Click Here
 to go directly to EUR-Lex - European Union Legislation


Click Here
 to go directly to the EUropean Concept for Accessibility Network (EuCAN) -  Luxembourg

Sustainable Design International Limited
Internet Launch Site






Click Here
 to go directly to CIB Working Commission 63: Affordable Housing  -  Sweden

Click Here
 to go directly to the Institute for Housing and Social Infrastructure  -  Italy

Click Here
 to go directly to the European Committe for Standardization -  Belgium



Click Here
 to go directly to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Click Here
 to go directly to the European Environment Agency  -  Denmark

Click Here
 to go directly to the International Council on Monuments and Sites  -  France


Click Here
 to go directly to the International Code Council  -  USA


Click Here
 to go directly to the Department of Environment & Local Government  -  Ireland





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Disability Rights &
Removing Physical Restrictions on Participation in Society


Black & White Photograph showing Malcolm X addressing an indoor meeting of Afro-Americans in the early 1960's.

" I believe that there will ultimately be a clash between the oppressed and those that do the oppressing. I believe that there will be a clash between those who want freedom, justice and equality for everyone and those who want to continue the systems of exploitation."

Malcolm X

 

 

 

New United Nations Disability Rights Convention

United Nations

2006 Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities

Click to Download PDF
(PDF File, 216kb)

UN Disability Rights Convention

Adoption Proceedings
on 13th December 2006

Click to Download PDF
(PDF File, 128kb)


On 3 May 2008, the 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities became an International Legal Instrument.
It was not generally expected that this would happen for at least another 3-5 years.
But .... wonders will never cease !

However, the Continuing Ratification of this Convention and its Optional Protocol
must be Monitored very closely.

Article 11 (Situations of Risk) imposes obligations on all States Parties,
National/Local Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ's), Building Designers & Fire Engineers.
People with disabilities now have a right, recognized in international law, to equal opportunity and
non-discrimination in matters of building fire safety, protection and evacuation.

 

ISO Standard 21542 on Accessibility-for-All of Public Buildings
In March 2009, there was an overwhelming vote in favour of taking
this document to the DIS (Draft International Standard)
stage in its development.
All going well, publication is expected towards the end of 2011.





European Union Policy Framework

Achievement of Equality of Opportunity & Social Inclusion
For Every Person in the European Union (E.U.)


(refer to EU Council Resolution 97/C 12/01)



Preferred EU Organization Framework

Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 65kb)



 

Click Here
 to go directly to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights -  Switzerland

  • 1971 Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons
  • 1975 Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons
  • 1991 Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness and the Improvement of Mental Health Care
  • 2002 Study - Human Rights & Disability (PDF File, 1.48Mb)
Today .... what is the real condition of people in each country of Europe ?
Do you know ?


Amnesty International - Irish Section



Mental Illness - The Neglected Quarter
Supporting the rights of the one in four Irish people affected by mental illness.

The first campaign of its type in any national section of AI.

Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 773kb)

 

 

 

Click Here to Download PDF

Special Olympics in Ireland - June 2003

Multinational Study of Attitudes Toward Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 148kb)

 

 

 

People with Activity Limitations
Those people, of all ages, who are unable to perform, independently and without aid, basic human activities or tasks - because of a health condition or physical / mental / cognitive / psychological impairment of a permanent or temporary nature.




Harmonized EU Vocabulary on 'Disability & Perception'
(April 2002)
Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 125kb)

Updated December 2004 - See Appendix IV in the
2004 Rio Declaration on Sustainable Social Development, Disability & Ageing

 

 

Physical Participation Restriction 
This phrase refers not only to an architectural barrier which prevents a person using a wheelchair
from entering a building, e.g. approach steps or a narrow door opening, but also to
an institutional barrier which limits the opportunity of employment for a single parent,
e.g. lack of childcare facilities in a place of work.
 


 

 

 









Houthalen, Belgium
12th - 14th October, 1999

Protection of People with Disabilities
In or Near Buildings
During a Fire,
or Fire Related Incident


C J Walsh

Click Here



European Fire Research Project  2000 - 2003
(Belgium, Ireland, Italy & Sweden)



October 2001  -  View up West Street to the World Trade Centre Incident Site.  In overcast conditions, the 'post-fire' smell was very bad and, still, a lot of dust hung in the air.




