ADDIS ABEBA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY

PHYSICAL ACCESSIBILITY OF DISABLED PEOPLE IN

MULTI-STORY RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS OF ADDIS ABABA,
(In the case of Ayat and Semit Condominiums)

A MASTER’S THESIS
BY
BERHANESELASSIE WOBESHET

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING

MAY 29, 2022

1
 ADDIS ABEBA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY

PHYSICAL ACCESSIBILITY OF DISABLED PEOPLE IN

MULTI-STORY RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS OF ADDIS ABABA,
(In the case of Ayat and Semit Condominium)

By

BERHANESELASSIE WOBESHET,
DR. DANIEL LIREBO (PhD)
A Thesis Submitted as a Partial Fulfillment to the Requirements for the Award of the
Degree of Master of Science in architecture
(Advance architecture)
To

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING

MAY 29, 2022

2
 Declaration
The undersigned declare that the thesis, Physical Accessibility of Disabled People in Multi-
Story Residential Buildings of Adis Ababa, (in the case of Ayat and Semit Condominium),
is my original work and has not been presented for a degree at any other university, and that all
sources of material used for this thesis proposal have been duly acknowledged.

Author: Signature, Date:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Witnessed by:

Name of student advisor: Signature, Date:

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Name of student co-advisor: Signature, Date:

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 Approval Page

Title: PHYSICAL ACCESSIBILITY OF DISABLED PEOPLE IN MULTI-STORY RESIDENTIAL

BUILDINGS IN ADDIS ABABA,

(In the case of Ayat and Semit Condominiums)

__________________________________________________

Student Name: Berhaneselassie Wobeshet Habteyes

Signature, Date: May 29, 2022

Approved by the examining committee members:

Name Academic Rank Signature Date
Advisor: ________________ ________________ ___________ ___________
Co-Advisor: ________________ ________________ ___________ ___________
Examiner: ________________ ________________ ___________ ___________
Examiner: ________________ ________________ ___________ ___________

Chairperson: ________________ ________________ ___________ ___________

Name Signature Date ________________ ________________ ___________ ___________
DGC Chairperson: ________________ ________________ ___________ ___________
Dean/Associate: ________________ ________________ ___________ ___________
Dean for Graduate: ________________ ________________ ___________ ___________
Programs: ________________ ________________ ___________ ___________

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Abstract
This research work surveyed the attributes of public living and residential buildings and their cessation of
access to physically challenged people. The characteristics of public dwelling residential buildings in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and their denial of access to physically challenged people were studied in this
study. The study focuses on people with disabilities who live in condominiums. According to a large
number of studies, public structures and living quarters have been inaccessible to people with disabilities.
Most Ethiopians with disabilities live in inadequate homes, and most of the population lacks access to
facilities. In Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, most of the houses are in poor condition and below
housing standards. Houses in slum areas are old, dilapidated, and too narrow to accommodate families,
where health and dignity are compromised. There are a lot of disabled people and aged people living in
this condition. The research focuses on disabled people living in condominium houses. Much research
shows public buildings and living houses have not been accessible to the elderly and people with
disabilities due to poor design and performance. In most cases, disabled people find it difficult to gain
access to these buildings simply because of their physical disability. The barriers could be in the form of
restricted access or narrow doorways, steps, or staircases. This study examines the physical accessibility
challenges of disabled people and elderly people from parking plots to living houses in Hayat and Semit
condominiums in Addis Abeba, using a case study and interviews. The need for the study stems from the
fact that the majority of public residential condominium buildings are not inclusive, particularly for those
in wheelchairs. In most cases, they are not easily accessible for individuals with disabilities. The reasons
are multifaceted, but the researchers were interested in the role of architectural accessibility planning in
building an inclusive society. The inclusive society concept and basic design requirements provided the
theoretical framework, while descriptive analysis was used for the study. Two public residential
condominium building sites were conveniently selected. According to the study, physically challenged
people who use wheelchairs to get around can only get into 9% of the houses that have ramps. Another
important observation made in this study was that for multi-story buildings, the wheelchair would be
able to access the ground floors only, and even in some instances, these were inaccessible too, save for
the lack of other complementary requirements. The study concluded that there is a need for the
Ethiopian government to lead the way in making accessibility of public buildings a priority and in
enacting laws which mandate accessibility. The research recommended that Ethiopian low-cost housing
designers and managers should only grant building development permits to public buildings when
generous provisions have been made to make access to all people possible.

Keywords: physical, accessibility, disabled people. multi-story, residential buildings

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The process of this study took a long time. I am grateful to many people for it. I wish to express
my appreciation to my supervisor, Associate Prof. Dr. Daniel Lirebo (PhD), for his guidance,
interest, and encouragement throughout the study. At every point where I wanted to give up this
study, he gave me morale support and he always approached me with tolerance. I owe everything
to him. There are many staff members who have contributed and extended their valuable
assistance. Also, I am grateful to my wife, Meseret Tamiru, for her endless support throughout
my life. She has always been with me, both in my university life and in my private life.
Whenever I have questions or I am having trouble with something, she makes me feel her
support and patience. I also want to express my sincere thanks to Ato Tameru Gezaw, my mother
Desta Hayele, and my father Wobeshet Habteyes, who deserve the greatest gratitude for
supporting me in using internet access for free. You have been with me all the time, and I thank
you for your invaluable encouragement. If your support did not exist, I could not have done it on
my own and I could not have been at this level. Thank you for everything.

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TABEL OF CONTENTS
Chapter1. Introduction……………………………………………………..………………….1
1.1. Back ground of the study………………………………………………………………..……
1
1.2. Problem statement………………………………………………………………………….…3
1.3. Research question………………………………………………..……………….………..…3
1.4. .Objective ……………………………………………………………………………….……4
1.5. Scope of the research ……………………………………………..………………………….4
1.6. Limitation of the research……………………………………………………….……………5
1.7. Relevance of the study………………………………………………………………..………5
1.8. Organization of the thesis report……………………………...………………………………5

Chapter 2.litterateur review……………………………………………………….………….6

2.1. Introduction ………………………………………………………………………..…………6
2.2 Theoretical literature review

………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………..8
2.2.1 Accessibility. ……………………………………………………………….…....…………8
2.2.2 Physical Accessibility…………………...……………………………...........……………....8
2.2.3 Disabled person’s accessibility……………………………………………………….. 10
2.2.4 Aging and impairments
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………12
2.2.5 Multi story buildings in Ethiopia Addis Abeba………………….………………….……..12
2.2.6. Responsive Architectures……………………………………………...………………...…15
2.2.7 Disability and Architecture………………………………………………......……………16
2.2.8 Understanding disability in the built environment………………………………...………17
2.2.9 Building codes and other standards supporting accessibility……………………….……19
2.3 Empirical literature review…………………………………………………………..………32
2.4 Lesson learned……………………………………………………………………...………..39

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2.5 Conclusion…………………………………………..……………………………………….40

Chapter3. Research methodology… …………………………………………41

3.1 study era selection…………………………………………………………………………41

3.2 Types of data and sours……………………………………………………………………43

3.3 Data collection method……………………………………………………………...……….43

3.4 Data Collection Techniques ………………………………………………………………... 44
3.5. Sampling Frame and Units……………………………………………………………......…44
3.6. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………..46

Chapter4. Data collection and analyses …………………………………………..47

4.1. Collected data from case study……………………………………………………………...47

4.1.1 Pedestrian and Roadways Accessibility………………………………………………….47

4.1.2 Access to entrances and parking spaces……………………………………………………48

4.1.3 Accessibility for horizontal and vertical circulation (include stair and corridors)……...…48

2.1.5 Accessibility in public space…………………………………………………………….…52

4.2. Collected data from questioner……………………………………………………………...52

4.3. Data analyses……………………………………………………………………….………..53

4.3.1 Data 4.1.4 Toilet and kitchen facilities accessibility………..……………………………..51

4.3.2 Analysis from case study……………...…………………………………………………..57

Chapter.5 finding and discussion……………………………………………………………......58
5.1. Result from case study………………………………………………………………….......58
5.2. Result from questioners…………………………………………………..………………...58
5.3. Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………..59

Chapter.6 Conclusions and Recommendation……………………………….…………..62

6.1. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………..61
6.2. Recommendation……………………………………………………………………………62

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6.3. Design
recommendation……………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………..63

Reference………………………………………………………………………….66
Appendix-A……………………………………………………………………………...….67
Appendix-B……………………………………………………………………………...….68
Appendix-C……………………………………………………………………………...….69
Publication………………………………………………………………………...70

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: the maximum length and slope of ramp for disable people.
Table 2: proportional sample size from strata
Table 3: time schedule plan
Table 4: labor and financial cost plan
Table 5: research type
Table 6: participants of the research
Table 7: Summarized Accessibility Features problems from disable persons’ home visit in the
research era
Table 8: Accessibility Features problems from questionnaires in the selected research era
Table 9: Physical accessibility issues in the homes of disabled people in the selected research
area
Table 10: Recommendations physical accessibility issues in the homes of disabled people in the
selected research area

LIST OF FIGURES

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Figure 1: Anthropometrics wheelchair and Cain users for people with disabilities.
Figure 2: Standard views of Street Furniture for Disabled People.
Figure 3: illustration for tactile crossings for disabled people.
Figure 4: illustration of pedestrian and disabled people's physical access routes.
Figure 5: illustration Examples of Curb Ramps for Disabled People.
Figure 6: illustrations of disability parking layouts as seen from the road.
Figure 7: illustrations of parking spaces for disabled people.
Figure 8: illustrations of key elements of an accessible route for disabled people.
Figure 9: illustrations of accessible routes for disabled people.
Figure 10: illustrations for disabled people's ramp standards.
Figure 11: illustrations for physically disabled people's stairs and lift standards.
Figure 12: Standard illustrations of recommended one-flay stair for physically disabled people.
Figure 13: Handrail standards illustrations for physically disabled peoples.
Figure 14: Door Handle Standards Illustrations for physically Disabled People.
Figure 15: Corridors standard illustrations for physically disabled peoples.
Figure 16: illustrations for working space standard for d physically disabled peoples.
Figure 17: illustration of window standards for wheelchair users who are physically disabled.
Figure 18: Toilet requirements for physically disabled people who use wheelchairs.
Figure 19: Door requirements for physically disabled people who use wheelchairs
Figure 20; Proyectos Urbanos Integrales – PUI (“Integral Urban Project”), (Medellín, Colombia)
Figure 21: Metro cable, Medellin, Colombia.
Figure 23: Barrier free washrooms
Figure 24: low window and external door with glazing to Allow view from wheelchair.
Figure 25: Noor Jehan House, (exposed straw bale under Plaster) and Noor Jehan House,
(ramped Access under construction).
Figure 26: Saadia noor House, (Adapted kitchen) and kulsoom bibi House, (Adapted bathroom)
Figure 27: Different Phases of Incremental Housing figure and ground floor Plan -Adapted
units with Accessible ground floor.
Figure 28: (left) Adapted toilet in chiang mai Province figure 29: (right) toilet Improvement
with Handrails and bath chair.

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Figure 30: Flat toilet and bath chair Provision with Handrails.
Figure 31: Semit and Ayat condominiums site locations.
Figure 32: Image of pedestrians and roads in the research areas.
Figure 33: Image of parking in the research areas.
Figure 34: Image of entrance in the research areas.
Figure 35: Stepping and vertical circulations on the selected research era.
Figure 36: Stepping and horizontal circulations on the selected research era.
Figure 37: Stepping horizontal circulation on the selected research era.
Figure 38: Vertical circulations in selected research era.
Figure 38: bole Semit condominiums plan and elevation, MH engineering.
Figure 39: bole Semit condominiums toilet plan, MH engineering.
Figure 40: bole Semit condominiums corridor plan, MH engineering.
Figure 41: Kitchen layouts in the selected research era.
Figure 42: Image of communal space in the selected research era.
Figure 43: Chart of data accessibility challenge on the building.
Figure 45: Chart of data accessibility challenge on floor finish.
Figure 46: Image of Pedestrian and Roadways physical accessibility challenging problems in
the study sites.
Figure 47: Image four parking physical accessibility challenging problems in the study sites.
Figure 48: Recommending illustrations of Pedestrian and Roadways in the selected research
area.
Figure 49: Recommending illustrations of entrances stair in physical accessibility challenging
problems in the selected research area.
Figure 50: Recommending illustrations of ramps in physical accessibility challenging problems
in the selected research area.
Figure 51: Recommending illustrations of horizontal circulation in physical accessibility
challenging problems in the selected research area.
Figure 52: Recommending illustrations of water supply (toilet and kitchen) in physical
accessibility challenging problems in the selected research area.
Figure 53: Recommending illustrations of communal space in physical accessibility in the
selected research area.

Figure 54: Location and Concept of the recommending design.

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
UD: Universal Design
UN: United Nations
ADA: The Americans with Disability Act
IT: Information Technology
KAMİS: Kamu İnternet Siteleri Rehberi Projesi
ÖZİDA: Başbakanlık Özürlüler İdaresi Başkanlığı
TOHAD: Toplumsal Haklar ve Araştırmalar Derneği
TS 9111: Özürlüler ve Hareket Kısıtlılığı Bulunan Kişiler için Binalarda Ulaşılabilirlik Gerekleri

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 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Back ground of the study
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines disability as: "Disabilities is an umbrella term,
covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions." Impairment is a
problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an
individual in executing a task or action. Definition of disability Under the Disability
Discrimination Act (DDA), a disabled person is someone who has a physical or mental
impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out
normal day-to-day activities.

Reiterating a United Nations world report on disability, it acknowledged that people living with
disabilities (PWD) are the largest marginalized group and the slim history of the lives of PWD is
not only a history of the "silence of the poor" but a story of those called "the poorest of the poor"
(WHO, 2011). Furthering the afore mentioned narrative, the WHO reported that around 15% of
the world’s population, about 1 billion people, live with a disability; 80% of these live-in
developing countries (WHO 2015). Expounding the statistics and numbers, Agarwal and Steele
(2016) asserted that estimates of the numbers of people living with disabilities are approximate,
with different countries using different definitions and processes for recording. The authors paint
a vivid picture, as painted by the UN, that suggests that there are 285 million people who are
blind and 70 million people who are deaf, but without clarity on what constitutes "blind" or
"deaf", these numbers are unclear, and it can be assumed that there are many more whose access
to a quality life is precluded by visual or hearing impairment.

Accessibility and disability in the context of urban development, urban environments,

infrastructures, facilities, and services can either impede or enable the participation and inclusion
of all members of society. People with disabilities face a widespread lack of accessibility to build
environments, from roads and housing, to public buildings and spaces, basic urban services such
as sanitation and water, health, education, transportation, and emergency response programs.
Barriers to information and communication, such as relevant technologies, as well as cultural
attitudes, such as negative stereotyping and stigma, all contribute to the exclusion and
marginalization of people with disabilities in the workplace.

