Article Series
Author: Rehabilitation Alliance Hong Kong
Publication Year: 2024

I believe that for everyone, accessible facilities are familiar; we have seen, encountered, or used them in various buildings, such as ramps, guiding paths, and restrooms for people with disabilities, so they do not feel strange. But if I ask everyone whether they know what a “Design Manual” is, would everyone feel unfamiliar, confused, or perhaps have never heard of it?

Indeed has a chance, if you are not engaged in access advocacy in the rehabilitation sector, or involved in construction work, you may really not have come across this manual, but this manual is closely related to everyone’s travel and participation in society, and has an important relationship that cannot be ignored.

In society, the buildings we go to every day and the accessible facilities we use all have standardised regulations, for example, which buildings need to have accessible facilities, where should guiding paths be laid? Where do guiding paths connect to? What facilities need to be available for wheelchair users in restrooms, and what are the space dimension standards? All of these are regulated by statutes, so isn’t this manual closely related to everyone?

The current full name of the manual is “Design Manual – Barrier Free Access 2008” which is a regulatory provision made by the Buildings Department regarding the design of building passages and internal facilities, governed by the Building (Planning) Regulations. Hong Kong’s first manual was published in 1984, and it was subsequently revised in 1997 and 2008. The current standards were established in 2008, and it has been 16 years since then.

Rehabilitation Alliance Hong Kong has been dedicated to advocating for a comprehensive review of the manual’s content as soon as possible. In addition to revising outdated standards, it is also necessary to add areas that were not previously covered, keeping pace with the times and addressing the diverse needs of different individuals. Now that the manual is finally under review, those who pay attention to our work updates will know that we are closely providing suggestions for the manual. We also hope that through subsequent articles in various units, we can gain more understanding and voice our own rights and interests more effectively.

#Rehabilitation Alliance Hong Kong #Promote Guidelines #Initiative Work #Design Manual #Comprehensive Review #You And I Participate