Regulations

PART M
Part 'M' of the Building Regulations was introduced in 1985 in an attempt to ensure that all commercial buildings were suitably equipped for the needs of disabled people. Public buildings at design and building stages must be fitted with adequate access for all potential users of the service. These requirements were extended to the building of new homes last October. Without adhering to part 'M', planning permission will often not be granted.

By 2004, under part 'M', all commercial buildings and retail premises across the country will have to ensure that access for disabled people is of a sufficient enough level.

ACCESS TO WORK
Access to work is a Government scheme to assist employers in meeting the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. It applies to full or part time, permanent or temporary work, meaning that employers must be able to provide sufficient levels of access to all existing and potential employees.

Access to work can assist in a number of ways. For example, a disability service team member will be located in the local job centre to provide practical help and advice for disabled people seeking a job. Grants may also be given towards the cost of special equipment (or alterations to current equipment) to suit the particular work needs of the employee.

Grants may be up to the value of 100% of the approved costs for a new employee, or 80% for an existing employee.

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Disability and Discrimination Act 1995

There are estimated to be around 8.6 million disabled people in Great Britain, yet it is only in the last 5 years that provisions for a sufficient level of accessibility have been made.

The 1995 Disability Discrimination Act was the first of its kind to call for gradual improvements in the way that the owners and property managers of public buildings achieve equal access for all members of the public.

The Act was introduced in 1996 and has three successive stages of implementation:

Stage 1
Dec 1996 - Recognise overall problem
Stage 2
Oct 1999 - Start making reasonable adjustments
Stage 3
Oct 2004 - Need to comply

Those buildings that need to comply include:
• Offices
• Restaurants
• Public Buildings
• Shops
• Leisure Facilities
• Educational establishments
• Places of Worship
• Nursing Homes

Improvements to access to upper floor levels, multi-levelled surfaces, and items that may be too high to reach for the wheelchair user, are all examples of issues that need to be addressed.

It is the duty of the service provider to remedy the situation, i.e.:
• Remove the feature
• Alter it so it no longer has that effect, or
• Provide a reasonable alternative method of making the service in question available to a disabled person.

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