Accessible adult change facilities were added to the Building Code of Australia in 2019, making them required to be installed in specific shopping centres, sports venues, museums, art galleries, theatres, and passenger areas within airports.

These were based on the Changing Places design, an initiative launched in the United Kingdom in 2006 and then developed with specifications relevant to Australia, with the first Australian facility opening in 2014.

As of early last year, there were nearly 2,000 Changing Places built in England, with targeted areas where they were most needed, such as parks, shopping centres and train stations with little to no access facilities. There are now about 300 Changing Places facilities across Australia, with the highest number in Victoria and the Northern Territory having opened its first two this year.

A Changing Places facility enables people with high support needs to enjoy day-to-day activities that many of us take for granted, such as going to work, school or university; playing in the park; or attending cultural, sporting, or social and family events. They include a height-adjustable adult-sized change table, a constant-charging ceiling track hoist system, a peninsula toilet, more circulation space than standard accessible toilets, an automatic door with a clear opening of minimum 950 millimetres, and a privacy screen.

The former Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Ben Gauntlett explained that including Changing Places in the design of buildings was not about meeting the needs of a certain few but about ensuring all people – including people with disability – were given choice and autonomy about how and where they live their lives.

He said: “We do really need to be cognisant of designing for the whole population and not leaving parts of the population out.

“It’s also about supporting people with disability to be involved in all aspects of society that may traditionally have not been sufficiently serviced with suitable facilities.

The federal government is investing $32.2 million from 2022 to 2026 to offer up to half of the funding required to build Changing Places facilities in local government areas around Australia, as set out in the 2022-23 October Budget.

These can be built in most locations, but approval of Commonwealth funding for proposed locations is subject to Commonwealth agreement.

Approved buildings must begin construction within 12 months of receiving funding and be complete within 18 months of starting the build.

Bruce Bromley, Managing Director of Equal Access Group, told Build Australia the current building code and referenced Australian Standards specified a minimum level for accessibility within the built environment, and while these were world-leading for building accessibility, they could go further.

He said: “It is very disappointing in Australia that it takes a lot of time for new standards to be updated or upgraded.

“However, the provision of specialist disability accommodation (SDA), which provides housing for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), is increasing.

“The profile of an NDIS SDA participant is someone with an extreme functional impairment or very high support needs, which compares to people who benefit from Changing Places.”

A common reason for not investing in disability access options is the belief that costs are prohibitive, and while some modifications require upfront investments, the long-term benefits outweigh these costs.

Investing in disability access can lead to an increased customer base, enhanced reputation, compliance with the law, and a positive impact on employees and visitors.

Accessibility standards for new homes
Minimum accessibility standards were introduced to the National Construction Code in 2021 following decades of campaigning by groups such as the Australian Network for Universal Housing Design, Rights and Inclusion Australia, and the Summer Foundation.

Whilst the requirements and implementation vary across states and territories, the intent is for all new homes to be built to Liveable Housing silver standard, the minimum level of housing accessibility, which have seven specific features including at least one step-free entrance, a toilet on the entry level with easy access, internal doors and corridors that allow comfortable movement, and a bathroom with a hobless shower recess.

Higher levels of accessibility standards for homes are gold, which has additional accessibility features, and platinum, which requires designs suitable for people with higher mobility needs and to allow ageing at home.

When the standards were introduced, NSW and WA announced they would not adopt the new code, despite both the NDIS review and disability royal commission recommending all states and territories immediately adopt them.

The University of Melbourne’s Professor Rebecca Bentley, from the School of Population and Global Health, and Associate Professor in Urban Geography Ilan Wiesel, explained that an accessible building was one where people of all abilities were able to move and carry out activities independently, safely, in comfort and with dignity.

They said: “For people with disabilities many buildings are inaccessible – in these buildings, basic everyday activities such as taking a shower or preparing breakfast becomes difficult, tiring, uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous.

“Studies have found living in inaccessible homes severely harms the dignity, independence, social inclusion, employment, health and wellbeing of people with disabilities. “Dignity is a crucial aspect of accessibility but it is often forgotten.

“For example, many buildings’ front entry has stairs that make it inaccessible for wheelchair users – there may be an accessible ramp entry at the rear of the building, [and] the building is then considered accessible since wheelchair users can enter and exit.

“But such a solution can be seen as inequitable due to the loss of dignity as it discriminates.”

They also noted that accessibility was not exclusively about physical disabilities and physical barriers, pointing out that accessible buildings in practice could be inaccessible due to poor management while people with vision or cognitive disability may struggle if wayfinding signs are difficult to understand or poorly located.

They added: “Communication accessibility in buildings is achieved when the information needed to navigate and use the building is understood by everyone, no matter how they communicate.

“A consistent application of the code’s new standards across Australia is a good start, but the code provides only the minimum standard of accessibility.

“To make buildings and homes truly accessible, we need to improve education on accessibility for designers, operators and consumers.”