Appendix B
Physical Access Checklist
This checklist is intended as a guide only and is specifically designed to assist you when choosing venues for conferences and meetings, as well as providing a quick reference to ensure that access issues are being met in your own work areas. The Australian Standard 1428 should be referred to for more detailed information.
It is not a detailed checklist and applying it requires common sense. It is important to actually go and check the facility or building yourself. If you are unsure about the accessibility of a building, take a person with disability with you, or if this is not possible try and imagine what it would be like to have a disability and to be attempting to access the building.
For example, it is often not enough to just check whether a ramp is present. You will need to consider how steep it is, check that it is smooth, check that you don't have to go up stairs to get to the ramp and that the door at the end of the ramp can be opened by a person in a wheelchair.
The checklist also states a number of things that are optimal and it may not always be possible to get all of them in the one building. Accessibility of toilets and general access to the building are key issues but maximum accessibility should always be the aim.
In addition to the checklist you should always:
- ask if anyone attending the meeting/conference has any special requirements; and
- check that the staff at the venue are aware of disability access issues and amenable to ensuring equal access for people with disability.
Checklist of things to consider
Entry
- accessible parking bays and pick up/drop off areas
- no steps or an alternative to steps at the front entrance (for example, ramps);
- steps that are not slippery and have marked edges;
- sliding doors or doors that are not too heavy to operate; and
- clear, large, non-reflective writing on signs.
Interiors
- adequate space for independent access by a wheelchair user;
- tables, desks etc at a height for a wheelchair to fit underneath;
- non slip floors and/or short level carpet pile;
- provision of seating at strategic points;
- stairs with handrails and with the edges of steps clearly marked; and
- adequate lighting, ventilation and heating/cooling and access to controls.
Lifts
- adequate space for independent access by a wheelchair user;
- availability of handrails;
- buttons at a level that can be reached by a person in a wheelchair;
- large buttons that have tactile identifiers;
- audible signals to let a person know the lift doors are opening/closing, or that the lift has arrived at a particular floor; and
- no raised lips on door or floor to trip on.
Toilets
- accessible toilet on each floor or toilets which are easily and quickly located in the building;
- clear signage providing directions to toilets (including symbols having a raised profile);
- entry door easy to open-preferably opening out;
- sufficient room in a cubicle for a wheelchair to access and have the door open/close;
- grab rails at appropriate heights beside and at the rear of the toilet;
- space at one side of the toilet to allow for a side transfer;
- toilet paper in reach of the toilet; and
- knee space under the wash basin to allow access by a wheelchair user.
Telephones
- telephones with adjustable volume control;
- TTY phone available for use; and
- telephone accessible to a person in a wheelchair.
Other
- tea/coffee/refreshment facilities accessible to a person in a wheelchair;
- auditory and visual fire alarms;
- hearing loop installed in the meeting room(s);
- videos used in presentations should be captioned and positioned to give all participants good line of sight; and
- context of videos to be explained to people with a vision impairment to make listening easier.