“The requirements of
The UAE's Federal Government Disability Act (Federal Law No. 29/2006) in 2006.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Mak-toum, Vice-President and Prime
Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai issued Law No. (2) 'To Protect the Rights
of People with Disabilities (also refered to here as people of determination
POD) in Dubai.
The law aims
to provide high-quality medical care and social services to all people with
disabilities; boost public awareness; and contribute to integrating people with
disabilities into society.
The key
requirements of The UAE's Federal Government Disability Act (Federal Law No.
29/2006)
The law
guarantees an unspecified job quota for people with special needs (people of
determination) in the public and private sectors and focuses on increasing
accessibility to public buildings and residences.
Legal
Definitions:
The UAE law
defines a person with special needs as;
“Every person
suffering from a temporary or permanent, full or partial deficiency or
infirmity in his physical, sensory, mental, communicational, educational or
psychological abilities to an extent that limits his possibility of performing
the ordinary requirements as people without special needs”.
Discrimination
is defined as;
“any
segregation, exclusion or restriction due to special needs leading to the
damage or denial of recognition of any rights granted by the prevailing
legislation in the country or its practice or enjoyment on an equal footing”.
Article
(23)
The concerned
authorities shall coordinate with each other to specify the engineering
standards and specifications for facilities and public utilities in order to
ensure their appropriateness for the use, requirements and safety of people
with special needs. This has been completed and is designated as The Universal
Design Code and to which this audit and assessment is measured against”.
Analysis is
described as:
The building
is used in the provision of goods, facilities or services, either paid for or
free, and therefore the following requirements apply:
It is unlawful
to discriminate against disabled people by:
and
Introduction
to the Universal Design Code;
The purpose of
the Universal Design Code is to define how the built environment and
transportation systems in the Emirate shall be designed, constructed and
managed to enable one to approach, enter, use, egress from and evacuate
independently, in an equitable and dignified manner, to the greatest extent
possible, in line with the Universal Design concept.
The
requirements in the Code cover a wide range of human abilities, embracing all
aspect of life.
The
requirements of the Code shall be applied at the earliest possible stage in the
design process.
In some
instances, parameters in the Code are quite specific; in others, they include
dimensional ranges. Where dimensions and/or measurements are stated, they are
subject to tolerances. Dimensional ranges are intended to provide some
flexibility of design solutions.
Scope
The Universal
design Code specifies a range of requirements for many of the elements of
construction, assemblies, components, vehicles and fittings that comprise the
built environment and transport services.
These
requirements relate to the external environment, such as public open spaces, as
well as access to buildings, to circulation within buildings, to egress from
buildings, as well as public transport system’s vehicles, elements, stations
and equipment.
The
requirements are to be applied during the design, construction, renovations,
and alteration of sites, facilities, buildings, and elements of the built
environment and transportation systems, to the extent required by regulations
issued by the Emirate of Dubai under Law No. 2.
The Code
does not apply to individual dwellings, only to common parts of multi-
occupancy residential buildings. However, it includes a section addressing
requirements for new convertible housing.
Nothing
in the requirements prevents the use of designs, products, or technologies as
alternatives to those prescribed, provided they result in substantially
equivalent or greater accessibility and usability.
The
dimensions stated in the Code are primarily based on adults, but it includes
specifications that address the requirements that should suit children and
people with different heights. If a facility is primarily to serve children,
dimensions and other provisions should be adjusted to make them suitable for
children. (additional codes and standards for school children are included in
the digital version and may include international standards)
Dimensions are
given in metric units. All dimensions in figures are given in meters or
millimetres and are measured to the centre-line, unless otherwise specified.
The Universal
design code also covers Accessible Transport that support equitable access and
ease of travelling for all persons regardless of their social, economic,
physical, sensory or cognitive capacity and will only be referred to in this
report if it is applicable and appropriate.
Wayfinding
establishes the minimum requirements for providing information for orientation
and navigating the public realm and buildings.
Scoping
requirements
IMPORTANT
NOTE;
All areas of
newly designed and newly constructed buildings and facilities and altered
portions of existing buildings and facilities shall comply
with the requirements.
Where a site,
building, facility, room, or space contains more than one use, each portion
shall comply with the applicable requirements for that use.
Temporary
buildings and facilities provided for public use should also comply with the
Code.
Where public
access is permitted during construction or maintenance of a facility, the
requirements of the Code shall be respected to provide safe and equitable use
for everyone.
Existing
buildings and facilities;
The
accessibility conditions of the buildings shall be assessed, and the owner
shall present to the authorities a proposal (report or audit) for adapting the
building to the requirements for existing buildings contained in the Universal
Design Code within three years after its publication. (Feb 2017) . This means
reports should be submitted by Feb 2020
Additions and
alterations to existing buildings or facilities shall comply with the Code.
Each addition to an existing building or facility shall comply with the
requirements for new construction.
Where existing
elements or spaces are altered, each altered element or space shall comply with
the applicable requirements of the Code.
An
alteration that decreases or has the effect of decreasing the accessibility of
a building or facility below the requirements for new construction at the time
of the alteration is prohibited.
Maintenance of
all facilities, including public and private buildings, as well as
transportation facilities, shall guarantee accessibility continuity.
Buildings
listed for their cultural interest or catalogued for their particular
historical and artistic value remain exempt from applying the accessibility
requirements when they contradict the preservation regulations of The UAE.
However, they still need to incorporate as many elements as possible to
maximize accessibility conditions.
When a
building is built in a flood zone the entrances of the building can have a
change in level from the exterior ground level.
Sports
facilities shall follow the Paralympics Committee’s requirements, as long as
these requirements are greater than the Universal Design Code requirements.
Urban general
planning and urban project developments shall ensure the accessibility
continuum with surrounding elements and areas, according to the criteria set in
the Code.
Transport
(where applicable)
New vehicle
procurement, retrofitting of existing vehicles, stations and stops including
rail, bus, marine vessel, school bus and accessible taxis shall have accessible
features meeting the technical and design requirements in the Code.
The
scope of the Code does not cover air, intercity bus or intercity rail travel.
Structure
of the Universal Design Code is organised in 4 Sections and 3 Annexes:
Section
A - General Provisions
General
provisions contain scope, definitions and general provision for both
accessibility domains: built environment and mobility.
Section
B - Accessible Built Environment
Accessible
built environment contains requirements for common accessibility elements,
specific requirements in public spaces and buildings and provision for specific
building types.
Section
C - Accessible Transportation
Accessible
transportation contains accessibility provisions for all Dubai’s transport
modes.
Section
D - Wayfinding
Wayfinding
requirements for exterior and indoor environments.
Annex 1
contains the required accessibility in each building type.
Annex 2
contains the licensing procedures and checklist.
Annex 3
contains anthropometrics measurement
In
conclusion, The UAE has plans to develop the current rules and regulation (this
is where universal design codes are reviewed and updated) for the need of
people of determination and will keep modifying legal perspectives and
directions to integrate people of determination in the daily life and local
environment.
NOTE; It
is paramount that this report be reviewed on a regular basis and if the digital
report is viewed on-line then all new updates and requirements will be
included, making this report a live and dynamic document that is the foundation
for reference to businesses and organisation is meeting the legal and technical
standards here in the UAE
The latest
initiative of the government is an overall goal to become the world’s most
disabled-friendly cities, preparing new standards for buildings, parks,
hospitals, infrastructure and transport by 2020.