by Nirvana
Investment for Social Change
Opportunities for Problem Solving
A warm bath and a good night's sleep are an important part of most people's day. However, finding fully wheelchair accessible accommodation in the UK can still be quite a challenge.
The NHS estimates there are 1.2 million wheelchair users in England. However, outside London, only 23% of homes due to be built by 2030 are planned to meet basic accessibility criteria such as including an entrance level toilet, for instance, or bathroom walls strong enough to bear the fitting of grab rails if required. Just 1% will be wheelchair accessible.
Many places display the universal wheelchair accessible sign or highlight disabled access on their websites and brochures. Sadly, as many wheelchair users may have experienced, it turns out these places do not always offer the facilities required by wheelchair users. In some cases, lifts are not suitable for all types of manual and power wheelchairs. In other cases, showers described as roll-in may have a 'lip' preventing 100% access, or there is no provision of a shower chair. Furthermore, every disabled person is different and therefore does not necessarily require the same services and facilities as someone else. Many charities and support organisations are calling on the government to produce a national strategy to ensure there is an adequate supply of houses built to inclusive design standards and for a review of the way that building standards are enforced.
Disabled people have been left frustrated and trapped by a chronic shortage of suitable housing, as unnecessary bureaucracy and insufficient support leave them trapped in unsuitable homes, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has warned. The results of an eighteen-month formal legal inquiry calls for governments to take urgent action to make all new houses adaptable and accessible, as 365,000 disabled people say their home is not suitable for their needs.
It also demands that both national and local governments improve the way that data is collected and shared, both on the requirements of disabled people and on the number of adaptable homes already built. Equally as important is ensuring the provision of specialist support and information services to match homes to the people who need them and to ensure that they are suitably adapted.
Appropriate housing can dramatically improve disabled people's ability to live independently. Those whose homes meet their accessibility requirements reported improved health and wellbeing, and enhanced prospects for employment and study. Timely installation of adaptations can create significant savings to the public purse, reducing social care costs for local authorities.