Needs of People with Disabilities
From GPG
Contents |
Assessing the needs of those with restricted mobility or special needs
It is a requirement of the ROWIP legislation that every improvement plan includes an assessment of the accessibility of local rights of way to those who are blind or partially sighted or who have other mobility problems. At the same time, authorities will want to have regard to the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Acts. They will look to their new ROWIPs to set out both the overall policies the authority intends to adopt and the practical steps that are needed to ensure that as many rights of way as possible can be open and available to all sections of the community. The principles of the 1995 Act therefore need to be fully embraced in ROWIPs as an overarching philosophy.
The study of Accessibility and the Needs of People With Disabilities for the City of York Council York accessibility report provides general guidance on the approach towards assessing the needs of those with disabilities, evaluating the existing path network and current information provision, and how to incorporate the principles underlying the 1995 Act into the authority's improvement plan. The starting point should be a review of the authority's existing policies that address or are relevant to widening accessibility. Among the other key points made by the York study are that:
- People with disabilities have needs and aspirations as diverse as any other access group. Highway Authorities need to be sensitive to these aspirations.
- Engaging with disabled people requires different approaches to those traditionally used by local authorities, especially as current barriers may hide the potential users of more accessible paths and tracks.
- Consultation and engagement with people with disabilities must be an integral part of the ROWIP process. Consultation needs to be about establishing an ongoing rapport, not just finding out facts and figures.
- People prefer face-to-face consultations to questionnaires and public meetings. This approach also helps to build support and rapport.
- Disability issues are not just confined to users who walk. Horse riding and cycling can greatly increase accessibility for mobility-impaired users, although this can be easily overlooked.
- The best ROWIPs will inherently improve accessibility for all, through everything they do; addressing disability issues must become an integral part of all ROW management, and not a separate chapter or work area. Such improvements invariably increase accessibility for many other users too and can help secure external funding.
The report outlines good practice in developing an accessibility policy, consultation and engagement with those with disabilities, surveying the accessibility of the existing network and the provision of information. On consultation and engagement, the study tested a range of methods. It found that participants placed great emphasis on talking to people face to face using methods such as facilitated workshops, small group discussions and guided walks.
With regard to assessing the accessibility of the path network, the study suggests that a detailed accessibility survey would not normally be necessary – or possible – as part of the ROWIP process, rather the priority should be to work with relevant stakeholders to establish their needs and aspirations and to ensure they are fully engaged in the consultation process. A full audit of key paths is likely to be needed however, once the plan is in place to enable specific proposals to be developed and progressed towards implementation. A suggested survey template for this is included.
City of York Council ROWIP Chapter 4 – Access Users and their Needs
Mobility and Visually Impaired
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act requires local authorities to take into account the needs of people with visual impairment and mobility problems. For the purposes of York's ROWIP a wider remit has been used to include the needs of other disabled people and older people, who have difficulty with physical or intellectual access.
People with disabilities have needs and aspirations as diverse as any other access group. Highway authorities need to be sensitive to these aspirations at a local level. For example, cycling and horse riding can increase access for people with disabilities and so consideration needs to extend beyond people who walk on two feet.
Section 21 (2)a,b,c of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 provides that 'from 2004, service providers will have to take reasonable steps to remove, alter or provide reasonable means of avoiding physical features that make it impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people to use a service.' The Disability Rights Commission holds that public rights of way are a service under the terms of the Act. This means that City of York Council as highway authority and service provider, must consider the needs of disabled users in all the work they carry out.
The Rights of Way Use and Demand study (2001) carried out by Entec established that the majority of disabled people thought that much of the network currently available to them was by way of a token gesture. To this end the principles of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 need to be fully embraced in the ROWIP as an overarching philosophy, quite apart from meeting any specific minimum physical standards.
The Council has a duty to ensure all services areaccessible to those with disabilities. Physical improvements to the path network to increas eaccessibility means better access for everyone.
Disability issues are not just confined to users who walk. Horse riding and cycling can greatly increase accessibility for mobility impaired users, although this can be overlooked. In addition, the levels of challenge and capability can vary greatly as much within people with disabilities as any other group of users.
People with disabilities have varying needs and capabilities. Over the last 15 years the problems faced by disabled people have been well documented by organisations including the Countryside Agency, Fieldfare Trust and the Sensory Trust, local authorities, the National Trust, Forest Enterprise, National Parks and National Trails. Their requirements for physical access to paths and rights of way are summarised below.
Needs of Wheelchair users
- Signs at eyelevel
- Gates which are easy to open and close, with catches which are easy to reach and operate
- Space on car parks to transfer from their car to their chair
- Accessible toilets
- Handrails at appropriate heights with views unrestricted by handrails or walls
- Surfaces which are firm, level and none slip, with a minimum cross-fall on paths, and even cambers
- Spaces to sit next to companions at seats and accessible picnic tables
- Space to pass other users
- Space to turn corners
- Minimum gradients on all paths with level space next to ramps or gates
Needs of People with Walking Difficulties or Dexterity/Balance Problems
- Level even surfaces on paths
- Steps with handrails and even treads and risers
- Seats that are easy to rise from
- Minimum gaps in the path surface
- Minimum gradients along and across paths
- Easy to negotiate stiles and gates
- Gates that are not heavy and catches that are easy to operate
- Passing places on paths
- Resting places at regular intervals
Needs of Visually Impaired People
- Space to pass other path users
- Clear edges to paths
- Even and clearly marked steps
- Warning of hazards at head height
- Even path surfaces
- Easy to use catches on gates.
People with hearing impairment or learning disability
The needs of people with hearing impairment or learning disability are primarily about clear information provision and the welcome they receive from on-site staff, for example Rangers or Community Leisure Officers.
Disabled cyclists and horse riders
The needs of disabled cyclists and horse riders often tend to get ignored. However, it is useful to remember that the needs of younger or inexperienced riders can be much the same as for older or disabled riders.
Like other disabled users, these groups need good information about accessibility such as locations of gates, gradients, surfaces and supporting facilities such as toilets. Like able bodied riders many disabled riders travel to a ride using horseboxes, so location of good parking needs to be considered.
Research carried out in York found that the main requirements for older and disabled riders centre around:
- Parking for horseboxes if people don't ride from home
- Hitching rails at stopping places
- Places to mount and dismount
- The space around bridle gates
- Catches that can be operated without dismounting
- Bridleways wide enough to allow unconfident riders to pass safely, and perhaps to allow one horse to be led from another.
There is a wealth of information about the needs of people with disabilities and the difficulties they face, however, this needs to be translated into a local context through consultation before management priorities and work programmes can be set.
Quite often, by taking into account the needs of people with visual and mobility problems, the needs of other users are also met and accessibility improved for everyone.
In addition, increasing accessibility can be as much about increasing awareness, confidence and links with transportation, as physical improvements to path surfaces and furniture.
