Accessibility for disabled/old people

Guys,

I am looking for some articles or research projects about passengers accessibility to ferries or motorboats. Especially for old people and disabled people. And later , I want to discuss about problem to find a good design solution.

There are some bad examples in my country,that disabled people can not access those ferries on their own, they need assistance to board. And for old people, they barely get on.

There are some pictures below. I am trying to find some design solutions to this problem. But in the first place, I need some articles/research projects/thesis for my literature search.


Thanks in advance

 

That roll up platform looks dangerous. Perhaps this would be safer.

 

you must not keep lumping old people with disabled that is very no no ..there is a difference ....are pregnant women disabled ... you should talk of wheel chair access .....I dont know where Tr is so let me know

 

yeah it is dangerous, but the platform they use, is almost the same that you post here. age of tide (I think it called like that) is the reason of the height difference between water and port. and platform like this is not enough.

well I meant both in title.. let me explaint it for you, I mean access for wheelchair , access for pregnant women, access for old people, access for people with luggage, acces for sight-disabled people..etc.. but true i mean wheelchair access..

 

As a disabled person, I am not exactly sure why. Many of the needs are the same. In fact I try to emphasize that a benefit of universal design is the broader benefits for everybody. If you make it easy for those of whom it is presently harder, you make it much easier for everyone else usually.

Perhaps a place to start would be researching "universal design". That is the concept of making access as inclusive as possible. I am spoiled because here in California, all public transit is accessible and actually reliably so.

In regard to loading ramp, sometimes it is the dock that needs the modification, not the boat. From a wheelchair users perspective the things are the steepness of the ramp, level entryways, wide turning radius, and an accessible bathroom.

Using the universal design concept this would benefit many of those with any mobility impairments. Small steps or gaps are very dangerous for the blind and a possible hazard for everyone due to tripping. It is the same for less steep ramps.

The train I ride to work has manual and electric lifts and many of the stations have platforms built up to board evenly. Chairs are removed to make space and nearby is a wheelchair accessible bathroom stall.

 

People who are not "able bodied" I think covers all without lumping.

Anyway I never realised that boats are difficult for "non abled bodied" (NAB)people to access until my wife broke her ankle and had to walk with crutches. We went on a holiday and I suggested we go on a boat cruise. "How do I get on the boat," she asked.

I thought to myself that surely there is access for NABs, so I went to investigate.

Not only do you have to negotiate the gap between the dock and the boat, there is normally a step down onto the deck of the boat, usually a box.

And a large step at that.

So now you've got me thinking. A strange feeling.

 

Not so much getting them on but off in a state of emergency. A disabled person in a wheel chair could block the way to safety for many as does the emergency exit on aircraft are not occupied by the old but by the young or able. A wheel chair on a sinking boat does'nt bare thinking about.

Very difficult subject and one Im not prepared to participate in as I have my own opinion which will no doubt clash with some one else from different culture and global position.

But I can only speak for myself as I get old too like we all do and when I do I will make the decision of wether I go or not on that particular mode of transport and if I need help to do so or not as Im sure many in wheelchairs already do.

 

Is there wheelchair access to your vessels?
Our larger vessels, the Captain Cook and James Stirling, do have manual wheelchair access to the main deck level. Toilets on these vessels however are found on the lower deck, down one flight of stairs. Due to the limited clearance of the entry points to all our vessels we regret that ELECTRIC wheelchairs cannot be accommodated.

Our upstream vessels, the River Lady, Lady De Vine and River Bells, have four steps down as you enter the boat. To ensure the safety of our crew, Captain Cook Cruises’ staff are unable to lift wheelchair passengers into the vessels. If accompanying members of the wheelchair-bound person’s party are able to assist with lifting, then we welcome these passengers onboard. If assistance cannot be provided by your party, unfortunately, it will not be possible to travel on these vessels.

Disabled toilet facilities are available at both Perth and Fremantle departure locations.


I had a look at one of our local ferry services, Captain Cook Cruises, one of our largest and it brings up a good point. Not only do you need to get on the boat but you need access to toilets. A wheelchair toilet is quite large to allow for the wheel chair and has to be on the same deck.

Frosty brought up a good point evacuation in the case of an emergency. If Frosty is on the boat and he's just run over the heads of women and children to get to the exit, he doesn't want a wheelchair in his way.

When you open a business here you must provide wheelchair access and I am surprised that ferry operators don't have to oblige.

You said people can't get on a ferry without assistance if they are disabled. I don't think you will get away without that, whatever you design, disabled people will need assistance with it.

 

To get an idea about standardized requirements for wheelchair users you might compare the guidelines for barrier-free public buuldings in your country.

 

A couple of weeks ago a similar topic came up. I posted a few examples which may help.

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/yacht-concept-your-opinion-please-37620.html

The American Disabilities Act (ADA) and ICC/ANSI A117.1 is what land based architects (like me) use in the USA. Referencing these materials which have graphic examples may help you. Much of the information is available on-line in PDF's which you can download.

You are in Tr, is that Turkey or Turkmenistan?

 

Speaking for myself, if I were in a wheel chair I would accept that mountain climbing was no longer possible along with many many things.

With this in mind I would make enquiries on the particular transport I was thinking of using, it may be that it would not be usable.

I would not be angry or even disappointed if they did not have wheel chair fascilities for my one off visit.

Even without disabilities and just taking into consideration normal old age and being not as sure on my feet as I once was would also make a similar difference.

Ie-- I don't go on roller coasters any more, horse riding, down hill mountain biking etc just from older age.

 

I do agree with you Frosty to a degree. Although I am a fitness trainer and elderly people tend to use their age as an excuse for inactivity.

Right, more to the point, I would think that the idea of designing a method of getting unabled bodied people on and off aboats would be for marketing purposes. If a vessel was able to accomodate unabled bodied people it would be able to expand it's clientelle.

 

Oh no,-- not inactivity,--no way, just maybe different things.

Im not even old,--well not very old, but I know its coming, I can feel it,and there nothing you can do to stop it. like rain slowly running down your underpants

 

This is silly and defeatist. The real problem is that in this case others are deciding what a disabled person can or can not do. I am in a wheelchair and I understand that accessibility isn't always possible. But I also see many more examples of where it is possible but attitudes like this keep it from becoming so. If you choose to limit yourself, go ahead, but do not hold back others. Why shouldn't public transportation be as accessible as possible? In fact there are many things that can be accomplished with enough desire and determination. It is better to create possibilities than barriers.

 

Why don't you try sky-diving?