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From the perspective of sustainability, accessibility links three primary aspects: social, through
equity; economic, via financial independence; and environmental, as when housing projects and
programs adopt green, low-cost strategies for spatial adaptation. In several countries, people with
intellectual or psychosocial disabilities face an additional obstacle: they have limited security of
tenure because their legal capacity is not recognized, and they are rarely able to obtain a formal
housing contract. To make cities and communities inclusive and sustainable for people with
disabilities, more efforts are needed to ensure that national policies and laws on accessible
housing, public infrastructure, transport, and services are in place and implemented. Develop
national policies and laws that guarantee access to adequate and affordable housing for people
with disabilities. Raising disability awareness among communities and decision-makers as well
as creating an enabling environment in which people with disabilities are included without
discrimination and can participate equally in their communities.

On a national level, its Growth and Transformation Plan, which is the leading document aiming
for economic growth and development in Ethiopia and is already in its second phase (GTP II
2015-2020), has various chapters and articles that refer directly or indirectly to persons with
disabilities, referencing, for example, special-needs education for children with disabilities,
preventive, curative, emergency care, and rehabilitative health services, and the aim to expand
social security services and participation in political decision-making. Ethiopia and is already in
its second phase (GTP II 2015-2020), has various chapters and articles that refer directly or
indirectly to persons with disabilities, referencing, for example, special-needs education for
children with disabilities, preventive, curative, emergency care, and rehabilitative health
services, and the aim to expand social security services and participation in political decision-
making.

Also, the vast majority of Ethiopians with disabilities live in inadequate homes, with 90% of
urban and almost all rural houses in poor condition and 60% of the population lacking access to
adequate sanitation facilities. Despite the efforts of the government and the initiatives of national
and international non-governmental organizations, there is still a great need to work with people
with disabilities towards their full inclusion in all aspects of society and for the different
stakeholders to collaborate more closely. Financial access to housing for low-income urban
dwellers, including poor people with disabilities and older people that need a lot of work to make
it easier (DDA 20018)

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1.2 Problem statement
Accessibility and disability in the context of urban development can either impede or enable the
participation and inclusion of all members of society (WHO2017). People with disabilities face a
widespread lack of accessibility to build environments, from roads and housing to public
buildings and spaces. Lack of accessibility contributes greatly to the disadvantaged and
vulnerable situations faced by people with disabilities. The World Bank and the World Health
Organization in 2011 estimated that 17.6% of the Ethiopian population has a disability. Also, the
vast majority of Ethiopians with disabilities live in inadequate homes, with 90% of urban and
almost all rural houses in poor condition and 60% of the population lacking access to adequate
sanitation facilities. Based on the current rate of growth 0.03% (GTP II 2015-2020), the
population of Ethiopia is expected to double in the next 30 years and cross 210 million by 2060,
implying a higher demand for housing needs. It is learnt from the trend of housing development
in Addis Ababa that reducing the housing backlogs has been a challenge for the Ethiopian city
administration. In Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, 80% of the houses are in poor
condition and below standard. Furthermore, multistory public living buildings are shown to be
less suitable for the elderly, the very young, and people with disabilities due to poor design and
performance. The houses in these areas have difficult physical accessibility, are dilapidated, and.
too narrow to accommodate families, where health and dignity are compromised. the majority of
families who live in dilapidated homes in these areas share pedestrian access, staircases,
corridors, entrances, and sanitation accessibility with disabled people whose homes are also in
disrepair. Only 18% of households in Addis Ababa have physical access to sanitation facilities,
and 24% of households do not have any form of disabled person's physical accessibility. There
are a lot of disabled people living in this condition. Based on the realization of sustainable
development goals by the UN in 2018 for and with persons with disabilities, a lot of measures are
required in Addis Ababa to improve physical accessibility in public communal living buildings
with regard to accessible circulation, playgrounds, use of communal residential facilities,
sidewalks, and pedestrian crossings. It shows that more efforts must be made to make cities and
communities inclusive and sustainable for people with disabilities, and architectural studies on
physical accessibility in buildings will support and contribute to solutions to the challenging
problems.

1.3 Research question

1. Why are multistory communal living buildings in Addis Ababa inaccessible to the
disabled and the elderly (alders)?

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 2. What kinds of accessibility issues do disabled people and the elderly (alders) face in the
condominium sites' living buildings?
3. How do elderly and disabled people overcome and solve problems with daily
accessibility challenges in multistory communal living buildings?
4. Howe can solve the physical accessibility challenges of disabled people and aged groups
in multistory communal living buildings at the selected sites?

1.4 Objectives
1.3.1. General objective

Physical Accessibility is a formation that occurs from the smallest living units called "residential
buildings" that host even one person, and public buildings, which are used by most people, to
open spaces that occupy a remarkable number of places. Accessible cities can be constituted only
if all of the processes that comprise whole spaces are completed. When pathways, buildings,
places, and spaces are built for people, they need to be accessible. When they are not, people are
excluded from participating in the social or economic activity that is going on in these areas.

Generally, the objective of this research is to identify the physical accessibility challenge and
find architectural solution for disabled people's in public residential buildings in Ethiopia, Addis
Ababa and also to share research solution ideas and best practice examples that promote
understanding and potential solutions to key physical accessibility issues faced by people with
disabilities.

1.3.2. Specific objective

 To examine the challenges and interests of physical accessibility for people with
disabilities in multi-story residential buildings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Ethiopia Ayat
and Semit condominiums.

 To identify the physical accessibility challenges of disabled people in multi-story public

residential buildings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Ayat and Semit condominiums.

 To understand disabled people's physical accessible housing needs and empower them to
live independent lives by accessing multi-story residential buildings and community
activities in Ethiopia Ayat and Semit condominiums.

 To find architectural solution for disabled people's physical accessibility challenges and
building needs in multi-story residential buildings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Ayat and
Semit condominiums.

1.5 Scope of the research

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1.5.1 Thematic scope
This research is carried out in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The research only focuses on disabled
people walking difficulties and their physical accessibility challenges and causes on
condominium buildings.

1.5.2 Spatial scope

Specifically g+4 Semit and Ayat condominium sites in Addis Ababa are the focus of the study.
The research is focused to the sites because of (most condominiums housing lotteries for
disabled peoples are distributed to these sites, ADE 2017).

1.6 Limitation of the research

This study is subjected to some limitations, Lack of properly documented baseline data also there is
limitation of data’s on the research because of unwillingness of disabled people participants to take
time on the research progress, capturing photographs of their house due to security concerns, and
shortage of previously done prior researches and studies on related topics in local .

1.7 Relevance of the study

This research contributes architectural information on physical accessibility of disability-related
problems in condominium house and their community. For researchers, it can be a takeoff for
further related studies; students can use it as a reference to design and build an improved
knowledge of inclusive architecture for similar studies in this area. And it also serves as guidance
for further studies on disabled people's accessibilities.

1.8 Organization of the thesis report

This research is organized into six chapters, with

Chapter.1, This section consists of research background, problem statement, questions,

objectives, scope, and limitations of the study. Chapter

Chapter.2, Literature Review: This section describes the theoretical review and available
literature related to accessibility in multistory communal living buildings.

Chapter.3, Research Methodology: This part describes the methods and tools used to study the
research and why the methods were selected. It also explains the types of data, data collection
techniques, data analysis methods, etc.

17
Chapter.4, Data Collection and Analysis: This section is a very important part of the research.
Basic will be collected and interpreted in detail regarding the accessibility challenge.

Chapter.5, finding and discussion: This chapter includes the findings' recommendations as well
as the overall research discussions

Chapter.6, conclusion and recommendation: this chapter includes conclusion of the research and
recommending output of the research.

CHAPTER.2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
Disability is a universal challenge and its associated impediment is universally experienced and
accepted. It is in this line with this notion that Ahmed, Awad and Yacoob (2014) posited that
physical disability has for long determined social acceptability by considering body features as
“normal” and any other as deformed and disabled. Prior to the avowals of Ahmed et al (2014),
the World Health Organization (WHO) reiterating a United Nation world report on disability
acknowledged that People living with Disabilities (PWD) are the largest marginalized group and
the slim history of the lives of PWD is not only a history of “silence of the poor” but a story of
those called “the poorest of the poor” (WHO, 2011). Furthering the afore narrative, the WHO
reported that around 15% of the world’s populations, about 1 billion people live with a disability;
80% of these live-in developing countries (WHO 2015).
The statistics and numbers, Agarwal and Steele (2016) asserted that estimates of numbers of
people living with disabilities are approximate with different countries using different definitions
and processes for recording. The authors gave a vivid picture as painted by the UN that suggests
that there are 285m people who are blind, and 70m who are deaf, but without clarity on what
constitutes ‘blind’ or ‘deaf’, these numbers are unclear and it can be assumed that there are many
more whose access to a quality life is precluded by visual or hearing impairment.
The term disability is not new, nor emerging; in clear terms, Shakespeare and Watson (1997)
gave a profound meaning to the word disability when it was conceived as a combination of
personal tragedy, bio-psycho-social forces and oppressions. There is however an ancient
definition of disability as a loss of functional capability due to illness, injury, accidents or other
similar causes (medical model). This definition, Agarwal and Steele (2016) averred has been
redefined in order to assist the disabled people to gain independence, equality and social
inclusion by exposing the social oppression associated with disability. Corroborating the varying

18
views on the concept “disability,” Danso, Agyekum and Atuaheme (2017) conceived disability
to be a form of impairment that has lived with mankind from the past, and will continually be
part of the society. For this study, disability related to physical impairments is in focus and it
range from difficulty in walking to the need for assisted mobility, such as a wheelchair. In
developing countries of the world, disabled people still face di fferent kinds of discriminations,
posing difficulties and disadvantages of different sizes. In the past, barriers such as bad designs,
insufficient knowledge or discriminatory behaviors caused the exclusions of disabled people
from social life. Tracing the trends over the years, there has not been a significant shift in the
paradigm as numerous people with disabilities do not have equal access to healthcare, education
and employment opportunities even in recent times. Globally, the restraint that disabled people
face require detailed analysis, so much that Danso et al (2017) avowed that a psychological and
sociological analyses is required as diagnosis to the challenges faced by Persons living With
Disabilities. In retrospect, Baris and Uslu (2009) argued that for many people with disabilities,
life is severely limited by barriers in the transportation environment; thereby causing an
impedance to places of work, worship, shopping, and leisure to mention but a few.
A challenge is thus posed to planners and design professionals as to how they are able to
improve accessibility of people on wheel chairs to buildings, particularly public buildings in the
built environment. It is therefore against this background information that this paper surveyed
public buildings in Ibadan with a view to check their inclusion of building components that
supports access of persons on wheelchairs and suggest accordingly effective best practices that
will improve their access to buildings.
Disability in Ethiopia, Women and men with disabilities can and want to be productive members
of society. In both developed and developing countries, promoting more inclusive societies and
employment opportunities for people with disabilities requires improved access to basic
education, vocational training relevant to labor market needs and jobs suited to their skills,
interests and abilities, with adaptations as needed. Many societies are also recognizing the need
to dismantle other barriers - making the physical environment more accessible, providing
information in a variety of formats, and challenging attitudes and mistaken assumptions about
people with disabilities.
Current situation Based on the World Report on Disability jointly issued by the World Bank and
World Health Organization, there are an estimated 15 million children, adults and elderly
persons with disabilities in Ethiopia, representing 17.6 per cent of the population. A vast
majority of people with disabilities live in rural areas where access to basic services is limited. In
Ethiopia, 95 per cent of all persons with disabilities are estimated to live in poverty. Many
depend on family support and begging for their livelihoods. A study in Oromia region, for
instance, found that 55 per cent of the surveyed persons with disabilities depend on family,
neighbors and friends for their living, while the rest generate meagre income through self-
employment, begging and providing house maid services.
Governmental support for people with disabilities The Government of Ethiopia has adopted and
implemented a number of laws, policies and standards pertaining to people with disabilities,

19
including their right to productive and decent work. The main ones are: Constitution of the
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, adopted in 1995, Article 41 of the Constitution sets out
the State’s responsibility for the provision of necessary rehabilitation and support services for
people with disabilities. Proclamation concerning the Rights to Employment for Persons with
Disabilities, No. 568/2008, makes null and void any law, practice, custom, attitude and other
discriminatory situations that limit equal opportunities for persons with disabilities disabilities;
and assign an assistant to enable a person with disability to perform their work or follow training
(HIE 2015).

2.2. Theoretical literature review

2.2.1 Accessibility
WHO defines, Accessibility is a measure of how simply a person can participate in an activity.
Many people move through the world without considering the barriers that might stop others
from moving in the same fashion. But, think, for example, how a two-inch step can make the
difference between being able to participate and being unable to do so. The ways we design and
build determine how inclusive we’re able to be of all members of our communities. Accessibility
takes many forms in many places. Physical environments, such as dwellings, offices and other
buildings, elevators, ramps and sidewalks are an obvious category. Transportation is another
category - an example of improved accessibility here is wheelchair-friendly buses. Web and
digital environments fall into another grouping, in which enlarged fonts and speak-to-text
features can be used to improve accessibility (PWD 2016).Accessibility, as Burton and Mitchell
(2006, p. 94), is a key factor that makes urban areas safe and independent for all users. Urban
areas should offer certain choices in (Tibbalds, p. 58) there by; urban areas provide open and
feasible spaces and places.
Built environment, especially in large cities, may create permanent or temporary obstacles and
barriers for people, particularly for those who have disabilities. Harikae (1999) states that the
present urban infrastructure is mostly built for healthy people who have no physical problem in
their life (Harikae, 1999, p. 4). With an increasingly diverse society, and against a backdrop of
an ageing population, accessibility should be taken into account across a wider range of policies
than it used to be a few years ago, when it was perceived as the remit of disabilities’ policy alone
(European Commission, 2003, p. 3). Accessibility expresses that any product, service, function
and technology or environment are reachable and usable for all people including disabled and
elderly ones (KAMİS, 2017). To achieve a society that relies on equal rights for user groups, an
accessible built environment is indispensable. In addition, it provides its citizens self-rule and it
supplies the means to get an active social and economic life.
An accessible environment means that a person will be able to seek employment, receive education and
training. Moreover, accessibility is a freedom to provide continuity of life quality to meet basic needs and
capability (özdemir sari, 2014). Accessibility in this context is defined as an opportunity that fulfills ones’
demand by arriving at a required place, benefit from its facilities and return to their residences. People

20
should be able to enter and exit a building without constraint to welcome their needs. The benefits of
accessible buildings according to European Commission (2003) could be summarized as:

• An accessible building is safer and healthier, thus avoiding accidents, while allowing more
people to enter.
• An accessible building is more comfortable: it can be visited more easily and it is more
accessible.
• An accessible building is more adaptable (European Commission, 2003).

