Building for the Disabled Awards Scheme

Abstract

The Central Council for the Disabled, with the co-operation of the Dept of the Environment and the Royal Institute of British Architects, decided to sponsor the Building for the Disabled 1976 Awards Scheme and relate it in time scale to the introduction of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970. The scheme was administered on behalf of the CCD by C Wycliffe Noble, OBE, FRIBA, who acted as Chairman and Rapporteur for the Jury of Assessors.

The awards scheme is the first of its kind in the world which is entirely based on buildings open to the public. It was limited to England as it was anticipated that organizations in both Wales and Scotland would sponsor their own particular schemes.

It is significant in the area of awards because of the participation of disabled persons who individually and through associations nominated buildings for consideration and also because of the role played by disabled members of the jury in their study, evaluation and visits made to buildings considered to have merit.

It is also marked by an awareness that good and competent design is not a luxury to be enjoyed exclusively by the able bodied. It is a standard that can make the diffekence between mere existence and sharing in a planned environment which takes account of disablement. Any building or group of buildings claimed to have been designed for use by the public should therefore be accessible and usable by those who wish to use them.