Group offers help with disability act

By Angela Frewin

A partnership of charities and commercial interests has been set up to help hoteliers comply with the Disability Discrimination Act.

The Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (Radar), the Joint Mobility Unit (JMU) and Armitage Shanks are working together to offer advice.

The act requires businesses to ensure that toilets and washrooms provide adequate access and facilities for the UK's 6.5 million disabled people by 2000. The partnership says hoteliers need not make drastic design alterations to comply with the act, but that many things could be improved, particularly in bathrooms.

One tip is to avoid shiny white and polished chrome as this can appear like a snowstorm to the visually impaired. An estimated one million people are blind or partially sighted, and a further 750,000 suffer visual impairment.

The partnership suggests the use of coloured handrails, raised toilet seats and folding shower seats in colours that contrast with the surroundings. Rails should feature textured, glare-free finishes.

As wheelchair users cannot easily control their chairs while getting through a door, hoteliers are advised to fit bi-fold or power-operated doors at the entrances to washrooms.

Inside, the toilet should be sited in the centre of a 2.5m space to allow for easy transfer from a wheelchair, and lavatory handrails should be of the fold-down variety. Other suggestions are to fix handrails at wheelchair height and to have mirrors that reach to the floor.

• Radar can be contacted on 01628 636183, the JMU on 0171-388 1266 and Armitage Shanks on 01543 490253.