Jacaranda House provides friendly environment for disabled

15/04/05

When the new-look Jacaranda House opens its doors on May 2 it will provide a suitable environment for disabled people to work, visit and stay.

The building meets these standards thanks to the "barrier free" auditing carried out by Sheree Campbell, Project LEO's Barrier Free Advisor and an Occupational Therapist and Rehabilitation Assistant at Tauranga Hospital.

Measuring up: Project LEO Barrier Free Advisor Sheree Campbell checks the placement of rails in bathrooms at Jacaranda House

Her involvement begins during the design process, when she reviews plans, keeping a watching brief on items such as door widths, the placement of light switches, bench heights, doorknobs and even colours.

"I make sure buildings are accessible and useable by people with all disabilities," she says. "I am looking at how the building caters for those who visit the facility, and the people who work in the facility. Under the Building Act, people must be able to access the building independently."

Sheree admits she knew nothing about building regulations, codes or the Building Act before she started her training. (She is in the process of obtaining accreditation from the Barrier Free New Zealand Trust.) But she was able to draw on the knowledge she has gained during 11 years at the hospital, working as an assistant in the occupational therapy department, visiting the homes of people with disabilities. Her knowledge has increased to the point where she can quote various sections and sub-sections of the 1991 New Zealand Building Act.

Her audit assesses whether a building complies with the Act, which specifies that doors have to be certain widths, showers have specified dimensions, rails must be a certain size and height from the floor, controls such as light switches and door handles are a certain size and height and must be able to be easily used. Her scrutiny also includes window catches and elevation levels for bench heights. Lift access - including the time the doors remain open - also come under her inspection.

Sheree's final audit of Jacaranda House has resulted in several changes, including the installation of automatic opening doors at the front of the building, a textured floor surface at the main reception and lever type door handles.