| 3.5 Assembly halls  Under this category fall movie-theaters, lecture halls, spectator seating in
sports centres, and other assembly halls with fixed seating.
The number of spaces designated for
wheelchair users in a seating area can be estimated according to the following table:
| Number of seats in a seating area |
Number of required spaces for wheelchair users |
| up to 600 |
6 i.e. 1/100 |
| up to 1000 |
6 + 2 |
| over 1000 |
8+1 for each additional increment of 1000 seats |
Some seats with removable or flip-up armrests
should be provided at row ends to accommodate a wheelchair user or a person with limited
ambulatory mobility.
A level floor area for wheelchair users
should be placed at row ends and should be scattered on different levels so as to have a
variety of seating and viewing locations (fig. 1).
3.7 Cafeterias and restaurants
New restaurants or parts of new restaurants
and eating spaces should be as accessible as possible to a wheelchair user.
In self-service restaurants tray slides and
counters should be mounted approximatly 0.90 m from the floor. Food shelves should be
mounted at a maximum height of 1.20 m (fig. 2).
Cantilevered tables or tables with straight
legs at each corner are preferable to central pedestals that might restrict wheelchair
access.
Stools and high tables are not suitable for
wheelchair users. Low tables should be provided as well.
3.8 Hotels
At least one room per new hotel or motel
should be accessible to a wheelchair user. Bathrooms connected to these rooms have to be
fully equipped. The layout should allow a lateral transfer to the toilet seat.
Rooms designated for wheelchair users should,
where possible, be placed at ground level so as to have a direct means of escape in case
of fire.
3.9 Hospitals and health facilities
All entrances should be accessible to a
wheelchair user. All rooms should be accessible
for the benefit of patients, disabled visitors and disabled staff members.
All clinics on all floors should be
accessible.
All patients' rest rooms should be accessible
to wheelchair user.
All administrative departments should be
accessible to staff members confined to wheelchairs.
3.10 Educational buildings
All teaching, administrative and common areas
should be accessible to a wheelchair user.
Suitable arrangements should be made for
stepped lecture halls or auditoriums (see table above).
At least one accessible unisex rest room
should be provided in each building other than student dormitories and residential
accommodations.
All recreational facilities should be usable
by disabled people, to the extent possible.
Colleges for physical education, police or
military training and other activities requiring full physical abilities need not be
accessible to disabled people. However, provisions should be made for disabled
administrative staff members.
3.11 Libraries
All open book stacks should be accessible.
All library facilities and equipment should
be accessible.
A special room should be provided for
sightless and for hearing-impaired people who need assistance while reading.
3.12 Sports buildings
Sports halls should be as accessible as
possible to a wheelchair user.
At least one shower room, one rest room and
one changing room per facility should be accessible to a wheelchair user.
Spectators' seating areas should be provided
for wheelchair users as specified (see table above).
3.13 Public transit buildings
All public areas used by passengers such as
banks, shops, waiting areas, customs areas baggage halls, booking halls, waiting areas,
inquiry offices, etc. should be accessible to a wheelchair user, wherever possible.
In bus, air and sea terminals, adjoining
spaces next to seating facilities should be provided for wheelchair users.
3.14 Industrial buildings
Arrangements for disabled employees are
directly related to the type of work they perform. Arrangements for disabled people need
not be considered in heavy manufacturing factories.
Arrangements for all disabled people should
be incorporated into the design of new light manufacturing factories where disabled people
may be employed.
4. EXISTING CONSTRUCTIONS
The highest degree of accessibility to all
people should be provided to the extent possible in accordance with the requirements
mentioned above.
For historic buildings, impossible to adapt
to suit the requirements of disabled people without affecting the historical character,
the challenge is to find alternative solutions or other innovative methods that do not
conflict with preservation requirements. However, under all circumstances the character of
a historical building should be preserved. Any modification that seriously harms its
character, material, features or spaces is prohibited.
Notes:
(1) This figure is just a preliminary estimation based on a summary of suggested
housing provisions by Selwyn Goldsmith in Designing for the Disabled (p .418). It is up to
every local authority to determine the exact number and the distribution of housing
accommodations for disabled people, mainly those confined to a wheelchair, based on the
needs of individual districts.
(2) This figure is also a preliminary estimation based on the same source. |
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