Editorial
The UK legislation on discrimination against the disabled mirrors that of many other developed countries around the world. Such legislation has major implications for the design and operation of premises. Under the UK Disability Discrimination Act 1995 Part 3 Section 22 “Discrimination in relation to facilities” it is “unlawful for a person managing any premises to discriminate against a disabled person occupying those premises:
in the way he permits the disabled person to make use of any benefits or facilities;
by refusing or deliberately omitting to permit the disabled person to make use of any benefits or facilities; or
by evicting the disabled person, or subjecting him to any other detriment”.
Discrimination in this context is defined as treating a person “less favourably than he treats or would treat others to whom that reason does not or would not apply”. The term disability refers to a person who has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
Perhaps our focus of attention should be on “disabling”environments rather than on people. Having recently experienced an inner ear infection for a temporary period, I was made conscious of just how disabling modern environments are becoming. The infection was associated with tinnitus,vertigo and problems with dealing with extreme light contrasts. Seen from this less “rose-tinted” perspective the world seemed much more confusing.
In just the same way that the internet is becoming populated with whizzing logos and indecipherable text: it seems this trend is now being mirrored in building signage and the absence of sense making. It is as if in all the complexity we are trying to make a statement “get with it, or get out”– a triumph of youthful complexity against age-old (or old-age)simplicity. Entrances and exits are often difficult to identify. In the case of large stores, it is invariably the exits that are difficult to exit from. A cynic might be led to believe this is an intentional ploy to delay the shopper. Similarly, buttons positioned in obscure locations provide hours of frustration for visitors leaving buildings.
An appeal to the FM community is that we should not assume the nature of“disabling environments” is clearly understood as a problem, nor are the remedies. Significant research needs to be undertaken if we are to understand how increasing complexity and technology is challenging our sense-making abilities in modern environments. Organisations such as Deafax (www.deafax.org/) are making an impact. The original aim of Deafax was to examine the positive impact that technology could make on the lives of deaf and hearing people. Along the same line of argument,our aim as facilities managers should be to use technology – not to challenge people – but to enable people to get on with their lives.
Edward Finch
