BARRIER FREE ENVIRONMENT FOR DIIFFERENTLY ABLED PERSON

1. SUBMITTED BY-
Iram Anwar

2. BARRIER FREE
ENVIRONMENT FEATURES IN
YOUR SOCIETY

3. Major types of disabilities
• We have to deal with five major types of disabilities while planning
accessible buildings for this important segment of the society. The
target groups may be categorized as following:
• 1. The sightless
• 2. The partly sighted
• 3. Wheel-chair users
• 4. People with limited walking abilities
• 5. The hearing impaired

4. Design elements to be considered
Disability has largely remained invisible in the mainstream development
agenda, resulting in a lack of equal access for these people to basic resources
like education, employment, healthcare, and legal and social support system.
Designing barrier-free environments is essential for enabling the disabled
people to move about safely and freely, and use all the facilities in the
immediate built environment without any assistance- roads, parks,
pavements, buildings, transport systems etc. One needs to consider so many
elements to make the built space accessible and hazard-free for people with
disabilities (for every user, in fact) in the real sense. The list is virtually
endless– door and passage widths, flooring surfaces, toilet fixtures, staircase
design and railings, door handles and counter heights, audio-visual signs, and
so on.

5. Is it necessary to remove barriers?
• Barriers make an environment unsafe and cause a high level of
difficulty to the user.
• Barriers cause spaces to be out of reach, denying people the
opportunity of participation in various spheres of life.
• This ranges from education, economic, social, cultural and many
other activities.
• This loss of opportunity is not only a loss for the person concerned
but also society’s loss which misses out on their contribution.
• A barrier causes exclusion

6. CONSTRUCTION AND
MAINTAINANCE STANDARDS
•Non-ambulatory disabilities
•The width and length of the wheelchair, its control and the
•diameter of the casters decide thefollowing:
•Width of entrances and exits (clear 900 mm)
•Width of the passage/corridor (min 900mm)
•Slope of the climbing (min. ramp slope 1:12)

7. .Walks and paths •Avoid grates and manholes in walks
Walks should be smooth, hard level
surface suitable for walking and
wheeling.
•The minimum walkway width would
be 1200 mm and for moderate two
way traffic it should be 1650 mm-1800
mm.
•Longitudinal walk gradient should be
3 to 5% (30 mm-50 mm in 1 metre)
When walks exceed 60 metre in length
it is desirable to provide rest area
adjacent to the walk at convenient
intervals with space for bench seats

8. PARKING
For parking of vehicles of disabled people the
following provisions shall be made:
•Surface parking for two care spaces shall be
provided near the entrance for physically
handicapped persons with maximum travel
distance of 30 m from building entrance.
•The width of parking bay shall be minimum
3.60 metre.
•The information stating that the space is
reserved for wheelchair users shall be
conspicuously displayed.

9. Buildings: Entrances
At least one primary entrance to each building to be wheelchairs
usable and to be indicated by a sign and shall be on a level that
would make the elevators accessible.
Passages •
The minimum clear passage width for a single wheelchair is 900
mm continuously.
• An accessible route should be 1200 mm wide to allow both a
wheelchair and a walking person
• The minimum passage width for two wheelchairs to pass side
by side is 1500 mm. Preferable width is 1800 mm.

10. Buildings: Doors
• Minimum clear width - 900mm. Single leaf non self closing
• Not to open –out into circulation spaces
• 400mm high kick plates be provided.
• Public buildings - Sliding automatic doors.
• Colour contrast with the adjoining wall..
• Glazed doors to be marked with a coloured band or
frame.
• Height of door handles and locks - 800mm from the floor.

11. Buildings: Windows
• To be designed to avoid the glare
• Large glass areas close to circulation spaces be marked with a
coloured band or frame.
• Sill not to be higher than 800mm
• Be easy to open and close.
• Controls be placed in the zone 900 to 1200mm from the floor.

12. Buildings: Stairs
Stairs be supplemented by lifts or ramps.
• Straight flights preferred.
• Treads - 300mm and risers not higher than 150mm.
• Steps to be of a consistent height and depth
throughout.
• Projecting Nosing to be avoided
• Handrails on both sides of any stairway. And be
continuous and extend not less than 300mm beyond
the top and bottom step
• Colour contrast

13. Site Development: Walks
• Public Walks be at least 1200mm wide
• Gradient not greater than 1 in 20.
• Non-slip surface and have level surfaces at regular intervals
• Be of a continuing common surface not interrupted by steps or
abrupt changes in level.
• Wherever walks cross other walks, driveways or parking lots they
should blend to a common level.

14. Toilets
One special W.C. in a set of toilet shall be provided
for the use of handicapped with essential
provision of wash basin near the entrance for the
handicapped.
a. The minimum size shall be 1500 mm x 1750
mm.
b. Minimum clear opening of the door shall be
900 mm and the door shall swing out.
c. Suitable arrangement of vertical/horizontal
handrails with 50mm. clearance from wall shall be
made in the toilet.

15. Wheelchair Stair Lift
a. Another option instead of ramp design is
Wheelchair Stair lift.
b. No need of ramp design , less space
required.
c. Railing on one side is required.
d. Can be used on the wall side.
e.it is also a good option for ramp in
auditorium.

16. THANK YOU