2.2.2 Physical Accessibility

Physical access is the most critical priority in enhancing accessibility in the community. People
with disabilities need to be able to access buildings and public spaces safely and easily through:
Accessibility routes, Wheelchair ramp, Restroom accommodations, Elevators, Parking spots,
Signage and entrances. A disability is only disabling when it prevents someone from doing what
they want or need to do. A lawyer can be just as effective in a wheelchair as not, as long as she
has access to the courtroom and the legal library, as well as to whatever other places and material
or equipment that are necessary for her to do her job well. A person who can’t hear can be a
master carpenter or the head of a chemistry lab, if he can communicate with clients and
assistants. Sometimes, on the other hand, a disability truly limits a person's actions and abilities.
If the building is on fire and the elevators aren’t working, a wheelchair user on the 14th floor
could be in extreme danger. In order to function effectively and safely in jobs, education, and
everyday life, people with disabilities need to have physical and social access to the same spaces,
employment, goods, services, entertainment, and community participation as everyone else.
When people with special needs are accommodated, their disabilities don’t limit their ability to
fully participate in life. Disabilities can be visible or invisible, physical or otherwise. Most can
result either from hereditary conditions or pre-birth developmental issues; from injury; from
disease; from chemical imbalances; or, in some cases, from environmental factors.
Most people think about when they hear the term “disability.” They are usually visible in one
way or another, and can include: Mobility problems. Because individuals who have difficulty
with mobility may be stopped by barriers most people don’t notice – a high curb, a flight of stairs
– people with mobility problems are the ones who may come to mind when access is mentioned
Limited use of hands and arms. Difficulty using hands or arms may or may not accompany
mobility difficulties. People with this disability can find themselves frustrated in a world where
gripping, turning, or pushing something with a finger is required.
According to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF),
disability is the result of a complex relationship between a person's state of health and his or her
personal, contextual, and environmental characteristics, including the circumstances in which he
or she lives. Environmental factors make up the physical, social and attitudinal environment in
which people live, including accessibility barriers and social policies, and can affect the
performance of an individual's day-to-day activities in negative or positive ways. These barriers

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include all the factors in a person's environment that, due to their absence or presence, limit
functioning and create disability. The environmental barriers outside the home environment that
are most frequently encountered by individuals with disabilities are lack of architectural
structures (e.g., ramps, elevators); inadequate or poor visual, tactile or acoustic signaling; and
lack of adapted transportation, among others.
The context in which individuals with disabilities live may or may not facilitate their
participation in different activities, such as studying, working, visiting a doctor, or practicing
sports. In the literature, it has been suggested that the environmental barriers can be more
significant than the disability itself. These barriers can cause loss of autonomy and increase
dependency. Individuals with disabilities who experience environmental barriers are at higher
risk of accidents, including falls and fractures; are less physically active; spend more time at
home; are more likely to be overweight and are more likely to experience chronic illnesses (WHO
2015).

The problems of participation in daily activities and disability-related health outcomes may be
the result of a person's limited physical capacity, the presence of environmental barriers and the
absence of facilitators, or a combination of all of them. The ICF recognizes the key role of
environmental factors, recommending that they should be analyzed from the perspective of
individuals with disabilities to design intervention strategies that promote their inclusion in
society.

2.2.3 Disable person’s accessibility

Accessibility is a precondition for the full realization of the rights and inclusion of persons with
disabilities in society and development. For the purposes of this module, accessibility can be
understood as the provision of flexible facilities and environments, either virtual or physical, to
accommodate each user’s needs and preferences. For persons with disabilities this may be any
place, space, item or service that is easily approached, reached, entered, exited from, interacted
with, understood or otherwise used.1 Accessibility is at the heart of the CRPD, which enshrines
the rights of persons with disabilities to have full access and fully enjoy and participate in social,
economic, cultural, civil and political life, on an equal basis with others. The CRPD does not
define disability. The range of disabilities is very broad and difficult to categorize. Persons with
disabilities include individuals with hearing, visual, cognitive and motor impairments. Indeed,
each of these categories includes a much broader range of conditions. Visual impairments, for
example, include limited vision, color blindness and blindness. Furthermore, as people get older,
many face a disability of some kind. As the population ages, the proportion of people with
disabilities grow. Many people over eighty years of age have a disability. Thus, accessibility is
related to the type of disability faced by each individual person. Accessibility is not just about
opening doors, figuratively speaking, it is about keeping them wide open. Accessibility allows
people to do things they would not otherwise be able to do.
No one can enjoy a human right that they cannot access, and persons with disabilities face many
barriers that hinder full and equal access to their enjoyment of human rights and full social
inclusion. The categories of barriers that persons with disabilities encounter, which are often
exacerbated for those living in rural areas or poor urban settings, include the following:

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1. Institutional barriers, which include legislation, practices, or processes that actively prohibit or
fail to facilitate access for persons with disabilities.
2. Physical barriers, which prevent access for persons with disabilities to physical environments
such as buildings, roads, transportation, and various indoor and outdoor facilities such as
schools, housing, medical facilities, sporting venues and workplaces.
3. Informational barriers, which prevent access for persons with disabilities, particularly for
those with visual or intellectual impairments, to both the form and content of information that
may be provided on websites, brochures, books, television, among many other ways that
information is presented in society.
4. Communication barriers, which make it difficult to participate fully in society.
Communication barriers for persons with disabilities can include the failure to provide sign
language interpretation for deaf persons, inaccessible technology such as television without
captioning, or websites that are inaccessible to screen readers used by blind persons.
5. Attitudinal barriers, including negative attitudes and lack of understanding about disability
issues of people in society, which present some of the most pervasive barriers to equal access for
persons with disabilities.
6. Cultural barriers, which may prevent persons with disabilities from participating fully and
having access to community life. Cultural barriers may include myths and stereotypes about
disability that are rooted in culture and that generate fear and misunderstanding. In some cases,
negative beliefs and practices focus particularly on certain types of disability, such as psycho-
social disabilities. In many cases persons with disabilities face a multitude of barriers, which
compound challenges to the achievement of rights and inclusion in development. For example, in
this holistic view of accessibility, challenges a person may face in relation to employment may
include challenges in accessing employment, inaccessible transportation, inaccessible buildings,
inaccessible workspace and inaccessible human resource policies, among others. The CRPD is
the first international human rights treaty to set out the concept of accessibility in the context of
disability. The Convention recognizes accessibility as an inherent right of persons with
disabilities and also applies accessibility to the achievement of all rights for persons with
disabilities, detailing “the importance of accessibility to the physical, social, economic and
cultural environment, to health and education and to information and communication, in enabling
persons with disabilities to fully enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms.”3
Accessibility is therefore a general principle of the Convention (art. 3) and also a standalone
article (art. 9).
Article 9 addresses the responsibility of State parties to ensure accessibility for persons with
disabilities so they can “live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life,” directing
State parties to “take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an
equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and
communications, including information and communications technologies and systems, and to
other facilities and services open or provided to the public, both in urban and in rural areas.” It
further specifies that such measures are to include the identification and elimination of obstacles
and barriers to accessibility, including in relation to:

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Buildings, roads, transportation, Other indoor and outdoor facilities, including schools, housing,
medical facilities and workplaces, Information and communications, Emergency services, other
facilities and services open or provided to the public in both urban and rural areas, ensuring that
accessibility is not only addressed in cities but also for persons with disabilities living in rural
communities. The scope of Article 9 is not limited to State actors, such as local and national
governments or government agencies. Article 9 also implicates private actors, requiring States to
“ensure that private entities that offer facilities and services which are open or provided to the
public take into account all aspects of accessibility for persons with disabilities (HIE 2016)

2.2.4 Aging and impairments

The number of persons aged 60 and over is increasing at an unprecedented pace globally,
anticipated to rise from its current 740 million to reach 1 billion by the end of the decade. Today,
two-thirds of the world’s older person’s population live in low-and middle-income countries and
this proportion will rise to 80 per cent by the year 2030 (WHO). At the same time, more people
who have acquired physical or mental impairments earlier in life are living longer, resulting in
growing numbers of persons with disabilities reaching old age. Although old age does not
necessarily entail acquiring impairment, a significant proportion of people reaching old age will
experience physical or sensory limitations, which will compromise their independence. Some
impairment, such as hearing and vision loss or osteoporosis, may occur naturally as a part of the
aging process and reduce mobility and agility. The number of persons with disabilities tends to
grow due to demographic changes (e.g., aging of the population), especially in poverty
conditions, where health care provision is lacking. This means that in slums more adaptable
housing as well as more accessible routes and facilities will be needed in the near future.

2.2.5 Multi story condominium buildings in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa

Explanation and meaning of condominium housing in different countries the term condominium
identifies a form of ownership of real property. Property becomes a condominium simply by
recording a Declaration which submits the real property to the Condominium Property Act.
Condominiums are not a new concept. The form of ownership which is utilized for
condominiums was used by the Romans as early as the 6th century B.C. In 10 Europe, the
concept has been available for many centuries. The concept has existed in South American
countries for at least two centuries. After World War II, essentially the only type of commonly
owned housing that was available to the general population was the cooperative (UNHabitat
2011). Technically, a condominium is a collection of individual home units and common areas
along with the land upon which they sit. Individual home ownership within a condominium is
construed as ownership of only the air space confining the boundaries of the home. The
boundaries of that space are specified by a legal document known as a Declaration, filed on
record with the local governing authority. Typically, these boundaries will include the wall
surrounding a condo, allowing the homeowner to make some interior modifications without
impacting the common area. The corporation holds this property in trust on behalf of the
homeowners as a group; it may not have ownership itself. Condominiums have conditions,

24
covenants, and restrictions, and often additional rules that govern how the individual unit owners
are to share the space (Ibid). Condominium housing is a name given to the form of housing
tenure where each resident household owns their individual unit, but equally shares ownership
and responsibility for the communal areas and facilities of the building, such as hallways, heating
systems, and elevators. There is no individual ownership over plots of land. All of the land on a
condominium site is owned by all homeowners. Usually, the external maintenance of the roof
and walls are undertaken by a Condominium association that jointly represents ownership of the
whole complex, employing strict management to ensure funding from each homeowner.
This association consists of representatives of all condominium residents who manage the site
through a Board of directors, elected by association members (UN- Habitat 2008). A register of
condominium units and common areas on site and any restrictions on their use is commonly
established in a master deed which authorizes the Board of directors to administer condominium
affairs and assess owners on their performance of adequate maintenance. The problems of
urbanization and housing in Ethiopia Since 2004, the Ethiopian government has been rolling out
National housing project to solve the country’s urban housing challenge. While the project has
made some gains, there remains a housing deficit, especially in urban areas. Ethiopia has one of
the lowest proportions of citizens living in urban areas: only 16.7 percent. However, things are
changing and the country is now urbanizing at an annual growth rate of 3.49 percent. The
combination of high population and urban growth rates, coupled with a high prevalence of urban
poverty, has placed enormous strain on Ethiopian cities, especially when it comes to adequate
and affordable housing. Almost 50 percent of city slum dwellers live below the poverty line and
their hardships are enormous (Mekonnen 2015). Nationally, 80 percent of the population lives in
sub-standard slum housing that needs either complete replacement or significant upgrading. In
Addis, slum dwellers live in congested houses that have no access to roads, sanitation and basic
infrastructure. Though many slums’ areas are slowly disappearing in Addis, there are still many
of them concentrated in the inner-city areas. The housing challenge remains large. The current
housing deficit is between 900,000 and 1,000,000 units in urban areas, and only 30 percent of the
current housing stock is in fair condition, with the remaining 70 percent in need of total
replacement. In Addis Ababa alone, 300,000 housing units are required to meet the deficit. A
lack of well-established urban development indicators has also been one of the major constraints
in decision-making, policy formulation and planning process at all levels of the country’s
metropolitan areas (Abera, 2015). Affordable housing plan, since the launch of the affordable
housing project in 2004, most of the country’s urban areas have been in a state of fundamental
transformation in terms of physical, socio-economic and spatial aspects and most of them now
boast a housing project.
The program is a large-scale approach to address the current housing deficit, the poor quality of
the existing housing stock, and the future housing needs due to continued urbanization. The
government has 34 been building condominium houses as part of its Integrated Housing
Development Program. Typically, these houses are four story buildings with basic features
inside. They are built both in the center of cities or in peripheral areas at low cost. The houses,
not fancy structures, are made of concrete and steel and have common laundry and slaughter
areas. 2,948 condominium houses are being built at five sites in the current fiscal year in the

25
Sengatera, Crown, EhilNigid, Asko and Tourist Nigid areas and 25 contractors and consultants
are working to finalize the condominium houses (Yohannes, 2015). According to the EHDA
(2015), in all regions, condos have been transferred to their owners by way of a computer-based
lottery system. When registering for the lottery, applicants choose which condominium site, sub
city and unit type they prefer. Thirty percent of housing units are allocated to women. There are
no special provisions for the elderly or disabled, although if their names are drawn in the lottery,
they have first choice in choosing a ground floor condominium. Presently, there is no income
verification system in place but lottery entrants must be able to prove that they have lived in
Addis for at least six months. Up to Januar0y 2014, over 800 million dollars was earmarked for
the housing projects in cities across Ethiopia.
Some 22,000 condos were handed over to beneficiaries in 2014 alone, and the government
expects to transfer 76,000 houses to individuals this year. The construction of 65,000 houses
commenced in 2013 and construction of the same number of houses will begin this year.
According to the MUWD (2013), Addis Ababa has received priority due to the high demand for
housing. Close to one million individuals that seek condos have been registered since 2012 in
Addis Ababa only, and in the last few years, the city administration has completed thousands of
condos in the central part of town, although most of the big condo compounds have been built on
the outskirts.
They are concentrating their efforts on increasing the use of local construction techniques and
materials, and promoting private investment in the national production of cement, glass, and
iron. Research is currently being conducted on alternative materials; in particular, on the greatest
challenge that of finding an alternative material to cement, for the partition walls of the
buildings, to avoid the delays it currently causes and to reduce costs. One of the other major
challenges facing the project concerns post occupation management and monitoring, which have
received very little attention to date. The program has no systems in place for post occupancy
engagement on issues such as community cohesion, maintenance of communal areas, and the
establishment of community groups and community-based management of facilities (UN-
HABITAT, 2011).

The inclusion of solutions of accessibility in the built environment through universal design
allows better mobility, a higher level of independence and self-esteem. It increases possibilities of
participation in community life, from social activities to decision-making processes. Additionally,
accessibility in the contexts discussed in this handbook also means the possibility of income
generation through economic activities provided by the inclusion of persons with disabilities in
the economic market which in turn leads to the reduction of poverty and vulnerability.
Accessibility leads to a healthier and more equal environment.

Four sides of sustainable housing

1. Cultural sustainability takes into consideration cultural worldviews and values, norms and
traditions, as well as lifestyles and behaviors of occupants, communities and society. For many
communities, housing represents much more than an asset: it has an historic, aesthetic, spiritual or
cultural value. Maintaining and protecting heritage of different groups in a society supports the
dignity of communal life, enhancing equity and helping to maintain peace and stability.

