The Queensland Government has been doing a great job of upgrading public facilities, including schools and train stations, to make them more accessible to Queenslanders with disability. But we still have long way to go.
A review of education for students with disability in Queensland state Schools for the Department of Education and Training in 2017 by Deloitte Access Economics found that
The principles of Universal Design should be applied to the school environment so that it is suitable to provide education for students with a range of needs. The review finds that existing infrastructure in Queensland is not purpose built to achieve this end and widespread modernisation will take time.
Queensland School Accessibility Upgrades
Queensland schools have been at the forefront of these upgrades and Cornell Engineers is proud to have provided structural engineering for one such project recently. The project included:
- Covered walkways and new ramps with handrails where appropriate to eliminate stairs.
- Covering of open drains to eliminate trip hazards.
- An enclosed, weather protected lift to provide access to first floor resources and learning rooms.
The works were undertaken in accordance with the:
- National Construction Code
- Australian Standards
- Disability (Access to Premises-Buildings) Standards 2010
As more schools upgrade their accessibility, Cornell Engineers is proud to offer our services for these projects. Help we can provide includes:
- Assistance with audits of existing facilities for accessibility and planning for accessibility upgrades where an architect or building consultant is the primary consultant.
- Structural design and documentation of accessibility upgrades including new and upgraded walkways, ramps, platform lifts and person lifts.
- Structural design of new buildings to include an explicit consideration of the Department of Educations’ inclusive education statement and implementation strategy.
We Can Improve Disability Access
We’re looking forward to assisting with planning and implementing disability access upgrades. Contact Us to see how we can help with your school accessibility upgrade project.