Making Housing Accessible for All

Why consider accessible housing?

There are many reasons to consider accessible housing including:

We are living in a time where the population is ageing. As people get older, their needs may change and their housing requirements may also change. It is therefore important to future proof houses and to ensure that homes are accessible and easily adapted to meet the changing needs of occupants over time (often known as Lifetime Homes). This will allow people to remain in their own homes as their needs change.
A family member may have acquired a disability through an illness or accident resulting in significant adaptations being required to the design and layout of the existing house.
It’s far more cost effective to design housing or your own home with accessibility or lifetime home standards in mind rather than having to adapt or carry out significant renovations at a later stage.
Designing an accessible home benefits everyone not just people with disabilities. An accessible home is beneficial for pregnant mums, children, older people and someone who might acquire a temporary disability such as a broken arm or a broken leg.
Meeting the requirements of Part M of the Second Schedule of the Building Regulations and making your home more suitable for visitors.

OHAC provide a number of services to help you to make housing accessible including:

Advising on general accessibility requirements for housing adaptations and making houses accessible for people with disabilities.
Providing advice on the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability Scheme.
Carrying out disability access audits of existing houses and making recommendations for improvements (in line with national legislation and international best practice).
Liaising with Occupational Therapists in the preparation of housing needs assessment reports.
Preparing expert witness reports for litigation cases on behalf of solicitors.
Advising the private, public and voluntary sectors local authorities, public bodies, government departments, housing associations and disability organisations in relation to assisted and independent living, Lifetime Homes, the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability, accessible housing policy and helping people with disabilities access appropriate and affordable housing.
Accessibility training workshops and seminars on how to make housing accessible for all people regardless of their age size or disability.
Provision of advice to design teams on making housing and apartment developments accessible for all people regardless of age, size or disability and meeting the requirements of Part M 2010 of the Second Schedule of the Building Regulations.

For further information please call us on 01-4151285 or e-mail [email protected]