26
 2. The economic dimension of housing sustainability, on the other hand, arises from the fact that
housing is indeed a capital asset. It is an important part of household and public expenditure.
Construction, services and real estate markets are some of the key economic and employment
activities, including home-based activities and entrepreneurship. Decent affordable housing and
infrastructure is key to sustainable economic development at the local level, as it makes places
more attractive, inclusive and competitive.
3. Environmental sustainability of housing is concerned with the impacts of housing on the
environment and climate change, and vice versa. It means balancing multiple matters and choices:
designing with the local climate, prioritizing natural or recycled materials and its availability
(manufacturing and transportation), connecting housing with sustainable energy provision and
avoiding poisons and pollutants, among others.
4. Social sustainability in housing relates to the integration of housing, residential areas and
communities into urban and national socio-spatial systems. Moreover, social sustainability is
achieved through affordable and good quality housing in secure and healthy dwellings, as part of
an inclusive and diverse (UN-HABITAT 2012).

2.2.6 Responsive Architectures

Responsive architecture is a type of architecture, an artificial entity, that reacts to data and
information collected by a variety of types of sensors. It is also defined as an interactive and
collective platform where diverse computing or operating systems are executed, leading to
architectural behaviors like changing forms or services.

Negroponte, an architect and pioneer in the field of computer-aided design (CAD),

described responsive architecture in his theory of “architecture machines”. In this theory,
advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the miniaturization of components collectively
enable buildings to intelligently recognize inhabitants’ activities as well as to respond to their
needs. As a result of this development, architecture can change its internal and external
environments. This concept is also found in Brodey’s “intelligent environments” and
Negroponte’s “soft architecture machine”. Thus, responsive architecture can be defined as an
environment which has embedded computationally-mediated responsiveness. In the half-century
since responsive architecture was first proposed, the ICT revolution, following Moore’s law, has
enabled faster and cheaper machines than ever before. Consequently, architecture has already
become adjustable to the changing needs of its inhabitants. Furthermore, it exists in the
informative and interactive surroundings, or so-called “thick air”, which is presumed to envelop
a building in an invisible sensor cloud, involving kinetic, sensing and environment-responsive
systems.

Responsive architecture is defined as a type of architecture that has the capacity to change its
form in response to changing conditions. It is, therefore, an artificial entity that reacts to data and
information collected by a variety of types of sensors, and sometimes many hundreds of sensors.
The nature of the responsive architectural behavior may include physical actions (changes or
movements) and adaptations in environmental services, such as lighting, heating and ventilation.
For example, in Nicholas Negroponte’s “soft architecture machine”, responsive architecture is a

27
physical environment exhibiting reflexive and simulated behaviors, and which is also a result of
computation. Accordingly, the term responsive can refer to either adaptive or reactive activities,
as well as intelligent ones, because the smart environment infers and presents diverse degrees of
behaviors responding to different needs or circumstances. In this way, recent architectural
responsiveness uses advanced computing technologies integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI),
robotics and “machine intelligence”. Materialization, or the physical realization of a responsive
environment, is a core issue in architecture. Although current advanced materials enable more
flexible environments, they are still not free from the view that architecture is “hard”. Early
pioneers of responsive architecture typically reacted to this situation in literal ways, creating
“soft” surfaces, such as Event structure Research Group’s (ERG) inflatable plastic artworks in
the 1960s. The exploration of such fragile or impermanent architectural materials has been a
common thread in architectural design since that time, although most of this “soft” architecture is
simply the reverse of “hard” architecture and is not a response to the deeper intention of the idea.
Negroponte’s and Brodey’s soft architecture called for miniaturization of building components
and their kinetics, which is arguably closer to the more recent practices of people such as
Menges and Reichert who developed a biomimetic responsive material system, using the
material’s hygroscopic behavior and anisotropic characteristics, which constantly provides
feedback and interaction with its surrounding environment. Such a material operates without any
energy, mechanical or electronic control. It is part of a research field that is increasingly
concerned with “intelligent skins”, “smart materials” ], “shape memory alloy (SMA)”, “thermo
bimetal” and “nanomaterial”. Like human behaviors, smart environments have specific ways of
behaving in response to particular conditions. Considering artificial responses in interactive
artwork for example, Lee et al. identified two important reflexive behaviors
(tangible interaction and embodied response) and two simulated behaviors (ambient simulation
and mixed reality). The first—reflexive behavior—involves self-organizing controllers,
recognizing mood and the enhancement of mutual involvement, which Negroponte historically
acknowledged were difficult to visualize. Emerging architectural technologies not only enable
complex, personal non-linear interactions, but also information dense, real-time interactive and
constructive responses. To develop this responsive artificiality, architecture incorporates sensory
data into a central inference system to interpret human needs and/or environmental contexts, by
way of a sensor-based context-aware system. The intelligent system then suggests appropriate
architectural responses that are distributed into transformable building components or smart
materials. These reflexive behaviors transform the built environment from a collection
of static objects into a “smart” system of dynamic and interactive built forms. The resulting
transformable architecture could be called a “machine”, but it is not just mechanistic

2.2.7 Disability and Architecture

Architecture and (Disabled) Bodies Throughout history the human body has been used in
architecture as source of proportion and measurement; it has been used to derive divine
proportions in classicist anthropomorphism, discover organic-physical laws in functionalist
organism, and elicit mathematical principles in modernism (Van Herck & de Cauter, 2004).
Today the human body is still mainly applied by architects to derive numerical proportions or
functional dimensions. However, the earlier functionalism has led to contemporary ergonomics
moving away from the organisms towards a focus on the fragmented body (de Solà-Morales,
1997). By using sources like the Metric Handbook (Adler, 1999) or Architects’ Data (Neufert &

28
Neufert, 2000), designers introduce alleged ideal measurements in architecture (Imrie, 2003),
which objectify the body but say little about how a building is experienced. This numerical and
objectifying approach also characterizes the way in which architects consider and relate to
disability. In architecture and beyond, conceptions of disability tend to be dominated by a
medical discourse, which considers disability as an individual, physiological disorder to be
treated or cured. The disorder is thought to be situated in the person and the solution to the
problem caused by the disorder lies in treatment or cure to restore the body’s function. In this
view, disability is defined by means of measurable criteria and statistically derived thresholds. In
International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death, the World
Health Organization (WHO, 1993) defines when a person is disabled based on measurable
aspects of the human body. Once measured, a threshold can be chosen when this specific aspect
contributes to the person being disabled. Visual impairment, for instance, is defined as having a
visual acuity of less than 3/10, and blindness as having a visual acuity of less than 1/20 and/or a
field of vision of less than 10°. Accordingly, accessibility norms or guidelines translate
accessibility into measurable facts (or indicators and averages) by fixing minimum levels of
color or luminance contrast, minimum widths of doors, or maximum heights of thresholds.
Critiques of such medical conceptions of disability place the body in its socio-material context
and stress the role of environmental determinants in performing day-to-day activities and
fulfilling social roles (Fogeyrollas, 1995). The social model of disability therefore distinguishes
conceptually between impairment and disability. It sees disability as socially constructed on top
of impairment (Corker & Shakespeare, 2002), and places the explanation of disability’s changing
character in the organization of the society in which it is found (Butler & Bowlby, 1997).
Referring to the definition of blindness, for instance, Butler and Bowlby (1997) argue that the
threshold at which a person considers oneself visually disabled varies across individuals and may
also differ from how others perceive them. This move to embrace disability as a social issue can
be traced in the International Classification of Functioning.

2.2.8 Understanding Disability in the Built Environment

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) does not
provide for a static definition of “disability”. It says that disability is an evolving concept and
that disability results from the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and
environmental barriers that hinders their full and effective participation in society. The
Convention establishes new, legally binding standards and concepts related to the rights of
persons with disabilities.
It has gained wide international support and recognition through ratification by a vast majority of
countries across the world.6 In accordance with the Convention’s concept of disability, “persons
with disabilities” include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory
impairments, which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their participation in society
on an equal basis with others. As such, physical obstructions of the built-up environment
constitute a disability to a person with a physical impairment.

From exclusivity to a human rights paradigm shift

29
In the beginning of the 20th century, disability was exclusively seen as a health condition. The
paradigm started to shift when human rights approaches unveiled that person with disabilities
should not be discriminated against on the basis of disability, but integrated in the society as
equal members. Nowadays, concepts and discussions focus on inclusion, and “medically-focused
solutions have given way to more interactive approaches.”8 The human rights-based approach to
disability acknowledges persons with disabilities as subjects of rights and the State and others as
having responsibilities to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of these persons. It treats the
barriers in society as discriminatory and provides an avenue to remove these barriers and to
include persons with disabilities as equal members of society. Barrier free design, accessibility
and universal design Efforts aiming at a paradigm shift began in the late 1950s, when the term
barrier-free design started to be used. The idea was to remove barriers for “persons with
disabilities” from the built environment. It was later replaced with the term accessibility, which
in many countries focused on issues of mobility, such as wheelchair access. Universal design
was first used and promoted in the United States in 1985 to communicate a design approach that
could be used by a wider range of people. As further detailed below, the concepts of accessibility
and universal design have been anchored as universally accepted standards in the Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities, ratified by 145 countries, acknowledges accessibility as one its crosscutting
general principles relevant for the realization of all other rights enshrined in the Convention
(article 3). It further has a stand-alone article on accessibility (article 9), which demands States
parties to take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal
basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and
communication, including information and communication technologies and systems, and to
other facilities and services open or provided to the public, both in urban and rural areas these
measures, which shall include the identification and elimination of obstacles and barriers to
accessibility (ADA 1994).

Universal design
As defined in Article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
“Universal design” is “the design of products, environments, programs and services to be usable
by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized
design. Universal design shall not exclude assistive devices for particular groups of persons with
disabilities where this is needed.” The concept enfolds seven-principles, developed in 199714 to
deliver designs for the built environment and products to be used by as many persons as possible.
However, it is not synonymous with a single design being appropriate for all situations and
circumstances. According to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western
Asia (ESCWA), “Universal designs are not entirely about accessibility but about the
appropriateness of design solutions to gender, the demographic group and to the social and
economic setting.”15 The seven Principles of Universal Design are presented as follows:
1. Equitable use - the design is useful and relevant to a wide group of users;

30
2. Flexibility in use - the design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and
abilities; 3. Simple and intuitive use - the design is easy to understand regardless of the
knowledge, experience, language skills or concentration level of the user;
4. Perceptive information - the design communicates information effectively to the user
regardless of the ambient condition or the sensory abilities of the user;
5. Tolerance for error - the design minimizes the hazards and adverse consequences of
unintended actions of the user;
6. Low physical effort - the design can be used easily, efficiently and comfortably with a
minimum of fatigue; and
7. Size and space for approach and use - the size and space for approach, reach, manipulation
and use should be appropriate regardless of the body size, posture or mobility of the user.

2.2.9 Building codes and other standards supporting accessibility

Mandatory minimum standards, enforced through national legislation, are required to remove
barriers to accessibility in the built environment. An integrated approach to standards is key to
improve accessibility, particularly in the contexts of sustainable slum upgrading, reconstruction,
and affordable and social housing programs. Multidisciplinary groups are crucial when
developing and implementing an accessible and sustainable program, as different backgrounds
are more likely to encompass all relevant aspects of accessibility, sustainability, functionality,
economy, efficiency and equity. Participatory processes Participatory processes have the
potential to avoid public opposition and prevent marginalization. It also addresses project
sustainability and efficiency. In parallel, participatory decision-making processes as consultative
workshops with local community are likewise essential, particularly involving persons with
disabilities. As they have first-hand knowledge of their situation and the barriers they face, when
formulating and implementing policies and programs, persons with disabilities should be
consulted and actively involved. States parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities have agreed to closely consult with and actively involve persons with disabilities,
through their representative organizations, in the development and implementation of legislation
and policies to implement the Convention and in other decision-making processes concerning
issues relating to persons with disabilities.

Technical approaches
Building effectiveness for the handicapped and disability of walking may be evaluated by
examining the relationships between the needs of the disabled individuals and building
characteristics. The needs of handicapped people are influenced by necessary activities or tasks
Capabilities that can be applied to tasks, the frequency and nature of the activities.
A building can be evaluated as part of a building complex, as a single entity in itself, according
to its inherent parts or elements—doors, corridors, or elevators and finally by the materials that
form those elements. The test of building effectiveness is the efficiency of the building and its

31
parts in supporting the activities of handicapped as well as able-bodied people in both routine
and emergency use.
At the present time many handicapped accessibility requirements appear in standards without
corresponding objective criteria or replicable test methods to determine compliance. Examples
include requirements for alerting of the handicapped and for non-slip walking surfaces, where
criteria to evaluate success are absent. Likewise, meeting the needs of the handicapped is not
likely to be done if society finds the price onerous (ISO GENEVA 218).

Anthropometrics wheelchair
The dimensions displayed below can be used as basis when designing for people in wheelchair
and using canes or similar auxiliary devices. Nevertheless, it is important to note that individual
measures vary with time (from childhood to old age), from one person to another and also from
one region of the globe to another.

Figure 1: Anthropometrics wheelchair and Cain users for people with disabilities (ISO 2018).

2.10.3 Design recommendations: urban environment and public spaces

In slum upgrading or social housing programs, existing public spaces should be improved in
order to be inclusive and accessible. When inexistent, these areas should be part of the upgrading
plan, developed with equal focus on accessibility and universal design. The recommendations
below can be applied and adapted to both exiting or intended public spaces and areas to be

32
Figure 2: Standard views of Street Furniture for Disabled People (ISO 2018).

Street Furniture and accessible urban design

Street furniture means objects and equipment installed on streets and roads for different purposes
such as benches, bus stops, fountains, garbage bins, kiosks, mailboxes, phone boxes, plants,
streetlamps, traffic barriers, traffic lights and traffic signs. These objects and equipment can
become an obstruction instead of a supportive urban element when not properly located and
designed.

Figure 3: illustration for tactile crossings for disabled people (ISO 2018).
Additionally, street furniture should be clearly indicated and easy to be identified by a vision-
impaired person (VIP). Textural changes in the footpath surface help vision impaired persons to
identify the location of public amenities51. The appropriate placement of objects or equipment
has a significant impact on mobility in any context, urbanized or not. In order not to jeopardize
upgrading programs, it is key to coordinate design and implementation with service providers
such as telecommunications, lighting and landscaping companies, among others.

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 N

Figure 4: Illustration of pedestrian and disabled people's physical access routes (ISO 2018).

Curb Ramps and Pedestrian Crossings

Curb ramps are crucial elements of a universally accessible environment. They should be used
wherever there is a difference in level on pedestrian paths or cross paths, keeping the same width
of pedestrian paths (minimum 0.90m, recommended 1.20m)

Figure 5: Illustration Examples of Curb Ramps for Disabled People (ISO 2018).

Parking
Designated parking spaces should be located as near as possible to the building’s main entrance.
Minimum requirements for parking spaces should follow national regulations.

34
Figure 6: illustrations of disability parking layouts as seen from the road (ISO 2018).
Car parking areas with accessible parking spaces must have an additional circulation zone with
minimum of 1.20m width and marked with visual signage. This space can be shared by two
openings as shown in Figure Types B and C. It is not recommended to share in oblique parking.
It should be associated with curb ramps, and if it is not, the parking area must contain space for
wheelchair travel.

35
Figure 7: illustrations of parking spaces for disabled people (ISO 2018).

Routes
Routes when developing affordable, social housing, reconstruction or slum upgrading programs,
it is crucial to provide at least one accessible and safe route, linking main public facilities as bus
stops, to public spaces and buildings.

