Clarence City Council has developed an Access and Inclusion Assessment Toolkit as a unique resource to assist with general design elements for buildings, facilities, streetscapes, and recreational spaces to deliver more accessible and inclusive facilities for their community.
The toolkit, titled ‘The Human Factor’, champions and supports the key importance of accommodating all people in the community when planning for and creating accessible and inclusive environments.
Incorporating legislative standards, universal design, inclusive approaches and functionality to planning, the toolkit helps council staff assess the level of accessibility to and within council’s existing buildings and facilities, and identify poor functionality or design issues early on in the initial planning phases.
The toolkit is an easily navigated guide to suit any project at hand, with fillable components that can be completed online or in hard copy.
The Access and Inclusion Assessment Toolkit was a collaborative project of council’s Disability Access and Positive Ageing Advisory Committees.
The toolkit is relevant and useful for those who:
- Plan for and contract others when working on new or redesigned buildings or facilities, public open spaces, or recreation and sporting venues;
- Work on landscape design or streetscape projects;
- Plan for and develop roads, pathways, transport, car parking or track and trails;
- Want to ensure that community spaces and places are safe; and
- Have an interest in the redevelopment of a council facility.
Clarence Mayor, Alderman Doug Chipman said, “It’s fantastic to have developed a toolkit that is so responsive and representative of our community values, and is being praised by other councils and building designers as a unique and valuable resource”.
Clarence City Council Alderman and Chair of the Disability Access and Advisory Committee Beth Warren added, “We’re proud to have developed an Access and Inclusion Toolkit which expands on all the things people should consider when designing premises to meet the needs of all people, regardless of their range of mobility, vision or other accessibility needs”.
“Universal Design is the concept of designing spaces that provide all users with dignified and equitable access. It’s easier and cheaper to do at the start than to retrofit, and it means we can design buildings that suit people at all stages of their life”.
The toolkit is currently being utilised by the council to assist in the design phase for a new toilet block in South Arm.