Disability access services
The following represents our official statement on disability access
Disability Access Statement
1. General1.1 The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995
1.1.1 The DDA creates rights for any individual, defined by the Act as a disabled person, not to be discriminated against in:
1.1.2 From December 1996, employers have had to make reasonable adjustments for employees, based upon their specific requirements and the nature of the job. This includes adjustments to policies, procedures and practices and to buildings and the environment. This was extended to all employers on 1st October 2004.
1.1.3 From October 1999, all service providers, including community and voluntary organisations providing any service to the public, including information, advice, training and the involvement of members and volunteers, should be making reasonable adjustments to all policies, procedures and practices to make their services accessible. This applies to all sizes of service providers and organisations.
1.2 Social Model of Disability
1.2.1 The social model of disability, used by disabled people’s organisations and adopted by others, considers that it is the responsibility of all individuals and organisations to make the environment, systems and activities inclusive and accessible for everyone. It is not the responsibility of individuals to “fit in” to a system or environment which excludes them and not their fault if they cannot participate because an event, information, building or environment is not accessible.
1.2.2 Arawak Walton’s disability access statement has been prepared to reflect the organisation’s support of the social model of disability. We have made what we consider to be reasonable adjustments to make our services accessible.
1.3 Constraints
1.3.1 As a small organisation, we have limited resources and so we look for innovative ways to ensure our services are accessible. For example, we have a communications register which allows us to identify residents who require alternative methods of communication.
1.3.2 As noted below, our refurbishment of our head office at Margaret House has been limited due to planning regulations and the layout of the building. However, we will carry out home visits on request to anyone who is unable to come to the office, or we will arrange a meeting at a suitable venue which is fully accessible.
2. Resident Involvement
2.1 We are keen to encourage participation by all our residents, and so we ensure that all meetings, events, open days and consultation days are held at accessible venues, such as the Breakthrough Centre or St Thomas Centre in Ardwick, or our own Bougainvillea Gardens in Longsight.
3. Margaret House
3.1 Margaret House is the association’s head office at 23 Manor St, Ardwick, Manchester. The property is a listed building Grade II, registered 20th February 1975. The accommodation was originally a private house which was converted into offices over 4 floors. Arawak Walton has used the property as its head office since 1994 and purchased the building in 2001.
3.2 Following the purchase, refurbishment of the building was carried out during 2002. The aim of the refurbishment was to provide an improved environment for customers and staff. Part of the process was intended to improve access for disabled people and address health and safety issues.
3.3 The following improvements were made in respect of disabled peoples’ access:
3.4 Some specific improvements were not possible due to the layout of the building. For example, it has not been possible to install a lift inside the building and apart from the ground floor, offices can only be reached via staircases, one of which is very steep and narrow.
3.5 The three fire exits from the building all involve going either up or down steps, and evacuation from the rear fire exits involves negotiating a narrow passageway around the building.
3.6 We have obtained advice from the Fire Service about evacuating the building in the event of a fire, and about the use of evacuation chairs for people with disabilities. Two members of staff have been trained as fire marshals and one is a qualified first-aider.
4. William Coates Court
4.1 Our workspace provision at William Coates Court consists of 7 ground floor units that can be combined as appropriate. There is marked wheelchair car parking accommodation and dropped curbs to the rear of the building. Four of the units are directly accessible by ramp / level access and all doors are of sufficient width to accommodate wheelchair access. There are also toilet facilities to full wheelchair standard accessible off the main corridor.
4.2 In 2006 we are looking to further improve the access to the front of the building to full wheelchair standard.
5. Website
5.1 Our website www.arawakwalton.com has been designed to be accessible for partially-sighted people. Anyone logging on to our website may choose the accessibility option to change the way they view the site from changing the size of the font to changing the colours of the links.
Click here to see more details on how you can achieve this
6. Publications
6.1 Our main publications such as our housing enquiry form, application form, newsletters and this access statement are produced in standard sans-serif 14 point text. If required, we can offer large print versions (18 point sans-serif). We can also supply our main publications on computer disk/CD or electronic format.
7. Communication
7.1 We have a communications register which is maintained by the Housing Services Manager and reviewed annually. For data protection purposes inclusion in the register is optional and residents are asked annually if they wish to remain on the register. The register states the preferred method of communication with the resident, for example, text message, large print letters, e-mail or fax, and whether a language other than English should be used when contacting the resident.
7.2 Some of our residents choose to contact us via type talk, and we publicise this service and our other alternative methods of communication in our newsletters.
8. Adapted Housing
8.1 We have 11 properties that are fully adapted for a tenant or a member of their household with disabilities. These adaptations are aimed at assisting mobility and enabling the carrying out of basic functions around the home with some degree of independence.
8.2 We have approximately a further 20 properties with some form of specific adaptation to aid mobility. These are predominantly designed around a specific tenant or member of their households needs and are reversible at the point of re-letting.
8.3 Our schemes specifically designed for the elderly (Bougainvillea Gardens and Antilles Close – 52 units) have many features that aid and facilitate mobility and independence for this client group within their individual flats and communal areas. Additional services are provided and coordinated to extend residents independence further.
9. Design and Future Provision
9.1 We have adopted the Housing Corporations Scheme Development Standards and all “new” housing provision has for some years been required to address issues of ease of access and adaptability often referred to as “lifetime homes standard”. This specifically addresses issues such as level access to main entrance doors; wider door openings throughout the property and design of rooms and corridors to allow for wheelchair access and manoeuvrability; and design of internal partitions and ceiling structures to accommodate hoists should they be needed in the future. One in every ten of “newly built properties” is required to meet or be easily convertible to full wheelchair standard.
9.2 In 2005 / 2007 we are carrying out a full Stock Condition survey. As an additional feature this will identify any issues for improvement with the existing adapted property and any options we may have to improve access to communal areas within schemes.
9.3 In 2005 we are working with Manchester City Council and other Registered Social Landlords in the city where the majority of our stock is located to develop a register of adapted properties and the facilities within them. Our aim being to better match and coordinate the future residents with the provision available across the social rented sector. This partnership will also address the issues of tailoring properties to meet the needs of applicants with special needs and those who develop needs during their occupancy as well as maintenance and recycling of specialist equipment.
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