Researchers examined disabled people's housing needs, and found that access regulation focused on standards and rules instead of 'making a house a home'. Building control officers could change this by educating house builders on the needs of 'visitability' for homes, rather than meeting minimum standards.
Source: Rob Imrie, Responding to Disabled People's Needs in the Residential Environment, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2003-Dec
An official briefing paper summarised information on the housing needs of people with learning disabilities in England.
Source: H. Harker, Housing Needs and Supply in England: Learning disabilities, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Link removed by DH
Date: 2003-Nov
New guidance was published, designed to ensure that (from 1 May 2004) newly-built public and commercial buildings provided level entrances and facilities such as automatic doors, audio enhancement and clearer signage. The proposals would also affect existing buildings when they were altered or underwent certain changes of use, at which time owners would be required to take all reasonable steps to improve access.
Source: Approved Document M: Access to and use of buildings, 2004 edition, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Guidance (pdf) | ODPM press release
Date: 2003-Nov
Amendments to the national means test for mandatory disabled facilities grants in England took effect from 29 October 2003. The amendments were mainly to take account of the introduction of working tax credit and state pension credit, and changes in personal allowances and premiums.
Source: The Housing Renewal Grants (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2003, Statutory Instrument 2003/2504, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Statutory Instrument
Date: 2003-Oct
A study examined the aspirations of young disabled people in Scotland for housing, and their actual experiences. Young disabled people had similar aspirations to their non-disabled peers. Most wanted to leave the parental home and most did not regard their first house as a home for life. They expected eventually to form a new household with a partner and/or children and to seek suitable housing.
Source: Jo Dean, Unaddressed: Housing aspirations of young disabled people in Scotland, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 431213)
Links: Report (pdf) | JRF Findings 973
Date: 2003-Sep
A study examined the attitudes of builders and building control officers to Part M of the building regulations, and how Part M was being interpreted and applied. Many builders and building control officers felt that Part M was half-hearted and did not address the real housing needs of disabled people. (Part M requires housebuilders to construct new housing to standards that facilitate access by disabled people.)
Source: Rob Imrie, The Impact of Part M on the Design of New Housing, Department of Geography/Royal Holloway, University of London (01784 443654) for Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: JRF Findings 823
Date: 2003-Aug
The Northern Ireland Executive began consultation on proposals to make buildings and public spaces more accessible to disabled people. (Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 it will be mandatory, from October 2004, for service providers - such as shops, restaurants, banks, local authorities and government departments - to take reasonable steps to remove or overcome physical barriers to access to buildings where services are provided.)
Source: Access for All Designing for an accessible environment, Development Control Advice Note 11 (Revised), Department of the Environment/Northern Ireland Executive (028 905 40716)
Links: Consultation paper (pdf) | NIE press release
Date: 2003-Jul