Video: Accessibility in a post Covid19 world
Accessibility consultants Steven Mifsud and Steve Dering deliver their presentaiton to the NDSA
At the end of the presentation we moved into a live Q&A session where Steven and Steve took questions from the audience. This included:
Are you aware of any technology for lifts that don't require touching?
Could you give examples of how you managed to tread the line of providing accessibility solutions without effecting the historic fabric.
You mentioned hand-swipe movements to open doors - are you aware of trails where there has been attempts made to integrate numerous forms of gesture responsive design in a space?
Is there a chance to talk to policy makers to make changes to Building Regulations and especially regulating the public space? Urban design solutions are often not working for accessibility.
You mentioned you have done some work with Virgin, they are a fantastic brand often at the forefront of cultural change. could you talk a bit more about the projects you’ve worked on with them?
It was mentioned at one point that there may be trouble with large spaces and large group gatherings - do you see smaller spaces as a potential solution to this? And if so, is there a potential balance to be found between close-quarters spaces for small gatherings and open spaces for large ones? Do you think that the balance of density will change in open spaces as a result and what is preferable from an accessibility point of view?
You mentioned that health and safety takes priority over accessibility. In your experience in the railway, an industry that is heavily health and safety focused, have you seen any early stage adopters to designing in response to scenarios where Covid19 is further impeding accessibility?
As Architects we tend to spot the negatives as we explore the built environment. What has been the worst example of poor accessibility perhaps specifically in relation to autism that you have experienced?
You mentioned that health and safety takes priority over accessibility. In your experience in the railway, an industry that is heavily health and safety focused, have you seen any early stage adopters to designing in response to scenarios where Covid19 is further impeding accessibility?