Figure 8: illustrations of key elements of an accessible route for disabled people (ISO 2018).

Accessible routes
Accessible routes, connected to existing regular routes, are crucial to urban integration. They
facilitate the life not only of mobility-impaired people but also enable delivery and loading of
goods allowing income generation, vehicle access in case of emergency and infra-structure
services,

36
Figure 9: illustrations of accessible routes for disabled people (ISO218).

Increased Accessible routes should connect entrances to indoors or outdoors parking areas, local
public transportation, drop-off areas and public buildings and spaces, Crossings should allow
good traffic flow between pedestrians, cyclists, and car routes avoiding conflicts that
compromise the security of all citizens. In slums where compacted soil is the most common
material of streets and paths, it is a key to guarantee it is at least well compacted, levelled and
free of boulders or debris that may cause accidents such as stumbling or the turning over of
wheelchairs and strollers. In flood prone zones, a simple alternative is to build elevated, flood
resistant pathways connecting specific buildings in the community. Pathways should follow
same technical recommendation as entrances and ramps be at least 1.20m wide and equipped
with handrails.

Housing units
A house designed today may be the home for a family for their entire life. It should be flexible
enough to accommodate the changing needs (from childhood to old age, accidents or illnesses
that may lead to disability) that will occur during the different cycles of life. If the changing
needs are considered from the first stage of design, there are no additional costs to adaptation.
The following are some strategies to guide the designers and planners in this task. Entrances
ideally, the approach to all entrances should be level or gently sloping. In flood prone zones and
other areas requiring elevated houses, a ramped access is a feasible solution to help mobility-
impaired people to enter their houses. In multi-story buildings, the accessible entrance should
lead to an accessible elevator or lift.

Ramps/Elevators/Lifts
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Often high-density social housing projects are built as multi-story buildings. In these cases,
buildings’ distribution along the terrain might be adequate to the slope or other urban planning
strategies, in order to avoid major earthworks, problems with drainage and jeopardizing
accessibility. An accessible route should be provided to all entrances and ramps should be placed
linking the main entrance of the buildings to these routes.
Usually, these ramps are made of concrete and cement due to their high resistance to loads
applied by wheelchairs and strollers, but low-cost solutions using local materials as bamboo or
wood may be a good option. It is important to build a safe and weight-resistant ramp, with a
regular and stable surface. For instance, wooden planks and boards on a slatted structure can be
used, provided it is resistant towards variable weather conditions (rain, sun, wind, etc.) and is
properly installed, leveled to avoid obstacles as bumps that may cause accidents.
The slope of a ramp, according to the International Standard ISO-FDIS-21542, may vary from
12,5 per cent to 5 per cent for heights between 75mm (0.075m) and 500mm (0.50m),
respectively. This means that the greater the height to overcome, the lower the ramp tilt should
be. The standard recommends the use of handrails for ramps from 210mm (0.21m) height. The
Standard also gives exceptional slope dimensions to adapt building entrances and urban areas.
The width of a ramp should be 1.20m, with an unobstructed width of 1.0m A landing area, both
at foot and head of the path should be provided. A handrail height between 0.85m and 1.0m
above the surface of the ramp is recommended for ramps from 210mm (0.21m) height.
As a general rule, the greater the height to overcome, the lower should be the ramp tilt. In case of
restricted resources minor variations of gradient can be applied. It is important to highlight that
the more sloped a ramp is, the harder it is for the mobility-impaired person to access/leave the
house without assistance, increasing risks of accidents. A compromise between assisted
accessibility and independency is required. For constant two-way traffic, ramps a clear path
width should be at least 1.80. For frequent two-way traffic, ramps should provide 0.25m space
for passing and turning. In case of restricted resources minor variations of gradient can be
applied. The ISO-FDIS-21542 standard also gives exceptional slope dimensions to adapt
building entrances and urban areas.

Figure
figure10: illustrations for disabled people's ramp standards (ISO 2018).

38
Elevators ideally should be installed in social housing projects with multi-story buildings to
guarantee equal and full accessibility of the housing units. It is also recommended to install
elevators close to a building’s main entrance and stairs whenever there is a difference of level
higher than 2.5 m.
The minimum internal dimensions of an elevator cab should be 1.10 m x 1.40 m and clear door
opening of 0.90. In cases where budgetary or technological issues hinder the installation of
elevators at the construction phase, enough space and adequate structure should be provided
allowing its future installation. In these cases, adapted housing units at the ground floor should
be preferably given to persons with disabilities and their families.

Table 1: The maximum length and slope of ramp for disable people (ISO 2018).

Lift and stair

Lifting platforms can be used to overcome vertical barriers up to 2.50m. For difference of level
of less than 1.20m, lifts may have only one door in the accessible level. For safety reasons, in
cases where the difference is more than 1.20m, it should be placed in a closed structure with
doors at the different accessible levels.

Figure 11: illustrations for physically disabled people's stairs and lift standards (ISO 2018).

39
Stairs should be constructed adjacent to the ramps because some persons with disabilities prefer
to use the stairs rather than ramps depending on their ability. Each step should rise at a maximum
height of 0. 15m.The run of the step should be maximum of 0.30m, and all the steps should be
identical. The minimum width of the outdoor stairs should be 1.0m measured in between the
handrails. The minimum width of the indoor stairs should be 1.5 m measured in between the
handrails. Landing area Landings should be provided at every 10 stairs/steps. The minimum
length of the landing area should be 1.0m and width equal to the length of the stairs.

Figure 12: Standard illustrations of recommended one-flay stair for physically disabled people (ISO
2018).

Railings and Handrails

Railings should be installed around unsafe areas, stairs, ramps, accessible roofs, mezzanines,
galleries, balconies and raised platforms more than 0.40m high. Handrails should have at least
two heights: 0.60m to 0.75m to benefit wheelchair users and the ordinary height of 0.85 to
1.00m. They should extend horizontally for a distance between 0.30m and 0.45m at the top and
bottom of stairs and ramps, except in places where extensions could obstruct the pedestrian
flow60.

40
Figure 13: Handrail standards illustrations for physically disabled people's (ISO 2018).

Persons and mobility impaired people to move safely. Handrails can be made of any material that
supports a certain load, as people may lean on it. Materials should also be weather resistant and
well-polished, free of sharp edges and rough surfaces. Make use of easy to grip handrails,
preferably rounded with a diameter of 3.50 - 4.50cm. They should be installed with a minimum
distance of 0.40m to the adjacent wall to allow enough space for the hand to grab it. The handrail
should be wide enough to be grabbed by an adult but not too wide, to be grabbed by a child and
older Persons.

Doors
Doors to guarantee the passage of a wheelchair and other equipment, the minimum clear opening
of doors should be 0.85m, including sliding doors. The door handle should be easy to grip and
operate, preferably lever style.

Figure 14: Door Handle Standards Illustrations for physically Disabled People (ISO 2018).

Corridors
Corridors the minimum width of a corridor will depend on its configuration. It should allow
enough space for a wheelchair to turn. Living areas Ideally, a living space should be provided on
the entrance level of every dwelling. Every accessible area should have a clear maneuvering
space of 1.5m diameter. The unobstructed width of a low-traffic corridor should not be less than
0.90 m. This also allows maneuverability in 90 turns,

Figure 15: Corridors standard illustrations for physically disabled people

41
Working surfaces
Working surfaces and also key task areas and kitchen sinks can be adapted to a wheelchair. They
should be mounted at approx. 0.75m height and have a knee recess of at least 0.80m depth to
allow wheelchair access.

Figure 16: illustrations for working space standard for d physically disabled peoples (ISO 2018).

Windows
Windows should provide outdoor view and be operable from a wheelchair. They should be fitted
with handles that are easy to grip and operate (lever style), and be within easy reach for a small
person or wheelchair user.

Figure 17: illustration of window standards for wheelchair users who are physically disabled (ISO
2018).

Rest Rooms
Rest Rooms Walls in all bathrooms and toilet compartments should be capable of firm fixing and
support for adaptations such as grab rails. Rest rooms ideally should have clear circular space of
1.50 m diameter for wheelchair maneuvering and transferring to toilet seat (minimum 1.20m).
When not possible, they should be equipped with grab bars, mounted at a height between 0.85m

42
and 0.95m from the floor. Whenever existent, flushing arrangements and toilet paper should be
placed within reach at a height between 0.50m and 1.20m.

Figure 18: Figure 18: Toilet requirements for physically disabled people who use wheelchairs (ISO
2018).

Low mirrors or downward tilted mirrors are suitable for both standing and seated persons. toilets
should provide at least one accessible facility, with grab bars and space for maneuvering
whenever possible. If elevated from the ground floor, ramps should be provided. Enough natural
lighting and ventilation should be provided, for health reasons but also to attend to the needs of
vision impaired people.

Figure 19: Door requirements for physically disabled people who use wheelchairs (ISO218).

Alternatively, in situations of very limited resources or unavailability of flushing arrangements, a

supporting seat can be made of wood, cement or other adequate material, provided there is
sufficient thickness to handle the weight of an adult person. Additionally, a collection bin should
be placed under the seat for cleaning purposes. Wooden grab bars properly fixed.
In situations where flat toilets are most culturally accepted, it is possible to have it installed in an
elevated wooden floor to facilitate cleaning and drainage. In these cases, supporting grab bars
should be installed in a lower height than usual. Depending on the conditions and degree of
deficiency, the users should be consulted to examine the need for double height grab bars.

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2.3 Empirical literature review
2.3.1 Large scale Affordable Housing / social Housing Rwanda
Demobilization & Reintegration Commission housing scheme
(Rwanda) Since its independence, Rwanda has experienced a history of extreme violence. This
violence culminated in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi people, that left at least one million
Rwandans dead and thrice as many displaced. Although the country has recovered, the Great
Lakes region remains volatile, with several unresolved political issues especially in the
neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Aiming to contribute to the
consolidation of peace in the great lakes region especially in Rwanda and eastern DRC, the
Government of Rwanda established in 1997 the “Rwanda Demobilization & Reintegration
Commission” (RDRC). The commission mandate is to oversee the planning and implementation
of the “Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Program” (RDRP) for combatants, especially
the ones with disabilities, in recognition of the challenges they face in reintegration. The Law no.
02/2007 of 20th January 2007 provides a residential house (for ex-combatants with disabilities in
categories I and II65), exemption from levies on government services, legal aid, free fare on
public transport and also a monthly stipend for basic needs. As of May 2014, 544 housing units
had been constructed by the Commission.

Sustainability features
The program succeeded in achieving social sustainability. As previously mentioned in Chapter
01, better accessibility leads to independence, participation in community life and entering the
labor market. A study undertaken between November and December 2011 by RDRP found out
that for most of the ex-combatants with disabilities, housing was the single most important
factor. The beneficiaries of the program recognized the improvement on their living conditions,
which in many cases went from desolate conditions in a Military Hospital to having a place they
can call home. Additionally, the fact of being entitled to a house is a key element for
reintegration of these ex-combatants with disabilities. The houses were equipped with water
gutters and 2,000-liter tanks to harvest rainwater for different uses. The community members
have benefited from jobs created during construction, and most materials used are locally
produced; cement, sand, paints and rocks. The beneficiaries planted vegetables and fruits in the
surroundings of their houses. The harvests improved their nutrition and self-esteem. Moreover,
the canopy provided by the vegetables and fruits helped in environmental conservation.

Main specific interventions to increase accessibility

The housing units were designed with the support of international disability experts and
standards for accessibility and reconstruction68, based on low-cost housing design from the City
Council of Kigali, which would be suitable to the context and budget. The main interventions are
listed below. Accessible entrances through ramps; Lower windows and glazed entrance doors to
allow visibility from wheelchair, Kitchen and bath with clear area, and adapted counter height

44
for wheelchair maneuverability and accessibility, Barrier free washrooms with grab bars and
hand-held shower, Doors with minimum width of 1.00 m and handlers lever style. Electrical
fittings too are counter height adapted. While all the houses are barrier-free, housing for ex-
combatants under Category I can be split into five design plans:
Plan 1- urban special house: a self-contained, two-bedroom house designed for a wheelchair
user. The doors and windows are designed and fitted accordingly. The toilets and showers have
support fittings. The kitchen is dimensioned to allow the wheelchair user to use it without
difficulty. This house is provided with an extra room for an in-house caretaker, who could be a
relative in most cases.
Plan 2- rural special house: this house has all the features of Plan 1, but with an exterior pit
latrine, shower and kitchen, to be managed without flowing water.
Plan 3- Standard urban: two-bedroom house with standard features, including plumbing for
running water.
Plan 4- shower and kitchen manageable without flowing water, for example combatants with
disabilities under Category II,
“Plan 5” was developed: three-bedroom standard house. More rooms were added in this typology
than in Category 1, due to relatively bigger families accompanying beneficiaries in Category II.

Challenges encountered and solutions provided after the construction,

RDRC has to cater for periodic inspection and maintenance of the houses due to limited financial
capacity by the occupants. The houses are generally repaired by RDRC. In a number of cases the
beneficiaries have taken initiative to manage minor repairs by themselves. It is important to
highlight that appropriate land acquisition in Rwanda is a challenge, but accessibility was
considered from the beginning of the planning and land selection process: access to public
transport, location, proximity of adequate health facilities, public water and power supply
connection, etc. Nevertheless, most of the housing estates are found on slopes and are affected
during the rainy season by runoff rainwater. To address this issue, RDRP has constructed
drainage and provided water tanks. The program is planning to pave an “accessible route” in the
compounds to ease movement of wheelchairs, as they get stuck in the mud, especially during the
rainy season.

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Figure 23: Barrier free washrooms

Figure 24: low window and external door with glazing to Allow view from wheelchair

2.3.2 Reconstruction Houses for persons with disabilities SCIPPER,

PAKSBAB (Pakistan)
The Spinal Cord Injury Project for Pakistan Earthquake Rehabilitation (SCIPPER) is a
humanitarian network to rehabilitate people who became paralyzed from spinal cord injuries
sustained during the 2005 earthquake. Most of them are women and children. To date
the SCIPPER / HF initiative has built 11 homes, which are adapted for mobility impaired people
in the very challenging Himalayan terrain. Seven homes have been built using traditional
methods. Four houses have been built with PAKSBAB (Pakistan Straw Bale and Appropriate
Building) technology, and therefore they are energy efficient and earthquake safe. PAKSBAB is
currently beginning the construction of the 5th house.” Sustainability feature PAKSBAB makes
use of local labor and indigenous renewable materials for construction of the houses, involving
the family members in the building process. The housing project is a single-story structure built
on a concrete slab, and comprises of two rooms and a kitchen, restroom and veranda. The
exterior walls are made of straw bale (total thickness of approx. 0.40m); the kitchen and other
interior partition are wattle-and-daub walls, with exception of the concrete block walls of the
bathroom. Additionally, the roofs are on-site-built with wood trusses and covered by corrugated
metal sheets. The houses are provided with a septic tank and gutters for rainwater collection.
They are connected to the electricity grid and have water connection or a well.

