Inclusive Environments and Access to Commercial Property

Book excerpt: This book presents and examines the challenges and compromises required to deliver inclusivity in the existing commercial-built environment and the socio-economic benefits that could result from successfully delivering it. To illuminate the advantages of an inclusive environment to property owners, investors and service providers, the book covers the history of disability and evolution of the legislation and examines the demographics and types of disability to question the ‘one size’ ‘blanket’ approach that currently exists to providing access. Delving further into the characteristics of the commercial property sectors and individual disability-specific requirements, experienced commercial building surveyor, Adrian Tagg, analyses the contradictions in the existing legislation to establish examples of design compromise or reasonable adjustments. He seeks to contextualise public and commercial attitudes to disability and go further to demystify the term ‘reasonable adjustment’, which is used currently as a tool of compromise in providing access. The aim is to assess disability-specific requirements for access, as well as adopt a simplistic approach to developing access solutions to the existing built environment from a consultancy and user perspective. Ultimately, this publication hopes to promote accessibility and inclusion from the perspective of surveyors, investors and landlords working in commercial property. It is not just targeted at those on undergraduate or post-graduate surveying courses, as well as those early career professionals undertaking their APC or post-graduate qualifications, but also at those owning or delivering goods, services and employment from commercial premises who want to make a difference.