FACILITIES IN BUILDINGS, OTHER THAN DWELLINGS, FOR WHEELCHAIR ACCESSABILITY

Objectives  

1.1 The aim is for all people to have access to, and the use of, all the facilities provided within buildings. They should also be able to participate in the proceedings at lecture/conference facilities and at entertainment or leisure and social venues, not only as spectators, but also as participants and/or staff.  

1.2 Where permanent or removable seating is provided as part of the design, allowance should be made for disabled people to have a choice of seating location at spectator events. It place while not obstructing the view of others.  

1.3 In refreshment facilities, bars and counters (or sections of them) should be at a level suitable for wheelchair users. All floor areas, even when located at different levels, should be accessible.  

1.4 A proportion of the sleeping accommodation in hotels, motels and student accommodation should be designed for independent use by wheelchair users. The remainder should include facilities that make them suitable for people who do not use a wheelchair, but may have mobility, sensory, dexterity or learning difficulties.  

Audience and spectator facilities 

Design considerations 

1.5 Audience and spectator facilities fall primarily into three categories: a. lecture/conference facilities b. entertainment facilities (e.g. theatres/cinemas)  

c. sports facilities (e.g. stadia). Note: The guidance here relates mainly to seating. 

1.6 Wheelchair users and those with mobility or sensory impairment may need to view or listen from a particular side, or sit in the front for lip reading or to read sign interpreters. They should be provided with spaces into which they can manoeuvre easily, and which offer them a clear view of an event, while ensuring they are not segregated into special areas. Wheelchair users, people who have difficulty in using seats with fixed arms and those with assistance dogs, should also have the choice of sitting next to a conventionally seated person or a companion wheelchair user. Consideration should be given to providing an area next to certain seats for an assistance dog to rest. By having some removable seating at the front and back of blocks of seats (possibly in complete rows), greater flexibility in location can be achieved and a greater number of wheelchair users than the minimum provision shown, can be accommodated.  

1.7 Greater spacing between rows of seats at the rear of a block of seating, or at the end of rows, may provide extra legroom for people of large stature. With several seats removed, these locations may also be suitable for wheelchair users. It is desirable for seating to contrast visually with the surroundings.  

1.8 All users of facilities should be able to locate suitable seating and move safely and easily to and from the seating area and ancillary accommodation, such as lavatories, dining rooms and bedroom suites.  

Lecture/conference facilities 

1.9 People with hearing impairments should be able to participate fully in conferences, committee meetings and study groups. All people should be able to use presentation facilities. 

Consideration should be given to good sight lines and the design and location of lecture equipment (demonstration table, lectern, projection screen) to ensure that patterned walls, poor interior lighting or very bright natural back-lighting does not have a detrimental effect on the ability of 

people to receive information from a sign language interpreter or a lip speaker.  

Entertainment, leisure and social facilities  

1.10 In facilities for entertainment, e.g. theatres and cinemas, it is normal for seating to be more closely packed than in other types of auditoria. Care is needed in the design and location of wheelchair spaces so that all visitors can enjoy the atmosphere. Reference should also be made to ‘Technical Standard for Places of Entertainment’.  

Sports facilities  

1.11 For guidance on integrating the needs of disabled people into the 

design of spectator facilities, in particular the provision of, and access 

to, suitable spaces for wheelchair users in stadia, see ‘Guide to Safety at 

Sports Grounds’, ‘Accessible stadia: a good practice guide to the design of facilities to meet the needs of disabled spectators and other users’ and ‘Access for Disabled People’.  

Provisions 

1.12 Audience and spectator facilities will satisfy Requirement M1 if: For audience seating generally a. the route to wheelchair spaces is accessible by wheelchair users; b. stepped access routes to audience seating are provided with fixed handrails. the minimum number of permanent and removable spaces provided for wheelchair users is in accordance with Table 3; d. some wheelchair spaces (whether permanent or created by removing seats) are provided in pairs, with standard seating on at least one side (see Diagram 13); e. where more than two wheelchair spaces are provided, they are located to give a range of views of the event at each side, as well as at front and back of the seating area; f. the minimum clear space provided for access to wheelchair spaces is 900mm; g. the clear space allowance for an occupied wheelchair in a parked position is 900mm wide by 1400mm deep; h. the floor of each wheelchair space is horizontal; i. some seats are located so that an assistance dog can accompany its owner and rest in front of, or under, the seat; j. standard seats at the ends of rows and next to wheelchair spaces have detachable, or lift-up, arms; 

For lecture/conference facilities 

k. where a podium or stage is provided, wheelchair users have access 

to it by means of a ramp or lifting platform; m. a hearing enhancement system.  

Access for All