Main specific interventions to increase accessibility

During the process, each patient and the family were consulted regarding specific needs and
necessary adjustments were made to adequate topography and local conditions. Whenever
possible, the houses were built close to a road, to enable residents’ displacement from their
homes to medical facilities whenever necessary. Wheelchair accessible features, Kitchen and.
bath have 5’ diameter (approx. 1.50m) clear area for wheelchair maneuverability, Wheelchair
accessible counters and low storage in the kitchen, Electrical switches and outlets within
wheelchair reach, but out of reach of children, Wheelchair accessible corner sink in the

46
bathroom. “Western toilet” with grab bars, Overhead or hand-held shower, Doors with
minimum width of 3’ (approx. 0.91 m), No door thresholds; Windows operable from the
wheelchair, Wheelchair assisted access ramps;

Challenges encountered
Due to wheelchair accessibility features, an adapted design may imply a 5 per cent increase in
cost (for ramps, grab bars, handheld shower, and additional “western toilet” in the bathroom,
larger bathroom door, and kitchen modifications). It is difficult to find affordable flat lots near a
road; therefore, the lots are often sloped, requiring retaining walls and/or infill. Sometimes it’s
challenging to provide water and electricity access if utilities are not already nearby, and to
motivate the family to get involved in the building process. Feedback of local people reports that
“The homes have had a huge impact on the quality of life of the patients” and that they have
“increased the longevity and survival of the patients by making their environment healthier.”

Figure 25: Noor Jehan House, (exposed straw bale under Plaster) and Noor Jehan House,)

Figure 26: Saadia noor House, (Adapted kitchen) and kulsoom bibi House, (Adapted bathroom)

12.3.3 Villa Verde/ PRES Constitución (Constitución, Chile)

The Plan for Sustainable Reconstruction (PRES Constitución) is a master plan developed after
the 8.8 Richter scale earthquake and tsunami that hit Chile in 2010, which almost entirely
destroyed Constitución. As it is a coastal zone, the aim of the master plan was to rebuild the city
in a way that would also resist future tsunamis. On the other hand, the Plan for Arauco Forestry
Workers, commissioned in 2009, was developed within the framework of the current national
housing policy for Solidarity Housing Fund I and the Solidarity Housing Fund II (units up to

47
25,000 USD without debt and units up to 40,000 USD with bank loan, respectively). It estimates
9.000 housing units to be built in 30 locations, within cities and towns with 10,000 to 20,000
inhabitants.

Sustainability features
The PRES master plan was developed with a comprehensive approach, which comprises
mobility and modal diversification strategies, rainwater and anti-tsunami plan (ground surface
runoff network, creek and stream channeling, Mitigation Park, evacuation routes). Developers’
field experience has shown that conventional infrastructure is ineffective for resisting the energy
of displaced water; hence the strategy comprises an evacuation plan, a coastal forest able to
produce enough friction to reduce the energy of the waves instead of trying to resist them and a
conditioned building zone with collapsible enclosures in the lower levels.
The topography of the forest terrain had to be rough and bumpy to maximize resistance and
optimize the area allotted for housing. The master plan addresses equally the energy issue,
providing a heat recovery plant (for public buildings and seasonal pool), resource management
(sorting plant and biogas recovery RSU) and passive solar housing with solar water heater
panels. Villa Verde units’ structure and roof structure were built with local wood (structural
timber), minimizing carbon footprint due to reduction transport distances and generating income
to the local market. The area is the second wood producer center of Chile. The construction also
includes solar water heater (SWH) systems, as part of PRES guidelines. The designers applied
the concept of “incremental housing”, which is the provision of space and infrastructure for
units’ future expansion and impersonation by the residents themselves. In less than a week from
the project’s inauguration, almost all of the units had added new rooms, achieved right away a
middle-class standard, but also increased each individual unit’s market value, transforming the
housing subsidy into an investment and not just a social expense.

Main specific interventions to increase accessibility

Attending future residents’ requests, four units (0.8 per cent of the total built houses) were
adapted following universal design principles of wheelchair accessibility. The same ordinary
housing typology had the layout modified to provide one adapted bedroom, bathroom and
kitchen at the ground floor; with ramps for all access (the original typologies have no bedrooms
on the ground floor).
The project follows the Supreme Decree (Housing and Urban Development) that establishes
minimum dimensions for persons with disabilities, and was certified by the Preventive and
Medical Commission (Comisión Médica, Preventiva e Invalidez – COMPIN). The bathrooms
were enlarged to allow wheelchair maneuvering (rotation) and are provided with grab bars,
adaptable shower heights, folding chair allowing sitting bath. Widen doors with horizontal lever
handle to facilitate opening are used in the whole house. The access and exit to backyard ramps
are 1.5m wide with a maximum slope of 12 %.

Challenges encountered

48
The level of accessibility and also the number of houses adapted were restricted by the available
budget. Each modified unit had an additional grant of 20UF (approx. 850 USD), given by
COMPIN for adaptation purposes.

Figur
e 27: Different Phases of Incremental Housing figure and ground floor Plan -Adapted units with
Accessible ground floor.

12.3.4 Accessibility of Older Persons to Public Housing: the case of

Thailand
Thailand’s population has been rapidly aging since 2005. According to “Population Estimation
20102040” by the office of the National Economics and Social Development Board of Thailand,
almost 40 per cent of older persons live in urban areas and this quota will increase to 50 per cent
in 2020 and almost 60 per cent in 2040. For the past few decades, Thailand has increased efforts
to elevate quality of life of older persons and persons with disabilities. At present, the
government is implementing “The 2nd National Plan on Older Persons (2002-2021) 1st Revised
of 2009” aiming at improving the quality of life of older persons and persons with disabilities by
motivating their families and communities to take care of these groups first and foremost with
welfare services provided by the Government as a supporting system. The two cases presented in
this sub-chapter are an initiative of the National Housing Authority (NHA) with different
partners.
Baan Eua Ar-thorn Housing Project is part of a home-ownership scheme that enables older
persons and persons with disabilities to have access to housing. “Baan Eua Ar-thorn Bungkhum
Housing Project” was completed in 2006 and comprises of 5,872 housing units with an effective
population of 30,000 inhabitants. The number of older persons’ people is estimated at around 20
per cent. Dwelling units were provided with appropriate facilities i.e., community center, market,
inclusive playground and recreational space, park, sports field, etc. to increase quality of life.
The mixed-generation in the project was also an intention to enable older persons to feel part of a
community rather than being separated in nursing homes. Discussion points Even though NHA
planned to allocate dwelling units on the ground floor to older persons, the initiative failed
during the implementation phase. An increased effort to allocate older persons and their family
to proper dwelling units (i.e., ground floor) is still required.

49
Figure 28: (left) Adapted toilet in chiang mai Province figure 29: (right) toilet Improvement with
Handrails and bath chair

The housing improvements are related to the structure of the house, staircases/ramps, changing
flat to flush toilet, installing handrails in toilet, reorganization of internal partitions, improvement
of natural ventilation, etc. In some severe cases, a new house is designed to replace the
deteriorated one. In some cases, handrails made of local materials were provided to facilitate
toilet use for older persons refusing to use flush toilets. A bath chair made of a concrete block
and wood was also Additional 100 houses shall be completed in 2014. The goal is to renovate
and construct 500 houses for older persons and persons with disabilities around country within 5
years. The cooperation will be strengthened by involving educational institutions such as
Architectural Schools in the design process.

Figure 30: Flat toilet and bath chair Provision with Handrails

Sustainability features
The main goal of the program presented here is to allow older persons to live their life in their
own community with their relatives and neighbors rather than spending their last period of life
with strangers in nursing homes. Consequently, the government’s budget saved on care services
is redirected to build nursing homes whereas the community would take care of older persons
and persons with disabilities themselves. Sustainability is concurrent with the participatory

50
process and strong ties among stakeholders in implementing the project. A crucial factor to the
success of the project was the use of indigenous building materials and the mobilization of local
resources, combined with the expertise of stakeholders.

2.4 Lessons Learned

To facilitate access to housing for the older persons and persons with disabilities, governments
should provide different housing programs to suit their affordability and preferences. In some
cases, housing grants and financial subsidies can be provided. For low-income older persons or
families including older persons, public rental housing can serve as a safety net or first step in
housing the latter. Some measures i.e., priority of allocating housing for older person people is
also needed to ensure that older person people or households including older person members
can get proper dwellings, suitable to their physical conditions. As such, a barrier–free
environment allows everybody, irrespective of age, gender or physical ability, to access and
make use of the built environment. This includes everything from hospitals, schools, mosques,
public water facilities to private homes. By designing and implementing accessibility of
communal living buildings in Addis Ababa by government or private constructions we can make
an environment barrier free thus allowing independent, safe and easy access for everyone.

12.5 CONCLISION
A building that is inaccessible to people with physical disabilities indicates that they are not
allowed to use the facility. The findings of this study are used to inform future research. Building
accessibility for wheelchair users and individuals with physical disabilities is on the rise.
Disabilities in various locations. It is critical to focus on the ability rather than the qualifications
of PWD with impairments, and to build accessible environments in which they can contribute
their share. To contribute to national growth and the integration of wheelchair and cane users
into society allowing people to enter structures In terms of the constructed environment, it is
critical that it be barrier-free. And customized to meet the requirements of all persons on an
equal basis providing a barrier-free environment the environment is a broad term (Agwa 2016).
Literature review displays that achieving an accessible environment is usually considered only in
relation to disabled people. Regulations also support this view. However, this study examines
accessible environments with regard to different user categories such as disabled, elderly, people
who carry pushchair, and healthy people eventually. As everyone has a right to live in an
accessible and barrier-free environment, accessibility is considered in a more comprehensive way
throughout the study. It is possible to examine accessibility in different contexts such as private
spaces like residential units, semi-public spaces.

51
 CHAPTER.3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGYAND APPROACH
3.1. Research study era location and description
This research is conducted in the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. According to data
obtained from the Ethiopian Association of Disabled People Ethiopia (ADPE), the majority of
housing lotteries for disabled people were discovered in Semit and Ayat condominiums in
2004.Almost 20% of those recorded are living in Semit and Ayat sites. Both condominiums
feature residential apartments and service amenities, with commercials on the active frontage of
the main streets and compound blocks are "ground floor plus four stories" (G+4) in height, and
in some cases, five stories (G+5), in which four typologies are incorporated into each
condominium block: studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom unit types. Each unit
includes a bathroom, which includes a shower, flush-toilet, and basin, and a separate kitchen. In
the condominium site between the blocks, there are communal buildings. The function of the
communal buildings is to provide a protected space for residents to perform traditional tasks such
as slaughtering goats, hand washing laundry, and cooking extensive meals.

Figure 31: Semit and Ayat condominiums site locations.

52
The research started by preparing questioners and identifying the disabled people in the selected
site. Forty people with walking disabilities are found from the site, and seventeen confirmed to
participate in the research, ten from Semit condominium sites and seven from Hayat
condominium sites. Following that, five homes (3 from Smit and 2 from Ayat condominium
sites) conformed to collect information about the setting and layout of the house they live in. The
other two were unwilling to show. After the full text screening process, the necessary
information this included study type, and their functional limitations, study inclusion and
exclusion criteria, interventions and any comparators, outcome measures and results reported.
Initially, 14 walking disabled and 90 older people’s records and 5 disabled people's houses are
examined. The data’s are recorded in time of COVID 19 causes long contact time restriction.

Studies included in the review.

Study on Location Study Type Method

Disable persons living in A, A (SEMITE and Communal building for Questioner, site visit
A.A communal living HAYAT condominium disable personas research and literature related
building site) /MSC/ program review

Types of or Terms Used for Definition in Age Group Mean Age

Functional Limitations no (Years) (Years)

Disability of walking 250 persons Adults: no minimum age 34-58

specified

Difficulty of waking using canes for support 100 persons Older adults 55-65

Disability Problems in walking using wheelchair 14 persons Adult: no minimum age 45-58
for support specified

Table 2: research type

Table 3: participants of the research

The research addressed the research question using the following structure, which influenced the
search strategies used in this review: Context: domestic home in a community setting regardless
of household tenure In the case of a block of flats or a building, the interior and immediate
exterior of the house, as well as public spaces and mutual corridors. Assisted living facilities,
group homes, and communal settings were excluded.

Participants: People of old ages who have functional limitations, whether physical or cognitive.
Frail older adults were included, given that "fail" indicates some forms of impairment. Older
adults were excluded if no functional limitations were specified.

53
3.2 Types of data and sours
3.1.1 Primary Source
Primary data related to architecture are very effective way of to collect data. Questionnaires and
direct observation are the most important source to get reliable information to see the basic
accessibility challenge and its effect which is leading to conclusions and solution.

3.1.2. Secondary Sources

Secondary sources of the research include documented data, published works, and internet
source. It used to get general information about the research. a case study approach used by
integrated with erect observation and literature review were used through

3.3 Data collection method

During the study, both qualitative and quantitative data are required for the study. the
quantitative data the number of participants. Qualitative data includes the integration with the
building, accessibility, materials used, sustainable practice, etc.

The initial source, since the data is related to physical ability, primary data is a very effective
way of collecting data. The questionaries' interviews and direct observation are the most
important sources to get reliable information to see the basic accessibility challenge and its
effect, which leads to reasonable conclusions and solutions. Secondary sources include
documented data, published works, and internet sources. It is used to get general information
about the research. A case study approach is used integrated with erect observation and literature
review.

3.2.1 Questionnaires: Questionnaires and important methods for gathering large amounts
of data. Both open-ended and closed-ended questions are used to get the required information.
Personal experience may be important to change the altitude towards the existing trend in
building design.

3.2.2 Interviews: another method for gathering primary data from interested parties, such
as elderly and disabled people living in condominiums, architects, and other groups, including
illiterate people. The information collected from questionnaire is the most special one for getting
reliable data.

3.2.3 Case study: direct observation is another method to collect the data for a case study.
There is nothing more reliable than direct observation. So, this method is very important to
collect reliable data about the existing problems and challenges in communal living buildings.

3.2.4 Formalized documented data: is categorized as a secondary source and used as a

reference. Other research and documents are used as an initial point to develop the best research
issues related to accessibility.

54
3.4 Data Collection Techniques
3.3.1. Methods of primary data collection

For this research, questionnaire data collection methods are set to address the objectives of the
research, and they had criteria for formulating them. It is used to easily interpret the answers and
give opportunities to explain other additional answers. The questions are interrelated with
specific objectives. The questionnaire was administered on

 People who have walking disability on the condominium sites.

 Administrative organs of the condominium sites.

 Also attempted to include educated peoples who are members of the condominium
community.

The questionnaires are distributed along the main living compounds and other adjacent service
areas of the study area. An observation activity is conducted to analyze the exciting functional
activity of the place and the people-to-place relations. To see the housing space accessibility
activities of users through observing the relationships between activities and spaces, it had to get
additional information; pictures of each space are taken.

