Event follow up: Accessibility in a post Covid19 world
Steve Dering and Steven Mifsud (pictured left and right) deliver their presentation for the NDSA
Direct Access Director Steven Mifsud and Chief Operations Officer Steve Dering delivered an eye opening presentation into the hardships faced by many of those in our society who, as a consequence of one form of disability or another, struggle in navigating or interacting in our built environment.
Covid19 is having the effect of slowly reducing availability of brail signage and tactile maps in public spaces
A considerable amount of the retrofitted interventions implemented in response to the Covid19, particularly our interior spaces as we saw in this presentation, are further impeding the capacity to which those who are disabled can interact or participate unimpaired.
This includes everything from the placement and colour of hand sanitisers, use of perspex screens in receptions, through to prohibiting the use of tactile signage including brail and relief maps.
While there are no numbers yet to draw from, it isn’t hard to imagine that the single entrance and exit routes we now see on a daily basis will almost certainly fail a considerable number of wheelchair users who will have already been short on suitably adopted or designed spaces.
Unexpectedly central to this problem is The Health & Safety Act, as Steven demonstrates takes legal precedent and therefore priority. Ultimately this means that in any instance where an argument can be made to provide what are believed or perceived to be safer measures to combat the virus, these measures can be taken at the expense of successfully implemented accessibility.
One example demonstrated by Steven during the presentation was in the case of accessible bathrooms, whereby some are used as storage cupboards for PPE and rendered out of order for disabled persons as a consequence. The Health and Safety Act does not cover nor account for the inevitable inconveniences, distress and alienation this could potentially cause for persons with limited mobility.
Another considerable problem currently being compounded by Covid related measures is way-finding. It was explained how wayfinding is a already major challenge for many, but with added urgency surrounding Covid people are encouraged to quickly enter and exit spaces of public gatherings.
A considerable number of the measures many are now implementing in response to Covid19 go further to reducd the limited provision already in place.
Further care and attention can be made when adapting spaces for Health & Safety design response measures. Steven and Steve have shown us this will likely be implemented without consultation and limited consideration of the consequences for all.
Steven Mifsud explained how he has worked hard over the past 20 years to encourage more accessible design. The documentation behind these endeavours are now being brought into question as a consequence of the pandemic and our response to it.
Approved Document M, BSI Standards and other pieces of design legislation will take time to adjust sufficiently while there are prohibiting overriding laws. There are however interesting advances being made in technology being developed that look to provide solutions. We can expect to see the integration of much more sensor controlled elements of our spaces, with gesture responsive doors being one example.
Real time subtitles were utilised for this talk
In an NDSA first and with considerable support and guidance from Direct Access and A I Media, this event was live streamed to our audience with real time subtitle generation. While the technology is not quite perfect, it will have gone some way to making this presentation more accessible to people who have hearing impairments and we will be looking to integrating this functionality into more of our events in the future.
A video recording of the presentation has since been uploaded to our website and can be found by clicking here.