey of Disability, Aging and Carers 2003 undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 3.9 million people in Australia had a disability1 in 2003. This figure represents 20% of the population. In other words, one in five people were suffering from a limitation, restriction or impairment of some sort that restricted everyday activity. · The rate of disability will substantially increase in light of a rapidly aging Australian population. The prevalence of disability generally increases with age (refer to Table 1.1), due to increased exposure to accidents and risks, work related injuries and illnesses with age. In 2003, the overall disability prevalence rate was 4% for the 0-4 years old age group, 41% for the 65-69 age group and 92% for the over-90 age group. With a significant number of baby boomers reaching old age, and longer life expectancies, there is little doubt that disability rates will 1 The definition of disability in accordance with the ABS s Survey of Disability, Aging and Carers: any limitation, restriction or impairment, which has lasted, or is likely to last, for at least six months and restricts everyday activities. Chapter 1: Introduction 3 increase significantly in the future. Table 1.1: Disability Rates by Age and Gender (ABS 2003) THE NEED FOR AN INCLUSIVE URBAN ENVIRONMENT In light of the above trends, the society must prepare itself to sufficiently cater for the changing needs of its demography. One of the key new needs of the new demography would be an accessible environment. Past designs of the urban environment often hindered and restricted access by people with disabilities. There were several contributory factors: In the past, there were a lack of legislation and policies which protected the rights of people with disabilities In the past, professionals in the planning, design, property development, construction field were not attentive to the needs of the end user Social and attitudinal barriers possessed by the general society viewed people with disabilities as inferior and of little value (Imrie and Hall 2001) It is this discriminatory and ignorant attitude towards people with disabilities that has led to the development of a highly inaccessible urban environment. The most obvious barriers are those which impede or restrict access by persons with disabilities, especially if the person is wheelchair bound. There is a somewhat different category consisting of alterations which have been made for wheelchair users, but which have clearly been poorly designed and thus causing inconvenience and risks. A third type of barrier can be identified and it is relatively subtle. This refers to those places where access has been provided, but the mode of Chapter 1: Introduction 4 access makes the wheelchair user feel like a second-class citizen. As the issue of disability becomes more prominent, design will be more important than ever. Fortunately, societies improve. With much greater recognition of the rights of people with disability, inclusive design principles are being increasingly promoted by government bodies and activist groups, and are being swiftly incorporated into legislation and policies. The term, inclusive design, with regards to the built environment, refer to the practice of providing access to all aspects of the built environment and community for all people. The fundamental condition is that such access should be considered as a right of all people, and not a privilege. The role of planners, in light of this, is to ensure that the development of urban environment embraces inclusive design principles, facilitates all its users to live and pursue life freely and ensure that they all have equal rights and opportunities in the lives. OBJECTIVES The three chief objective of this thesis is to: · Identify needs of disabled people · Identify the barriers in several built environments within Sydney · Identify means of eliminating barriers REASONS FOR THIS FOCUS The contemporary planner must today deal with a wide range of different stakeholders, understand their needs and fulfil different requirements and desires. One of the minority groups that is less catered for within the demography are people with disabilities. The many basic day to day activities that abled-body people carry out in the urban environment on a day to day basis, such as freely accessing public places and making use of public amenities, are actually challenges that persons with disabilities need to tackle everyday. My interest in the topic of disability was partly fuelled by a number of daily encounters and observations. The most motivational event was witnessing the activities of one of my neighbours, who is wheelchair-bound. He frequently makes short trips by himself to the Maroubra Town Centre and the local park on his electric wheelchair. On numerous occasions, he was seen travelling on the road space of our street rather than on the pedestrian pathways. Upon further investigation, I Chapter 1: Introduction 5 realise that the hilly terrain of my street and the lack of ramps along the sidewalks means that wheelchair users have no choice but to travel along the street itself. Figure 1.1. An inaccessible footpath for people with disabilities. Wheelchair users have no choice but to travel on the road itself, increasing safety risk. Stairs are also less convenient for elderly people. It was this observation that drove my urge to investigate how our urban environment caters for persons with disability. This urge was further sparked by working with a property developer during my practical year of work experience. I vividly remember that a provision within a Local Environmental Plan required one of his developments to provide a minimum of 2 disabled parking spaces. These two spaces were provided at the basement level of the development. However, access to the residential units above was provided by stairs only. This led me to question why the spaces were provided in the first place. There were obviously gaps within the existing planning legislation framework. This is simply a case of satisfying requirements, with no thought given to the actual needs of certain members of the community. As a planner, I feel our profession can do better.

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