3.3.2. Secondary data collection method

In this case, the research found some sources of data from the societies surrounding the
condominium site, such as circulation challenge data on social activity, compound regulations,
and economic activity), and graphical data like land use maps. Through interviews and
discussion, the secondary data are collected from documents and secondary sources, such as
reports, books, proposals, research papers, government agencies, and libraries, were also used to
analyze the basic issues under investigation.

3.5 Sampling Frame and Units

The frames that are used to limit the number of samples that are taken under consideration are as
follows.

1. From disabled people in the condominium site.

2. From elder peoples in the condominium sites.

Sampling Frame and Units The frames that is used to limit the number of samples that are taken
under consideration were as follows.

55
 3.5.1 Sample Size and Sampling Procedures: Purposive Stratified sampling will be used
to select groups with different accessibility challenges from among those with disability of
walking and elderly groups. The proportional section method will benefit from stratified
sampling in terms of the number of disabled and population sizes. After selecting a proportional
unit, distribute the questions and interviews randomly. The sampling frame regulates the section
method for buildings after proportional sizes for each. This study will be limited to the selection
and identification of some variables and the arranging of a sample frame based on strata such as
types of disability, aged groups, Building circulation

3.5.2. Survey Sampling Calculation

 Nn/N = Pi

 ni = n x Pi
o Pi represents the proportion of the population included in each stratum
o Represents the total sample size.
o The number of elements selected from stratum i is niN.
o size of the population or number of buildings in the case area

The size of the strata determines the method of proportional allocation for questioners and
interviewers in the case area. There are two main factors that identify the problems, those areas

 N1 = Older peoples

 N2 = people who are disabled

Due to this the research conducted by, the total sample size for the population surveyed on 100
peoples. According to the (the community association members of the condominiums) the
reviewing data, the number of households in the case area of the condominium are 2600, from
that 125 are houses owned by walking disabled people.

strata of population of size sample of Pi The number of

size N estimation size n elements
value only in case selected from
area stratum i is ni

N1 = Older 2500 2600 100 0.9 90

people

N2 = 100 0.1 10
Disabled
persons
Table 4: sampling frame for the research

56
3.6 Conclusion
Based on the evaluation form (SEE APPENDIX B AND C) evaluation form under the heading of
arriving to the place, elements of the external built environments such as bus stations, ramps,
ground surfaces, pavements, car parks and assistive listening are examined to see if they comply
with the standards. Under the heading of entering the place, the transition area between the
exterior environment and interior environment is examined. At this phase, existing built
environment, entrances of places, thresholds, handrails and ground surfaces are investigated. At
the part of using the place, interior environment is addressed completely. Accessibility is
observed in the interior parts of the environment horizontally and vertically, circulation in
corridors, ramps and tactile surfaces are studied in this part.

57
 CHAPTER.4
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
4.1 Collected data’s from the case studies.
4.1.1 Pedestrian and Roadways Accessibility

In roadways and footpaths in the research sites places, some roads have not yet provided also
foot paths for pedestrian traffic. Pedestrian ways/footpaths, the present one do not have clear
demarcation to roadways even though the physical conditions are mostly not well maintained.

Figur32: Image of pedestrians and roads in the research areas.

In informal settlements, some footpaths are covered with paving material and/or even dirt.
Paving material is generally used as street cover. However, the path are not maintained well,
uneven surfaces are seen, Open drains in informal settlements can also found on the streets.

Figure 33: Age of parking in the research areas.

58
Material of pedestrian ways is not consistent and different from one area to another. In the site
center, the material is better compared to the footpaths in the settlement area. In the site center,
the footpath materials are slippery and not well maintained. On the other hand, those in the
settlement areas have different surfaces that are more slippery and less safe during the rainy
season, and many of them have uneven surfaces.

4.1.2 Access to entrances and parking spaces

There is a parking space available, but Accessible entrances are not clearly identified using the
international symbol of accessibility, including alternate locations of accessible entrances. There
is no designated handicapped parking space with a cobbled stone finish on the surface.

Figure 34: Image of entrance in the research areas.

Exterior Entrance for Disabled People: Entering the home is usually blocked by raised stair the
high stair. Whether they're in a wheelchair, using a walker or relying on a cane, navigating stairs
is extremely large in size. The homes have less accessibility. The entrances to the homes are
stairs. In many cases, the front entrance is the most difficult entry point to the home. It already
has steps, but no ramp over them to make it easier to enter in a wheelchair or with a walker or
cane. Before adding the ramp, provided ones have no handrails in the design to make the ramp
safer, and choose a ramp material that offers good traction in all weather conditions.

4.1.3 Accessibility for horizontal and vertical circulation (include stair and
corridors)

Circulations have unreasonable steps of height difference, Groves, ups and downs, and finishing
Sections of the non-slip tiles in the corridors had undergone wear and tear over the years of
exposure to the weather, thereby posing movement problems to wheelchair users especially in
the planning and design of interior spaces. The walls of corridors, in particular, lack a handrail.
The exposed lose 40*40 terrazzo and stone-chippings in front of the block and forecourt force
the wheelchair user to exert more energy in order to gain momentum. There are no covered
walkways linking each facility to the other,. No signage or way finding devices are installed on
the site. The absence of an incorporating ramp as a vertical means of circulation led to above
floors.
59
Figure 35: Stepping and vertical circulations on the selected research era.

Figure 36: Stepping and horizontal circulations on the selected research era.

No distinctive guider and zigzag design on the hard maneuvering space of the walkways on the
Compound obstacles, manholes, and gaps caused by drainage lines, posing movement issues for
wheelchair users.

Figure 37: Stepping and horizontal circulations on the selected research era.
Open risers are provided on the stairs, extend more than 40 mm. To alert the visually impaired,
no tactile markings are provided along with the stairs. A textural marking strip is not placed at
the top and bottom of the stairs and at intermediate landings to alert sightless people
environments to assist blind and visually impaired people to distinguish locations and directions,
identify potential hazards, and then move and reach expected destinations as to the location of
the stairs.

60
Figure 38: Vertical circulations in selected research era.

Inside the house, doorways typically pose to allow a wheelchair or walker to pass through; the
doorway is located in a spot where a wheelchair must be turned into the hallway. The opening is
less than 80 cm in width. Doors often pose a problem if there's not enough clearance on the side
of the door with the knob..
Corridors
Around its Corridor widths are obstructed. Ideally, radiators and equipment such as fire
extinguishers are not recessed. Where unavoidable, lack of means to directing people around
them. Doors that open outwards into a corridor that is in regular use should be recessed.
Exceptions may be outward opening doors to unisex wheelchair accessible WC. Corridors are
100cm wide and the door closes in the direction of entering inside doors to minor utility facilities
such as small store rooms and locked duct cupboards.

Figure 38: interior horizontals circulations in selected research era

Figure 39: Semit condominiums plan and elevation (MH engineering).

61
4.1.4 Toilet and kitchen facilities accessibility

The bathroom is on the main floor, with noisy stairs blocking access. Also, there is difficulty
rolling a wheelchair in. The shower also be equipped with a seat and no grab bars. Outfit the
shower with a handheld head for easier washing. There were no grab bars added beside the toilet
either. Lower toilet WCs

Slippery flooring surfaces on the interior room’s risks elderly Bathrooms do not have easily
reachable positions for controls and fittings, as well as less adequate space for maneuvering.
There was nowhere to park a wheelchair. Bathrooms and corridors with less independent transfer
units, such as grab bars, there is less adequate maneuvering space around beds as well as
appropriate assistive devices to facilitate access to all facilities.

There is less good lighting in the bathroom.. No mobility devices in front of each plumbing
fixture and less space to turn around in a wheelchair. The doorway will need to be widened for
wheelchair access. A door into the bathroom is a minimum of 100 m wide.

Figure 40: BOLE SEMIT condominiums toilet plan (MH engineering.)

In the kitchen, there’s no space for a wheelchair or walker to turn around. Traditional counter
tops are placed at a height of 60 cm.

Figure 41: kitchen layouts in the selected research era.

62
2.1.5 Accessibility in public space

In the condominium’s locations, Steps and high curbs public toilets, as an important facility in
public areas, designed with narrow doors and spaces that disabled people cannot enter easily and
use independently. For disabled people,. Yet in many cases, accessible toilets are not seen as
important facilities not only for disabled people but also other users such as the elderly, children,
and pregnant women.

Figure 42: Image of communal space in the selected research era.

4.2 Collected data from questionaries’

Disability Accessibility Challenges No of peoples
[in both]
Problems in everyday life and requesting home circulation related to at 58 -old aged peoples
least one of areas: getting in accessibility and out of the home, mobility
indoors, self-care in the bathroom 45- walking disability peoples

Limitations in kind and number of activities or work, receipt of any form of 58 -old aged peoples
insurance or financial support because of disability, limitation in sensation
or communication, or use of mobility devices, artificial limb, etc. 45- walking disability peoples

Disability Hard for living because of the spaces are designed for cost efficiency and 58 -old aged peoples
[in both] considering majority of healthy peoples that makes design do not consider
their accessibility for disability starting from the entrance of compounded 45- walking disability peoples
of the buildings their straggle of life starts from get inside the house and
getting out from the house so that these makes very difficult their life
besides the outside home disability pressure

Disability Problem of accessibility in the house is the worst of the life even it is batter 58 -old aged peoples
[in both] to stay outside the house rather than staying in home they have difficulty to
circulate to cook to use home accesses even to sleep to gout and get in the 45- walking disability peoples
house to participate in to social activity even difficult to perform their

Table 5: collected data from questionnaires in the selected research era.

4.3. Data Analysis

63
4.3.1 Data analysis from case study

accessiblity
ramp; 8.2
8
wide circula- accessible toi- hand/ guard
4 stair ; 3.2 rail; 2.2
tions; 1.4 let ; 1.2
0
p s il
ir on let ra
ra
m sta ati toi rd
ul le ua
circ ssib / g
de ce nd
wi ac ha

accessiblity

Figure 43: Chart of data accessibility challenge on the building.

Of all the accessibility design features mentioned during the survey, ramp had the highest
tally 51% followed by stairs, spacious rooms, accessible sanitary room features, and hand
guardrails respectively.

elderly

cruched

wheel chair user

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

door handels light switch basin wash toilet seats

Figure 44: Chart of data accessibility of utilities.

As evidenced by the sample Community involvement of both the disabled and elderly is very
low, and the family's income is medium or low in the case of early and aged disabilities.
Reaching for objects had become difficult for the wheelchair and muscular work for the partially
disabled and elderly as the sample was taken out over access to various facilities.

Non-slippery flooring surfaces like concrete, terrazzo and cobble has given comfort to the
aged and non-wheelchair users. But the hard surface of those gives discomfort for rolling on
to it.

64
 elderlys

crunchs
Figure 45: Chart of data accessibility
wheel chair challenge on floor finish.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

cobble stone concerite flooring

terazzo tile ceramic tiles

Figure 51: Recommending illustrations of horizontal circulation in physical accessibility challenging

problems in the selected research area

65
Figure 52: illustrations of water supply (toilet and kitchen) in physical accessibility challenging
problems in the selected research area.

66
Figure 46: Image of Pedestrian and Roadways physical accessibility challenging problems in the study
sites.

67
Figure 53: illustrations of communal space in physical accessibility in the selected research area.

4.3.2 Data analysis from questionaries’

community interaction economical exposure family support

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
early age young age old men
\
Figure 44: Chart of data accessibility of utilities and social interaction in the research era
As evidenced by the sample Community involvement of both the disabled and elderly is very low, and the
family's income is medium or low in the case of early and aged disabilities. Reaching for objects had
become difficult for the wheelchair and muscular work for the partially disabled and elderly as the sample
was taken out over access to various economy, community and economical interaction.

68
 CHAPTER.5
FINDING AND DISCUSSION
5.1 finding from case study
Activity Accessibility Applicable components

1. Movement in the pathways and routes are founded difficult to find,

outdoor continuous, easy to use, free of obstacles, have a firm Pathway, Parking, Gaps, grates and other openings,
environment surface and be properly dimensioned Outdoor facilities
and outside
buildings

2. Entering, exiting The entrance(s), are founded difficult to find and easy Ramps, Handrails, Entrance door and door, handles
and to use by any person irrespective of impairment. They
evacuating should be easy to use
buildings

4. Use of individual Rooms are founded difficult to be well dimensioned to Window, Switches and controls, Toilet, water supply
rooms and facilities allow for sufficient space for wheelchair users, a facilities and Kitchens and Kitchenettes
person using crutches or a person
relying on an assistant. All fixtures and fittings are not
appropriately designed and correctly positioned. Good
lighting or natural light, and appropriate acoustics are
found t non considered accessibility, usability and
orientation.

Table 6: Summarized result home visit in the research era.

5.2 finding from questionnaires

From the research social-related challenges Outcomes that are measured jointly regarding home
accessibility features and participants’ health and social changes were excluded if they could not
be disaggregated.

5.2.1 Life Expectancy

WHO defines as it is a broad-ranging concept affected in a complex way by the person’s

physical health, psychological state, level of independence, social relationships, personal beliefs,
and their relations to salient features of their environment. Two randomized buildings are found
to have a negative effect on quality of life. The research most found their quality of life is full of
challenges related to accessibility and survival compared to healthy people. Also, additional
lighting adjustments in the living room will increase the quality of life and wellbeing.
Conversely, a cross-sectional study found associations between quality of life and home safety
and accessibility factors such as hazards,

69
5.2.2 Psychological Consequences

Psychological effects of home accessibility were identified. For instance, older adults with
functional difficulties reported a high fear of falling following multicomponent home
inaccessibility. Presented findings as themes from the qualitative part of the study, also identified
that providing hand rails will reduce fear of accidents: 62% of the recipients of minor adaptations
(mainly handrails and grab-rails) reported "falling fear from accidents," and recipients of major
adaptations also expressed relief at feeling safer. In addition, "depression" was identified in the
theme of health gains from poor quality adaptations for people with physical impairments in
communal living buildings on the sites.

5.2.3 Workplace Performance

A challenge-induced crisis in self-perceived occupational performance among low-income adults

with functional limitations was reported. Self-care (personal care, functional mobility, and
community management) was measured, as less productivity in work, household, and school, as
well as leisure (quiet recreation, active recreation, and socialization).

5.3 Discussion
Studies included in this review differ greatly in terms of study designs, participants, Although the
majority of the studies’ participants are from the elderly population over 65 years old, the type,
definition, and level of functional limitations varied. Despite the fact that mobility-related
disabilities were the most common, the effect is directly from the accessibility component, and
each part of the research is more seen such as quality of life and challenges. This methodological
and statistical heterogeneity that is adopted is in a narrative approach to synthesize the findings,
rather than performing a meta-analysis.

In this systematic review, evidence for the effect of accessible home environments on people
with functional limitations, either age-related or from other causes. Although it contains studies
with a low level of quality evidence, gathering and synthesizing the existing evidence is help to
guide further research and develop guidelines based on the best evidence available.

