The United Arab Emirates Federal Ministry for Social Affairs held a conference workshop in Dubai on 21 June 2007 to activate the UAE Disability Act (Federal Law No.29/2006) to protect the rights of disabled people within the UAE. These rights include equal physical access and mobility into and within the built environment.
The Minister for Social Affairs, Her Excellency Mariam Mohammed Khalfan Al-Roomi personally presented a special award to Wayne Boyle, managing director of Disabled Access International and general manager of Disabled Access International in Abu Dhabi at the Conference to recognise Disabled Access International’s support of the UAE Disability Act and the UAE Federal Government’s social planning strategies to protect the rights of disabled people within the UAE.
Boyle opened the conference workshop as the keynote speaker on disability access and mobility issues within the built environment.
Disabled people have the same rights and privileges enjoyed by the able-bodied children within the community.
Boyle later said: “Australians have a history of protecting and tending to the needs of disabled and disadvantaged people and we fully support the UAE Federal Government’s Disability Act (Law No.29/2006) to protect the rights of disabled people.
"Disabled Access International will assist the UAE Federal Government’s social planning initiatives with the building design and construction industry to ensure that all new building projects within the UAE will have the best international practice design guidelines to support the UAE Disability Act (Federal Law No.29/2006).
"Building designers, construction companies, building owners and managers must ensure that access and mobility and related facilities are provided for disabled people and ensure that the disability access and mobility are available and maintained at all times.”
Disabled Access International provides disability access and mobility design consultancy services to architects and building designers, landscape architects and landscaping designers, the construction industry and government agencies to ensure that physical access and mobility is provided for disabled people within all buildings, facilities and places.
Disabled Access International provides the following disability access and mobility consultancy services:
- Disability access and mobility project design advice to ensure compliance with disability access and mobility design guidelines
- Plan assessment at the end of the project design process to ensure compliance with disability access and mobility design guidelines prior to lodgement of the Building Permit Application
- Accessibility Assessment Reports at the completion of the final landscaping design plans to certify compliance with disability access and mobility design guidelines for inclusion with Building Permit Application documents
- Certifying project design plans that comply with disability access and mobility design guidelines
- Disability access and mobility audits of new building works during construction stages and at the completion of building works to ensure compliance with disability access and mobility guidelines
- Building Audit Inspection Reports after each new building work audit inspection to certify the project’s compliance with disability access and mobility design guidelines, or identify details of non-complying building works that need to be corrected
- Disability access and mobility audits of existing buildings and provide action plans for identified works needed to be carried out with priority timetables for works