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ME/CFS AUSTRALIA (SA) INC
Registered Charity 698
Mailing address:
GPO Box 383,
Adelaide,
South Australia 5001
Office:
266 Port Road,
Hindmarsh,
South Australia 5007
Ph: (08) 8346 3237
('834 MECFS')
Office Hours:
Wednesdays, 10am-3pm
Support Line:
(Mondays and Thursdays,
10am-3pm)
Ph: (08) 8346 3237
SA country callers:
Ph: 1300 128 339
(local call)
FIBROMYALGIA HELP: Contact Fibromyalgia SA at the Arthritis Foundation of SA 118 Richmond Road, Marleston 5033 Ph: (08) 8379 5711 |
ME/CFS Australia (SA) Inc supports the needs of sufferers of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and related illnesses. We do this by providing services and information to members.
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Disclaimer
ME/CFS Australia (SA) Inc aims to keep members informed of the various research projects, diets, medications, therapies etc. All communication, both verbal and written, is merely to disseminate information and not to make recommendations or directives.
Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed on this Web site are not necessarily the official views of the Society or its Committee and are not simply an endorsement of products or services.
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Campaigning for a better Access to Buildings Standard
Monday 2 July 2007
Australian building codes on disabled access are deficient in many areas, and the building industry has been campaigning against a range of improvements to them.
We’ve been asked to add our name to the campaign for a better deal for the disabled on this important issue. We’re gladly doing so. But we will also get back to the Physical Disability Council of Australia to note that the changes which it is fighting for exclude anything to do with people with chemical sensitivities.
Anyway, read on and see if there’s anything you want to do personally to fight for the common cause:
June 2007
Dear Colleagues,
The Physical Disability Council of Australia is the national peak disability organisation representing the interests and views of people with physical disability in Australia.
We are writing to you to seek your urgent support regarding the draft Access to Premises Standard under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
We wish to progress the Standard to ensure all Australians with disability have access to all areas of the community.
Even before the federal DDA became law in 1993 it was clear that there were inconsistencies between the access provisions of building law as required by the Building Code of Australia (BCA), and the non-discriminatory provisions of discrimination law.
To address this problem, work has been occurring over a number of years to develop an Access to Premises Standard, which would bring the Building Code of Australia into line with the DDA, ensuring equitable access to all public buildings for people with disability, and by extension to parents and older people.
20% of Australians have a disability and the proportion is increasing as the population ages (ABS Disability, Ageing and Carers Survey, 2003). Through the DDA, Australia has committed to removing wherever possible the barriers faced by people with disability. This is nowhere more important than in relation to access to public buildings and premises.
In addition to those who have a disability, many other Australians have struggled to use public buildings because they are inaccessible, including the parents of young children and older people. In fact, it has been estimated that 10% of all Australians cannot climb even a single flight of stairs.
Briefly, some of the key elements of the draft Premises Standard include spatial dimensions for lifts, the number of accessible toilets, doorways and corridors that would allow 90 percent of users of mobility devices to use buildings with ease and safety, as required by the DDA. (Mobility devices include wheelchairs, electric scooters, walking frames, crutches and assistance dog guides.) This was a substantial improvement on the current Building Code, which only required that 80 percent of users’ needs be met.
Regrettably, since the release of the draft Premises Standard, some sections of the building and development industry have proposed a number of concessions that would exclude many people from public buildings and institutionalise and legitimise the exclusion of people with more significant disabilities from public places. The most alarming of these are the proposal to effectively limit access to the 80th percentile user and to not require lifts in 2 or 3 storey buildings.
The exclusionary impact of these changes cannot be underestimated. As you would be aware, small premises usually house some of our most important community resources, such as banks, doctors and dentists, lawyers and accountants as well as many other essential public services.
The proposed changes would potentially leave many communities without a single building that could be fully used by people with disability, parents of young children or older people. The cost of the changes would also fall disproportionately on people living in regional and rural Australia, as many of these communities would not have a single building of more than 3 storeys. In fact, if 2 and 3 storey buildings were exempted from having to install lifts, most of our nation would not be required to be fully accessible.
Equitable access is a right that this country can well afford. It is an investment in the nation's infrastructure and social capital, and an investment in the future
After considerable research and consultation, PDCA are now at the point where we have identified priorities for world class access to premises for people with physical disabilities, we are ready to submit our proposal to the government and will stand firm on areas where we are not prepared to compromise.
We ask you to support Australians with disability, parents and older people by helping to ensure that the proposals by PDCA in its Position Paper for the Access to Premises Standard are incorporated into the Building Code of Australia.
This is how you can assist us.
You can allow us to use your name and logo to show your support for our campaign. All you need to do is send us a return email with your full organisational name and your logo attached.
A list of disability and community organisations (National and State) will be attached to the Position Paper to show their support for making Australia a more accessible country and names of individual supporters will also be included on our website.
The position paper will be released when completed in the next few weeks and can be made available to ensure that each supporter is aware of our position.
You can further assist us by passing this letter on to any other disability or community organisation or agency that supports equitable access for people with disabilities, so they too can add their name to the list.
We look forward to your urgent reply and thank you in anticipation. Please feel free to contact the writer for further information (contact details below)
Yours sincerely
Louise Lowe (for PDCA)
Access Project Officer
Ph: (07) 3398 9965
Mob: 0402 811 107
Email: ozlowe@optusnet.com.au
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