Overall, the findings of this review indicate that people with functional limitations who live in
inaccessible home environments have a major challenge in living their lives. Physical health
problems were identified, such as falls and injuries. Self-perceptions of decreased quality of life
and general ill-being are found, along with psychological effects such as reduced fear of falling
or accidents and feelings of depression. Fear of falling is known to be a strong risk factor for
functional decline and falls. This reduction in fear is also an important finding. Furthermore,
difficulties are increased to safety and self-efficacy as an outcome measures, this suggests that
people who already and disabled people who have difficulties functioning in everyday life can
benefit from modification accessibility features, possibly delaying the deterioration of their
already limited functions.

70
Furthermore, Heywood 2004 identified that design modifications that were inadequately
implemented due to bad planning or administrative errors, actually had positive impact on
physical and mental health of persons with functional limitations. This indicates that home
modification planning should consult with service users as well as health and architectural
professionals.

HAPTER.6

71
 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION
6.1 Conclusions
The problems that are identified in the selected sites are access problems of indoors out door in
particular, the width of doors, the lack of appropriate standards for the disabled bathroom and
toilets, the lack of wheel chair ramps, the high thresholds of doors, and the lack of ramps are
some of the biggest problems experienced. Indoor physical barriers limit travel opportunities for
many elderly people, according to Kaplan (2010); for such people, the sites needs accessible and
open to all people, including people with disabilities and the disabled people need considered
when arranging the physical environment of these areas from the planning and design stages. An
important observation made during this study is that there is an intention to improve accessibility
when buildings are being constructed or renovated. This study described how non-accessible
public communal living buildings are difficult for wheelchair users because the research realized
that narrow entrances and routes of buildings, raised steps at the entrances of the buildings, and
steep ramps render most of the buildings inaccessible to wheelchair users.

Access to facilities need to be promoted by physical and sensorial access as well as a positive
attitude towards encouraging people with particular vulnerabilities to use accessible facilities.
Universal Design (often called Inclusive Design) is a design approach that designs products,
environments, programs, and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible,
without the need for adaptation or specialized design, while promoting self-reliance,
independence, and ease of living for people with disabilities, older people, and people without
disabilities. As such, a barrier-free environment allows everybody, irrespective of age, gender, or
physical ability, to access and make use of the built environment. This includes everything from
parking to private homes. By designing and implementing accessibility of communal living
buildings in Addis Ababa by government or private construction, we can make the environment
barrier-free, thus allowing independent, safe, and easy access for everyone.

6.2 Recommendations
72
Based on Accessibility for the Disabled In this A Design Manual for a Barrier Free Environment
2020 context, at the phase of this study, systematic observations and investigations are conducted
through the use of evaluation form (SEE APPENDIX B AND C) on Ayat and Semit condominiums and
surrounding environments. The study covers pedestrian crossings, pavements, parking areas,
entrances of buildings, guiding means, ramps, stairs, elevators and corridors. In the evaluation
form, as mentioned earlier in this study regarding to these the research recommends the
following description on the condominium sites as summarized in the following table.

Activity Physical Accessibility Applicable Recommendation

challenges in sites components

1. difficulty to accesses A. Pathway Single isolated steps to take up small differences in levels
Movement pathways and routes to along pathways should be avoided to minimize the risk of
in the find, continuous, easy to stumbling or falling
outdoor use, free of obstacles,
environmen have a firm surface and B. Parking Avoid abuse of parking space by adequate enforcement of
t be properly dimensioned rules, avoid parking location with steep gradients that cause
and outside difficulties for wheelchair users with side lift in their vehicle
buildings

2. Entering, Physical Accessibility A. Ramps A ramp with a gradient higher than 1:12 is difficult to use and
exiting and challenges in sites can create a risk of an accident; it is therefore not suitable for
evacuating independent use
buildings
Difficulty to accesses the  An inclination of up to six degrees will exclude a majority
entrance(s), including of wheelchair users from using a horizontal walkway
final exits, to a building independently
to find and easy to use by
B. Handrails A handrail or grab bar should be free of any sharp or abrasive
any person irrespective
of impairment. They C. Entrance door elements. Edges should have a minimum radius of 3.2 mm.
should be easy to use and out door  Grab bars should not rotate within their fittings Round or
oval type door knobs are not suitable for people with mobility
impairments, for people of small stature or less strength and
for children

3. Use of Physical Accessibility A. Window  Large window should be avoided at the ends of the
individual challenges in sites corridors
rooms and
facilities  Avoid flushed or recessed controls, as these are not
difficulty to accesses B. Switches and accessible to people with limited dexterity
Window, Switches and controls
controls, Toilet, water  Avoid flushed or recessed controls, as these are not
supply facilities and accessible to people with limited dexterity Avoid having
Kitchens and stove controls at back or location that requires user to reach
C. Kitchens and across burners as burns may occur from reaching over hot
Kitchenettes
items or open burners.

Table 7: Recommendations physical accessibility issues in the homes of disabled people in the selected
research area.

The above recommendation is an example that increases accessibility and reducing the
deficiencies in implementations of accessibility measures. The results of this study can help the

73
authorities who are related with regulations and implementations of accessibility in removing
physical obstacles in the built environment. As a result, different target groups can use
condominium buildings and services easily. The issue of creating accessible and barrier-free
environments is one of the significant discussions in the research, professionals dealing with
built environment such as architects, interior architects, urban planners and designers attempt to
provide accessible and attainable environments which meet the needs of all people in the society.
Measures/implementations are need to be carried into effect to create accessible and
barrier-free environment in whole places considering the above mentioned issues, a major
problem detected by this study in relation to accessibility in condominium buildings is that
accessibility measures are not applied to places properly. In other words, these measures are not
sensitive to the local character of places. Additionally, although legislative procedures
necessitate accessibility, some other problems arise during the implementation phase such as
misapplication of measures or piecemeal implementations lacking a comprehensive meaning.
There need to be the Ethiopian government to develop building codes and guidelines using
universal design principles to ensure all public buildings are wheelchair accessible. This can be
achieved by establishing liaison between wheelchair users and various professionals. It is
important to increase the level of wheelchair accessibility to public buildings; this facilitates
independence, integration, and reintegration of wheelchair users into society. It also ensures
equity for all and there by contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals in
Ethiopia. Also, Access to living buildings is a right for all people,

6.2.1 Design recommendation

Design proposal is a part of recommendation the evaluation form, which is used in this study to
assess different cases, is developed based on the literature review and existing examples of
checklists, with this form, accessibility performance of different case areas is evaluated. The
issues of arriving to the place, entering the place and using the place are evaluated in three cases.
This evaluation is considered basically elderly people, walking disabled people, people who
carry pushchairs. All of these groups are examined separately. Moreover, based on the research
data it is recommending that the vertical stair of condominiums building needs to be designed in
to inclusive designed stair type that can uses to accesses all users of block.

Concept
As stairs prevent the mobility of disabled people, ramps are more usable in terms of accessibility
to be passed from elevation differences. Nevertheless, if stairs must be designed, handrails
should be applied both sides of stairs
When ramps are designed, the main aim is to provide necessary conditions wheelchair users,
people who carry pushchairs and visually impaired people to height difference.

74
Figure 31: Semit condominium site locations.

75
FIGURE 31: PLAN VIEW

FIGURE 31: SECTION VIEW DETAILS

76
REFERENCES
[1] United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2016), World Population Prospects: The
2016 Revision, Key Findings and Advance Tables.

[2] Ajobiewe, T.A (2015). Towards an inclusive society: Improving access and building capacity. A keynote address presented
at the International Summit for an Inclusive Society. July, 28th – 30th.

[3] Ahmed Abubakar., Awad, Z.M, Yaacob, N.M (201

[4] 4). The Response of Accessibility Infrastructures for PWD to National Disability Policies in Higher Institutions of
Developing Countries: Case Study of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Journal of
Surveying, Construction and Property (JSCP). Vol 5:1-16.

[5] Anjlee Agarwal and Andre Steele (2015). Disability Considerations for Infrastructure Programmes.

[6] Baris, M. E., and Uslu, A (2009). Accessibility for the disabled people to the built environment in Ankara, Turkey. Africa
Journal of Agricultural Research. 4:801-814.

[7] Danso A.K., Agyekum, K, and Atuaheme, B.T (2017). Assessing the Accessibility of Built Infrastructure for Persons with
Disabilities: A case of the Sofoline Interchange. A paper presented at the 6th International Conference on Infrastructure
Development in Africa 12-14 April, 2017, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana.

[8] Hamzat, T.K., and Dada, O.O (2005). Wheelchair Accessibility of Public Buildings in Ibadan, Nigeria. Asia Pacific
Disability Rehabilitation Journal. 16:115-124

[9] Hussein, H., and Yaacob, N.M (2012). Development of accessible design in Malaysia. Procedia Social and Behavioural
Sciences. 68:121-133.

[10] ] Taffese W.Z., Low-cost Eco-friendly building material: A case study in Ethiopia, Ethiopian Institute of Architecture,
EiABC, Addis Ababa, 2012

[11] Paulos Birhanu, Study on private residential real estate development in Addis Ababa, (M.Sc. Thesis), AAiT, School of Civil
and Environmental Engineering, Addis Ababa, 2011

[12] Elias Yitbarek Alemayehu, Revisiting «Slums», Revealing Responses: Urban upgrading in tenant-dominated innercity
settlements, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (PhD Thesis) Trondheim: Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 2008.

[13] Bisrat Kifle, Public housing: the condominium approaches the case of Addis Ababa, (M.Sc. Thesis) EiABC, Addis Ababa,
2008

[14] Abnet Berhe, An overview of housing in Ethiopia, EiABC, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2017.

[15] Habitat, The challenge of slums: Global report on human settlements (2003), Development context and the millennium
agenda: Revised and updated version, 2010.

[16] International Standard Organization (ISO), ISO 21542- Building construction — Accessibility and
usability of the built environment, ISO, Geneva, 2018.

[17] Sours: Handicap international Ethiopia (2012) Introduction to accessibility in a camp setting.

77
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Franck, K.A.; Lepori, R.B. Architecture Inside Out; Wiley: New York, NY, USA,
2000; ISBN 978-0-471-98466-5.

Imrie, R. Architects' Conceptions of the Human Body. Environ. Plan. Soc. Space
2003, 21, 47-65. [CrossRef] Corbusier, L. The Decorative Art of Today; MIT
Press: Cambridge, MA, USA, 1987; ISBN 978-0-262-62055-0. Tschumi, B.

Architecture and Disjunction; MIT Press: Cambridge, MA, USA, 1996; ISBN
978-0-262-70060-3.

 Zumthor, P. Thinking Architecture; Birkhäuser Basel: Basel, Switzerland, 2010;

ISBN 978-3-0346-0585-4.

Department of Justice (1994), Excerpt from 28 CFR Part 36: ADA standards for
accessible design, United States of America

Handicap international Ethiopia (2018), Introduction to accessibility in a camp
setting

Christian Blind Mission (2008), Promoting Access to the Built Environment
Guidelines

Lakoff, G.; Johnson, M. Philosophy in the Flesh: The Embodied Mind and Its
Challenge to Western Thought; Basic Books: New York, NY, USA, 1999; ISBN
978-0-465-05673-6.
 Elias, Yitbarek Alemayehu. 2008. Revisiting "Slums", Reviling Responses. Urban
Upgrading
in Tenant Dominated Inner-City Settlements, in Addis Abeba. Trondheim:
 NTNU 2008: Dept. of Urban Design and Planning.
Erman, T. (1997) “Squatter (gecekondu) Housing versus Apartment Housing:
Turkish
Rural-to-Urban Migrants Residents’ Perspectives.” Habitat International,
28(1): 91-106.

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APPENDIX-A
A SAMPLE OF INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR ABLE-BODIED, DISABLED AND ELDERLY’S
1. Name………………………………………………………………………………
3. Age……………………………………………………………………………….
3. Name of condominium …………………………………………………………………………….
4. Type of physical disability…………………………………………………......
5. List some of the functional limitations or challenges you face related to your Daley physical?
Accessibility………………………………………………………………………………………………….
.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………..
6. List some the most challenging housing unit related to your dale physical accessibility?
……………………………………………………………………………………….. ……………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
7. Give examples of some physical accessibility challenges you defat in your houses?
…………………………………………………………………………………………... ………………….
8. Give examples of some physical accessibility challenges you defat in your community life?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
9. What are some of the problems you find with disabled non accessibility design housing?
……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
10. What are some of the accessibility conflicts resulting from the use of a single?
Accessibility features with others?
………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
11. What do you think could be done to solve or minimize the effect of such a Problem?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
12. Please tick and rate on what you prefer to use on accessibility MATERIAL your surrounding

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Types 1 2
Circulations Ramps
Surface Terrazzo
Supports Handrails
APPENDIX-B
ARRIVING TO THE
PLACE
1-Are there any disabled peoples
loading and drop-off zones or
sheltered housing
2-If crossing the road is necessary
at the destination, are there any
disabled pedestrian
crossings there? (Underpass-
Overpass)
3-Are there any obstacles on
pedestrian crossings?
4-Are there any ramps at the
housing destination? If exists, are
their slopes appropriate?
5-Are there any tactile surfaces for
visually impaired people at the
housing entrances destination? If
exists, do they provide continuity?
6-Are there any parking areas at the
housing entrances destination? Are
they suitable for disabled people?
7-Are there any pavements at
housing entrances destination? If
exists, are their width and height
appropriate? Are there any
(Source: Developed by the author)
APPENDIX-C
3 4
Stairs Corridors
Concrete pave Cobble stone
Human assist Crunch’s
ENTERING THE
RESEARCH ERA
1-Is the width of place
entrances enough? Are there
any thresholds?
2-Are there any ramps? If
exists, are their slopes
appropriate?
3-Are there any handrails at
the top and bottom of the
stairs?
4-Are there any guiding means
or accessible pedestrian
signals to reach entries and
exists?
5-Are there any tactile surfaces
for visually impaired people to
enter places? If exists, do they
provide continuity?
6-Is there at least one entrance
for disabled people?
7-Are entrances firm, stable
and slip-resistant?
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Lifts
Ceramics
wheelchairs
USING THE PLACE
1-Are tread depth and riser
height of stairs enough? Are
there any tactile surfaces at the
top and bottom of the stairs?
2-Are there any signage and
way finding in places?
3-Are the width of corridors
enough? Is there enough area
for wheel chair to pass and
turn?
4-Are there any assistive
listening systems in
elevators?
5-Are the width of elevators
enough for wheel chair?
6-Are there any ramps to make
easier? If exists, are their slopes
appropriate?
Implementation strategy: (direct implementation through construction building accessibility
case study cheek list

Activity Components Included in design Yes No Remarks

1. Movement in the
Outdoor
environment and 1.A Way-findings
outside buildings 1.B Pathway

1.C Parking

1.D Gaps, grates and to the openings

1.E Outdoor facilities

2. Entry and
exiting buildings
2.A Ramps

2.B Handrails

2.C Entrance door and door handles

3. Movement
within buildings
3.A Vertical circulation (Stairs and lift)

4.A Windows

4.B Switches
4. Use of individual 4.C Toilet and water supply facilities
rooms and
facilities 4.D Kitchens and Kitchenettes

Source: UNICEF Supply Division’s Construction Unit (CU) and Program Division (PD)

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problem

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