BARRIER-FREE DESIGN

Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a system is usable by as many people as possible without modification. It is not to be confused with usability which is used to describe how easily a thing can be used by any type of user. One meaning of accessibility specifically focuses on people with disabilities and their use of assistive devices such as screen-reading web browsers or wheelchairs. Other meanings are discussed below.

Accessibility is strongly related to universal design in that it is about making things as accessible as possible to as wide a group of people as possible. However, products marketed as having benefited from a Universal Design process are often actually the same devices customized specifically for use by people with disabilities.

Disabilities

The disability rights movement advocates equal access to social, political and economic life which includes not only physical access but access to the same tools, organisations and facilities which we all pay for.

Accessibility is about giving equal access to everyone.

While it is often used to describe facilities or amenities to assist people with disabilities, as in “wheelchair accessible”, the term can extend to Braille signage, wheelchair ramps, audio signals at pedestrian crossings, walkway contours, website design, and so on.

Various countries have legislation requiring physical accessibility:

• In the UK, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 has numerous provisions for accessibility.
• In the US, under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, new public and private business construction generally must be accessible. Existing private businesses are required to increase the accessibility of their facilities when making any other renovations in proportion to the cost of the other renovations. The U.S. Access Board is “A Federal Agency Committed to Accessible Design for People with Disabilities.” Many states in the US have their own disability laws.
• In Ontario, Canada, the Ontarians with Disabilities Act of 2001 is meant to “improve the identification, removal and prevention of barriers faced by persons with disabilities…”

Barrier-Free Environmental Design Survey

The MIND team regularly verifies places or services using Barrier-Free Environmental Design for inclusion into our website. Some examples include:

• Golden Screen Cinemas
• Perdana Botanical Gardens (formerly Lake Garden)
• KLCC SkyBridge
• Aquaria KLCC
• Hop-On Hop-Off Bus

Download the English access survey form

Download the Malay access survey form

PJ: Towards Sustainable Development

The Earth Summit was held in Rio De Janerio, Brazil and attended by 178 country leaders (including Malaysia) in June 1992. It provided a worldwide action plan towards sustainable development. This action plan was known as Agenda 21: an agenda to achieve sustainable development in the 21st century.

Agenda 21 consists of 40 chapters in 4 sections:

• Social and Economic Dimension
• Maintaining and managing sources in property development.
• Strengthening the role of dominant groups (for example, women, children, NGO and PBT).
• Methods of accomplishment.

In chapter 28, “Local Authorities’ Initiatives In Support of Agenda 21”, it is stated that “Because so many of the problems and solutions being addressed by Agenda 21 have their roots in local activities, the participation and cooperation of local authorities will be a determining factor in fulfilling its objectives.” Chapter 28 was a reference for local authorities and urged them to move forward in implementing Agenda 21 toward sustainable development at the local level. Under Section 3 of Agenda 21, dominant groups such as women, children, NGOs, youth, employees, businesses and industrial sectors including aborigines hold major roles in implementing Agenda 21. Thus, it was known as Local Agenda 21 – the Local Action Plan towards sustainable development in the 21st century.

Local Agenda 21 promotes:

• Co-operation between local authorities, non-government organisations, neighborhood committees, residential organisations, government agencies, the private sector and others.
• Public participation in identifying current issues, developing action plans, implementation, supervision, evaluation and acknowledgement.
• Integrating social, economical and environmental factors towards sustainable development.

For more details, kindly contact:

Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya,
Jalan Yong Shook Lin,
46675 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan.

Phone: 03-7956 3544
Fax: 03-7958 1494
Email: aduan@mbpj.gov.my / info@mbpj.gov.my