October 2002 - After New York (9-11)

Presentation by C J Walsh in Sweden
Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 3.01Mb)


December 2004 Update to this Presentation



WHO Guidance Note
(September 2001)

Psychosocial Reactions to Catastrophe
Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 13kb)

 


 




Accessibility

An Essential Attribute of a
'Person-Centred'
Sustainable Built Environment


Accessibility of a Building 
Ease of independent approach, entry and/or use of a building and its services and facilities, by all of the building's potential users ~ with an assurance of individual Health, Safety and Welfare during the course of those activities.

which must be overlaid by ....

Accessibility of the Built & Virtual Environments 
Ease of independent mobility throughout the built and virtual environments, and/or use of the facilities, services and information available in those environments, by any person or group of people ~ with an assurance of individual Health, Safety and Welfare, and group Wellbeing, during the course of those activities.


Facilitator
(2001 WHO ICF)
Any environmental factor which, through its presence or absence, improves activity and functioning, or reduces disability.









An Examination of Disability
in the context of
Sustainable Human & Social Development
C J Walsh

(Original Paper July 2000 - Published by McGraw-Hill in USA)

The new World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health heralds not only a dramatic change in the language and philosophy of 'disability', which is both positive and liberating, but the possibility of creating a more tangible, interactive relationship with mainstream society, because of its reference to the following 'Contextual Factors' ........

(a) Environmental :
Those factors which are external, or extrinsic, to the context of a person's life and living, e.g. the physical world and its features, other people in different roles, social attitudes and values, institutional policies and action programmes, legislation, service and support systems in society ;

(b) Personal :
Those factors which are internal, or intrinsic, to the context of a person's life and living, e.g. age, gender, level of education, socio-economic status, and life experiences.

On the other hand, social turbulence in Europe since the end of the Cold War, demographic / global warming / ozone depletion pressures, and the value-driven legislation of the European Union (E.U.) are combining to alter, perceptibly, the popular consensus concerning future human development.

This Paper examines 'disability' and 'contextual factors' from the broad perspective of Sustainable Human and Social Development . It remains, then, for the reader to decide whether or not the concepts of 'Universal Design' / 'Design-for-All' are sufficiently elastic to remain on the European Disability Agenda for the short term - up to the year 2010.


May 2001 Update - Presented at the Montreal World Congress
' Inclusion by Design : Planning the Barrier-Free World '
1st - 5th June, 2001

Click Here to Download May 2001 Paper
(PDF File, 1155kb)
Letter from Montreal Congress Organizers
(Click to view)





Disability - Towards a Common European Technical Agenda


Overhead Presentations to the European Parliament &
European Commission by C J Walsh during 2001.
Developed from the Papers presented in
Montreal & New York.

Click Here to Download PDF

(PDF File, 133kb)


November 2002
Updated for commencement of work in the
EU Expert Group on Accessiblity






European Parliament Briefing Note - July 2001
Alzheimer's Disease at a Glance
Click Here to Download
PDF (PDF File, 91kb)




After much effort, a reference to Sustainable Social Development was included in the 2001 Montreal International Declaration ........

French

Click flag to download PDF
(230kb)

 


Click Here
 to go directly to the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation & Work


2001
Montreal International
Declaration on Social Inclusion


English

Click flag to
download PDF
(231kb)

 

 

 


 

Click Here
 to go directly to the World Health Organization  -  Switzerland


New International Classification of Functioning,
Disability and Health (ICF)
While traditional health indicators have been based on the mortality (i.e. death) rates of populations, the ICF now dramatically shifts the focus to 'life' and 'living' - how everyone is living with his/her health condition(s) and how improvements can be made to ensure a productive, fulfilling life in society. This has implications for medical practice ; for law, social, economic, institutional, design and spatial planning policies to improve accessibility, equal opportunity and inclusion ; and for the protection of the rights of all individuals and groups.



Final Draft - Full Version
April 2001
  Prefinal Draft - Full Version
December 2000

English

Click Here to Download
(PDF File 732kb)


Adoption of ICF
22nd May 2001
English

Click Here to Download
(PDF File 4kb)

English

Click Here to Download
(PDF File 664kb)



Beta-2 Draft - Full Version
July 1999


French


Click Here to Download
(PDF File 587kb)

English

Click Here to Download
(PDF File 672kb)

Spanish

Click Here to Download
(PDF File 586kb)

 

 

WHO's Family of International Classifications

 

 






European Year of People with Disabilities

English

Click flag to
download PDF
(222kb)


Towards a Barrier-Free Europe for People with Disabilities



European Commission Communication

Brussels  2000-05-12
COM(2000) 284 final




French

Click flag to download PDF
(222kb)

