New church buildings must consider Universal Design, says Christian policy advisor
Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong
Written by Lydia Ma
What would houses where the elderly and the toddler can both walk safely and live comfortably look like? Would their stairs be able to turn into ramps? These were ideas explored in the recent 5th Annual Universal Design Contest where the theme of the year was “Residential Life”. The contest featured more than 811 residential products – all emphasizing their safety and user-friendliness regardless of our age.
Living in a safe and cozy home is a common desire, said Free Universe Education Foundation CEO Tang Feng-cheng during the award ceremony on January 13, 2011. This desire has in recent years become an important issue with the growth of aging population in Taiwan because residences that are accessible, or adopt Universal Design guidelines, save many people from accidents and reduce renovation costs down the road, save future governments from medical costs caused by injuries, and create new job opportunities for many people.
Tang urged Christians to set an example for the rest of society by living out what they believe – equality and justice for all people – starting with promoting Universal Design in their church buildings. As a member of Bread of Life Christian Church in Shilin, Taipei, Tang said many new church buildings have been built in recent years, but a majority of them are not completely accessible to disabled people.
“Does your church building have a bathroom designed for disabled people? Can people on wheelchairs make 180 degree turns or backup when they are inside?” he asks, sighing at the sight of churches that claim God created every human equal in value, but not living out such a claim in their building structures.
Despite efforts in recent years, Universal Design has yet to become prevalent in Taiwanese society. That is the reason why Tang urges more efforts be made in educating the general public about the needs of people with disabilities.
On the bright side, the Legislative Yuan passed a legislation on January 10, 2011, pertaining to rights and benefits for people with disabilities. Article 52 of this legislation addresses the need of implementing Universal Design and urges managers of organizations to refer to international standards for examples.
However, unless there is more public awareness on the challenges people with disabilities face on a daily basis, Tang said he worries the new policy might just as well be a pie in the sky.
For more information about Universal Design, go to: http://www.universaldesignresource.com/
