2017-04-11 P&E Agenda Attachment 1 to Item 1 Housing Needs Assessment

SUMMER FOUNDATION

The Summer Foundation plans and builds housing demonstration projects to provide examples of housing
suitable for people with severe disabilities to enable more independent living rather than being forced into
nursing homes. Three demonstration projects have been built with project partners. Their vision is that housing
for people with a disability is routinely located in all new medium and high density residential development in
Australia.

In 2016, the Summer Foundation with the Victorian Transport Accident Commission published a discussion
paper on the need for a more contemporary design framework for accessible housing for people with
significant disabilities. In relation to the current design guidelines and Australian Standards, the report notes:

There is very little in the way of required legislative compliance in access provisions for residential housing.
Specifically, in relation to the Building Code Australia (BCA):

       Class 1 dwellings (residential houses) have no legislative compliance for access.
       Class 2 dwellings (apartment buildings) have some compliance provision in accordance with the Access
        to Premises Standards, however this is limited to accessible paths of travel from street boundaries to
        individual floor levels and apartment doors, and the provision of access to common areas such as
        swimming pools, gyms, laundries etc. within developments.
       Class 3 dwellings (a group home or joined cluster of units) require significant legislative compliance. A
        particularly apt example is the requirement to comply with the requirements of AS 1428.1 for an
        accessible bathroom. This legislative compliance for a Class 3 building results in an institutional space
        (requiring grab rails, shower seat, disabled toilet and back rest, which will often not suit the functional
        needs of the occupant with a severe disability) rather than a space that is home-like and easily
        adapted to meet the specific needs of the current occupant. It is therefore important to understand the
        design impact that a BCA Class 3 building will deliver versus a residential type housing option that is
        classified as a BCA Class 1 or 2 dwelling.

The Livable Housing Design Guidelines (LHDG) have not been legislated in Australia (under the National
Construction Code), and are therefore optional to adopt during a design process. Even if they did become
legislatively adopted in future, these requirements in isolation will not ensure an adequate level of access
provision to accommodate the needs of people with severe disability. This applies to even the highest ‘Platinum’
level of LHDG. This is because there are many design features that are not addressed in the LHDG, such as
access to external entertainment areas and only very limited access provision within the kitchen.

The government and the housing and disability sectors often choose to use parts of AS 1428.1 or AS 1428.2,
however it must be noted that these standards largely relate to access provision to public buildings, and these
standards only accommodate approximately 80% of disability users. The majority of references relate to
wheelchair access provision only.

Finally, AS 4299 (Adaptable Housing) is effectively aimed at supporting future adaption of an existing dwelling
to accommodate ageing occupants or occupants who acquire a disability at some stage in life whilst living in
that particular adaptable house. One of the findings of this evaluation is that the term ‘adaptable’ is quite
different in the context of designing for people with significant disability in the early stage of a new building
project.

The Summer Foundation suggest that some elements of the current legislation, guidelines and standards may
need to be exceeded to meet the needs of some people with a significant disability, but on the other hand,
meeting some of the requirements of the Australian Standards adds unnecessary cost and an institutional (or
hospital) feel to home environments.

The analysis of current legislation, guidelines and standards, and learnings from the demonstration projects




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