European Union 2003 Expert Group on Accessibility

Established by the European Commission - DG Employment & Social Affairs
for
2003 - European Year of People with Disabilities

C J Walsh is a Member of this Group



Meetings of the EU Expert Group in Brussels, Belgium

Friday, 8th November 2002
Monday, 20th January 2003
Monday & Tuesday, 12th-13th May 2003
Wednesday, 25th June 2003
Wednesday, 10th September 2003
Saturday, 6th December 2003 (in Rome, Italy)



Minutes of 1st Meeting in Brussels - 8th November 2002
Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 125kb)



Some Subsequent Submissions by C J Walsh

Accessibility
An 'Open' Organization
Framework at European Level ?
Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 65kb)
Equality of Opportunity &
Social inclusion


European Union Policy Framework

See Preferred Framwork Above


See Above


 
Proposal to Revise Article 26
of the
EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

EU Construction Products Directive
Essential Requirements


Proposal to Include 'Accessibility'
Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 61kb)
See Below



 
Disability & Perception

Harmonized EU Vocabulary
Fundamental Matrix

Construction Related
Sustainability Performance Indicators
See Above Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 61kb)




Accessibility Matrix : 2010

Transport, Street Pavements & Public
Circulation Space, and Buildings

e-Accessibility Matrix : 2010

Electronic, Information &
Communication Technologies

Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 57kb)
Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 60kb)

 

 

Final Draft Report of the EU Expert Group

Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 285kb)


A New European Context for Accessibility : 2010



European Day of People with Disabilities
Brussels Conference Report - 2 & 3 December 2004

Creating the Conditions to Promote the Employment of People with Disabilities

Click Here to Download PDF

(PDF File, 318kb)

 

 

 

Click to enlarge

3rd Draft - December 2008

Proposed International Standard (ISO) on Accessibility-for-All

Guidelines & Recommendations on building fire safety, protection and evacuation-for-all
are being incorporated into the Main Body of this Standard by CJ Walsh.

These Guidelines & Recommendations have an essential empirical and rational basis
in the 2 NIST Final Reports (2005 & 2008) issued after the 9-11 WTC Incident at New York.

Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 5.45Mb)

 

November 2009
Draft ISO Standard on Accessibility-for-All of Public Buildings


Publication is expected during the second half of 2010.

Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 4.17Mb)

 

 







'Access by Design' Magazine
January/April 1990
Issue 51

European Construction Products
Directive 89/106/EEC

- A Step Backwards for
Barrier-Free Design ?

C J Walsh



Click Here to View



 

 




United Nations Standard Rules
on the Equalization
of Opportunities for Persons
with Disabilities
(1993)


Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 61kb)



 

 

Click Here
 to go directly to VSA arts  -  USA

Promoting the Artistic Creativity and Social Wellbeing
of People with Activity Limitations

VSA arts was founded in 1974 by Ms Jean Kennedy Smith
as an affiliate of the
John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts

 









EUropean Concept for Accessibility Network (EuCAN) - Luxembourg


European Concept for Accessibility
Guidelines

(1996)


Click Here to View

 

 


 
       

EuCAN Conference - Luxembourg
14th - 15th November 2003

 

EUropean Concept for Accessibility Network (EuCAN) - Luxembourg


European Concept for Accessibility
Guidelines

(2003)


Click Here to View


The Final Draft of ECA 2003 was launched at the Conference in Luxembourg on
14th - 15th November, 2003.

 

 




U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990


2004 ADA-ABA Accessibility Guidelines

Click Here to Download PDF
(PDF File, 6.48Mb)


2005 Corrections 2007 Supplementary Material
(PDF File, 4.35Mb) (PDF File, 51kb)



Archive

1998 Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings & Facilities

Click Here to Download ZIP
(ZIP File, 2.62Mb)



 



WebSites of Related Interest

Autism Today - USA

Independent Living Institute - Sweden

Disability & Sexual Health

Neuro Immune Dysfunction Syndromes (NIDS)
Medical Advisory Board & Research Institute - USA


Special Olympics Worldwide

Microsoft's e-Accessibility WebSite

Christopher & Dana Reeve's
Paralysis Resource Center - USA


disABILITY Information & Resources - USA

Disabled Peoples International - Canada

Disability World WebZine - USA

ENABLE - United Nations WebSite


United Nations - New International Convention on Disability

Mental Health Ireland

United States Disability Information WebSite

US Access Board - Resources on Emergency Evacuation

Design F?r Alla - Sweden

European System of Social Indicators









You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the PDF files. Accessibility of PDF for people with disabilities