A TOOLKIT FOR DETECTING AND ELIMINATING THE BARRIERS THAT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES FACE IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: THE CASE OF SLOVENIA, EUROPE
Journal Name:
- Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi
Keywords (Original Language):
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Abstract (2. Language):
Accessibility is defined as the opportunity for an individual at any given
location to take part in a particular activity or set of activities (Jones, 1981).
It encompasses a broad range of areas such as housing, employment
and training, the justice system and leisure services; first of all, however,
accessibility means that everybody should have access to the built
environment. An accessible built environment means providing buildings
and places that are designed and managed to be safe, healthy, convenient
and enjoyable for use by all members of society, which means that each
“person will be able to seek employment, receive education and training”
(Ambrose et al. 2003, 3). Therefore, an accessible built environment is key
for a society based on equal rights, providing citizens with autonomy and
the means to pursue an active social and economic life.
The built environment, especially in cities, creates obstacles and barriers.
These are both permanent and temporary for all people, but particularly
for those with a disability. Those whose lives are circumscribed by an
inaccessible built environment are primarily people with a physical
disability (permanent or temporary), a visual or hearing impairment or
a learning disability. The World Health Organisation (2011) estimates
that people with disabilities account for one billion of the total world
population. In Europe, one in five to six people has a disability that
ranges from mild to severe, totalling around 80 million that are often
prevented from fully taking part in society and the economy because of the
inaccessible built environment. Given the rapidly increasing populations
of older people, especially those over 80, the percentage of people with
disabilities might be expected to grow in the future. In spite of these
relatively large numbers, people with disabilities regrettably face limited
access to jobs, goods and services such as education, healthcare, transport,
housing, technologies and information, are poorer than other citizens and
are more often socially excluded. Around 80% of respondents to the public consultation (citizens and organisations) for a new disability strategy of the
European Union (European Commission, 2010) agreed or strongly agreed
that people with disabilities face discrimination in their everyday activities,
and 95% of respondents to the same public consultation said that lack of
access to the built environment was an important or very important issue
in discrimination.
This paper therefore presents a toolkit created by the author that facilitates
easier detection of barriers in the built environment and the prevention of
new ones. The toolkit is a result of a study conducted from 2009 to 2011 by
the Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, in collaboration
with the Institute for Social Protection of the Republic of Slovenia. First, the
article lays out the framework of the study. It continues by describing the
research methodology. The second part presents the results, followed by a
discussion that argues and provides supporting evidence that the toolkit
is an instrument that allows an accessible built environment and thereby
ensures equal rights in society for people with disabilities. The conclusion
presents the broader significance of the toolkit for the community, contains
recommendations for its implementation and highlights its capacity for
international transferability.
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Abstract (Original Language):
Erişilebilir yapılı çevre, engelli bireylerin en önemli haklarından birisidir.
Bu, onların topluma eşit ve etkin katılımlarını sağlar. Bu nedenle, yapılı
çevrede bulunan tüm ayrımcı unsurları gidermek ve çeşitli engelleri
ve diğer sınırlamaları ortadan kaldırmak amacıyla birçok yasa ve
yönetmelik kabul edilmiştir. Bu makale, yazarın geçmişte yürüttüğü,
şimdiye kadar bu amaçları uygulamaya geçirmek konusunda çok az şey
yapıldığını ve engellilerin ulaşılabilir yapılı çevreye katılım hakkının
hala sağlanamadığını gösteren çalışmalarının bulgularından gelişmiştir.
Bu nedenlerden dolayı, alan çalışması temelinde yeni bir araç seti (toolkit) geliştirilmiştir; bu makale, önerilen araç setinin kanunların
uygulanması aşamasında karar vericilerin engellilerin yapılı çevreye tam
olarak erişebilmelerini garanti etmek konusundaki etkinliklerine katkı
sağlayabilecek kapsamlı bir araç olduğunu göstermektedir. Araç setinin
gelişimi, yapılı çevrenin engelliler için erişebilir olması konusundaki birçok
sorumlulukların pratikte gerçekleşmesinde önemli bir aşamadır. Bu aracın
en temel özelliği, erişebilirlik hakkındaki bilgiye kısıtlamasız ve kullanıcı
dostu (user-friendly) bir yaklaşımla ulaşımı, erişebilirliği sağlamak için
kamusal katılımı ve yapılı çevrede bulunan engelleri kaldırmak için sürekli
izleme ve aktif bir eylem alanı sağlamasıdır. Diğer taraftan, bu araç setinin
en değerli yanı onun farklı toplumlar için dönüştürülebilir ve geniş bir
uygulama ağına sahip olmasıdır.
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