Services

Front cover of booklet 7 Key Features for Residential Accessibility

Download our guide to residential accessibility

Download our guide to help you identify 7 key accessibility features in your home. 

The reasons

Tasmania has the highest rate of disability - 26% compared to 18% nationally 

Customers served! 0 In 2015 there were 4.3 million Australians with disability.
Customers served! 0 In September 2019 7,027 Tasmanians were benefiting from the NDIS
Customers served! 0 Of the 4.3 million of these 131,700 were in Tasmania.
Customers served! 0 Australians had a limitation with core activities of communication, mobility, self care and/or schooling or employment restriction.

Our Promise

Our promise is to deliver your reports quickly and efficiently with a high level of professionalism and dedication to get the best possible access results. 

Disability statistics

58%
Needed help with a daily activity

Around 3 in 5 people with disability (58%) needed assistance with at least 1 activity in daily life.

50%
of people with a disability use aids 

Half of people with disability use aids or equipment to help them with their disability.

21%
of their life will be with disability

A person born in 2018 can expect to live 21% of their life with a disability

9.6%
reported discrimination because of their disability

1 in 10 people aged 15 or older reported discrimination during the previous 12 months because of their disability.

Three women, two with prams and babies, one pregnant.

our FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions?

01. What is an Access Consultant?

An access consultant works within the built environment to determine potential accessibility concerns particularly for individuals with a disability.  An access consultant will assess your specific situation and will provide advice to best approach access to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and the Building Code of Australia (BCA). 

02. What services do Access Consultants provide?

Access consultants provide several services to help assess the built environment for equitable accessibility for all.  At Access for Life we can conduct the following services;

  • Building Access Audits
  • Design Plan Assessments
  • Design Consultation
  • Development of Performance Solutions
  • Advice on alterations and additions
  • Livable Housing Design Guidelines Assessments

03. What is a performance solution?

A performance solution, formally known as an alternative solution is a method of complying with the performance criteria set out by the Building Code of Australia (BCA) however, it is an alternative route when the ‘deemed to satisfy’ provisions cannot be achieved. The performance solution must demonstrate that compliance can still be achieved using the alternative method.     

04. What type of disabilities does access need to accommodate?

Access needs to comply with the BCA and the DDA and therefore, anyone with a disability.  Equal access for everyone. A disability can be described as a condition that that impacts the body or the mind and as a result causes limitations with the world around them. 

05. When is access triggered and to what level?

The Disability Access to Premises Standards applies to all new buildings which are not a Class 1a Single residence, new parts of buildings such as extensions, and the affected parts of existing buildings which are the principal pedestrian entrance and a continuous path of travel from the entrance through the existing building to the new part. This application includes apartment buildings, offices, warehouses, hospitals, schools.

This means that any works requiring a building permit such as when any new building or new part of a building is constructed or a change of use occurs, full compliance with current accessibility standards is required in the new areas as well as areas providing access though to the new part of the building.

06. At what stage of the project should an access consultant be engaged?

An access consultant should be engaged as early in the process as possible, for example during the feasibility studies and concept development.  The earlier an access consultant is engaged the better the accessibility outcomes for the project. 

 
Elderly lady holding hands to either side of mouth laughing.