Brief Background
Accessibility is a fundamental concept that ensures places, programs, systems, and environments are designed to be usable and reachable by all individuals, regardless of their gender, age, ability, or location. As part of the Disability Inclusion Project's Physical Accessibility focus area, UN Indonesia began a process of enhancing the accessibility of its premises, particularly the Menara Thamrin Building, known as the UN House in Indonesia, which accommodates 13 UN Agencies. The project involved a comprehensive assessment of the premises guided by expert consultation and the representation of OPDs. The was intended to generate recommendations and action plans for the UNCT to implement during a follow-up assessment.
Results
The study primarily focused on evaluating both the physical accessibility of the UN's main premises and staff competence in engaging with persons with disabilities. As a result we have a physical accessibility assessment with clear recommendations what needs to be improved, moreover there is a checklist in place for conducting such accessibility assessments. For concrete results please see ‘’progress’’ section.
How We Went About It
The assessment, conducted in March 2022, enlisted the participation of individuals with various disabilities, including sensory (sight and hearing), physical, mental, intellectual, and neurodivergent conditions. This group assessed key facets of the building's accessibility.
Lessons Learned
The assessment process yielded significant insights on both physical and non-physical challenges to accessing of UN Premises.
Physical Challenges:
- A lack of dedicated parking spaces for individuals with disabilities, which are a fundamental accessibility standard.
- Areas with varying floor levels were inadequately marked, posing hazards, particularly for persons with visual impairments.
- Basic features such as door handles, stair railings, and elevator buttons were not accommodating for persons with disabilities, especially wheelchair users.
- Directional signage was inadequate, and poor lighting compounded the negative impact on individuals with disabilities.
- Staff interactions with individuals with intellectual disabilities revealed communication challenges.
- No staff members were proficient in sign language, although they attempted alternative means of communication with persons with hearing disabilities.
Non-Physical Challenges:
- Insufficient knowledge among staff regarding various types of disabilities.
- Lack of awareness and understanding when interacting with individuals with disabilities.
- The need for safety and comfort in interactions with persons with disabilities
Findings identified
The observation exposes key challenges that were identified during the assessment, in regard to accessibility of UN Premises based on the physical and non-physical aspect:
| 🔹Some building staffs had shown lack of understanding when encountering persons with intellectual disabilities as they experience challenges in communication. | |
| 🔹A few areas with different level of floor steps were not marked properly which could be hazardous for persons with disabilities, especially people with visual impairment who may not have the visibility to identify it | 🔹For persons with hearing disability, no building staffs were able to interact with the use of sign language, however, they still try to engage by using other mediums such as pen and paper. |
| 🔹Several basic features such as door handles and openings, stairs railings, elevator buttons were a challenge for persons with disabilities including wheelchair users, as they did not provide the basic accessibility to accommodate their mobility where its reachable and safe. | |
| 🔹Directional signage for important areas such as restrooms and emergency exit access were not placed where it’s visible with the poor lightings for person with disability. |
Recommendations
Following the assessment, the following priorities and recommendations were identified to enhance the accessibility of UN Premises:
- Implement clear and visibly marked directional signage, including braille.
- Ensure consistent layout of workstations and obstacle-free rooms.
- Provide ramps or transition strips for different flooring levels.
- Improve lighting conditions.
- Enhance staff preparation for, and understanding of, interactions with persons with disabilities.
- Promote a human-centered approach to engaging with individuals with disabilities.
- Incorporate safety and comfort considerations in interactions.
- Disseminate knowledge on various types of disabilities.
- Provide safe spaces or quiet rooms for individuals with intellectual disabilities or mental health conditions.
- Offer emergency and employee training to facilitate basic interactions with persons with disabilities.
- Install portable ramps and tactile indicators.
- Add braille markings to elevator control buttons.
- Implement voice and vibration alarm systems for emergencies.
- Modify disability restrooms to meet proper size standards.
- Install ramps with handrails, especially at building entrances.
- Design accessible parking for people with disabilities.
- Consider replacing doors with sliding mechanisms to enhance access for wheelchair users.
Priority and recommendations
After the assessment, the study reflected priorities and recommendations that serves as an improvement framework to increase the level of accessibility of UN Premises based on the physical and non-physical aspect:
Priority:
| Physical | Non-physical |
| 🔹Consistency to accessibility features that enables the mobility of persons with disability around the building 🔹Implementing clear verbal guidance through signage accessibility to accommodate persons with disability 🔹Spatial planning to working stations and rooms that are free of obstacles or obstructions 🔹Ramps or transition strip for different flooring levels 🔹Good lighting | 🔹Preparation and understanding on interactions with persons with disabilities 🔹Human approach to understand the awareness of persons with disabilities 🔹Safety and comfort as part of the interactions with persons with disabilities 🔹Knowledge on types of disabilities |
Recommendations as steps for improvement:
| Physical | Non-physical |
| Basic | |
| 🔹Implement clear directional signage with significant visibility that has proper sizing, bold enhancement, and braille marking | 🔹Use human centered approach when engaging with persons with disabilities |
| 🔹Consistent layouting on working stations where features are accessible and to prevent obstacles ex: placing hand dryer on the left or right side of washbasin | 🔹Emergency and employee training to understand basic interactions |
| 🔹Provide safe space or quite rooms for people with intellectual disability or mental health conditions | 🔹Provide safe space or quite rooms for people with intellectual disability or mental health conditions |
| Medium | |
| 🔹Good lighting | |
| 🔹Provide portable ramp | |
| 🔹Adding ramp or transition ramp to help identify different floor level | |
| 🔹Provide tactile indicators, such as different floor finishes, to indicate a transition from one area to another | |
| 🔹Replace control buttons in elevator with braille marking | |
| 🔹Install voice and vibration alarms system for emergency. | |
| 🔹Modify disability restroom with proper size. | |
| High | |
| 🔹Install ramps with handrails, especially for building entrance | |
| 🔹Accessible parking for people with disability | |
| 🔹Consider changing the doors to sliding movements and removing door closing that helps wheelchair users significantly |
Progress
In response to these recommendations, the UN team has made notable strides in improving accessibility. This includes staff training to enhance understanding of disability, and the provision of accessible parking. Consistent handrails have been installed to ensure safety, and a recommendation to replace doors in the UN’s main office with sliding mechanisms for improved accessibility is under consideration.
Date
Before
After
Remarks
June 2022
Issues in staff interactions with persons with disabilities demonstrated the need for improved training.
The UN Team responded to this recommendation with dedicated training sessions
Accessible parking has been installed in order to improve accessibility for persons with disabilities.
August 2022
Uninterrupted handrailing has been installed in stairways at the UN’s main office.
November 2022
A recommendation to install sliding doors that are more accessible for wheelchair users is being considered.