NEWS, DATA, ANALYSIS AND STRATEGIC INSIGHTS FOR ARCHITECTS IN THE GCC 91%

of readers use

Middle East

Architect to

make purchasing

decisions

WHILE ACCESSIBILITY

IS DIFFERENT FROM

USABILITY, IT HAS A

CLEAR IMPACT ON THE

USER EXPERIENCE AND

SHOULD ALWAYS BE

CONSIDERED.”LAMA HARB,

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, JT+PARTNERS

Decree 43 of 2018, which required employers to ensure

workplaces were accessible for People of Determination.

We have had employers who are keen to keep staff approach

us for advice. As time progresses and People of Determina-

tion become more visible, organisations will start to think

about engagement. This is where a good architect can fit in –

designing accessible buildings from the outset benefits

everyone.”

It’s estimated that more than one billion people in the

world (15 percent of the world’s population) have some form

of disability. With Dubai set to welcome a predicted 25 mil-

lion visitors during the six month period of the World Expo,

one can predict a large number of People with Determina-

tion will visit the emirate, which offers a great opportunity

to showcase what can be achieved in terms of accessibility.

According to Dering, in the UK, where 20 percent of the pop-

ulation has a disability, it’s been calculated that the annual

spending power of People of Determination is £249bn.

“The accessible-tourism market is growing,” said Lama

Harb, associate director at JT+Partners. “While accessibil-

ity is different from usability, it has a clear impact on the user

experience and should always be considered. In practice,

accessibility is about designing for users with disabilities.

Philosophically, it isn’t so much about designing for

disability as it is about designing for everyone.

“Barriers include visual, auditory and mobility. We should

design to maximise ease of use for when users of any ability

are required to submit detailed plans by 2020 on how they
intend to retrofit in order to comply.
“The government of the UAE has made some great steps
forward in terms of accessibility of government buildings,”
said Steve Dering, head of engagement in Dubai at Direct Ac-
cess, a UK practice that offers expertise on incorporating ac-
cessibility into building designs. “And this is slowly extend-
ing to the private sector as people are starting to understand
the need to meet the requirements of design codes.
“In addition to Dubai, Abu Dhabi has its own require-
ments. One of the biggest steps forward was Ministerial

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