Disabled access. Does anyone have advice about automatic door opener installation?

JennyBHurll
JennyBHurll Online Community Member Posts: 3 Listener
edited July 2022 in Housing and independent living
Hi, my name is Jenny. I have been a wheelchair user for the past 4 years and am lucky enough to have been able to afford a motorised wheelchair after selling my house and getting a flat

. So glad to have found a community where I can swap experiences and perhaps seek advice. I have recently posted about access to hairdressers. Does anyone have advice about automatic door opener installation?

The developers for my flat (London Square) have refused to install door openers for the 3 security doors I need to navigate to enter and leave the building on the grounds that they comply with building regulations without doing so. This leaves me either to wait in the rain for another resident or try to manage a key fob, a right opening heavy door and a right hand steering wheelchair. Another total nightmare on top of the obvious inconvenienced of wheelchair use
 Are the developers right to say they comply with building regs without making this provision? I cannot afford to take them to court as required by the Disability Discrimination Act. 

Comments

  • JennyBHurll
    JennyBHurll Online Community Member Posts: 3 Listener
    Many thanks. I’ll try it. Jenny
  • Jeffers1308
    Jeffers1308 Online Community Member Posts: 9 Listener
    Hi Jenny

    i have recently had an automatic door closure as they call it, with a video link

    i got in touch with my OT

    I got a DISABILITY Grant from my local council
  • Sue_Alumni
    Sue_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 484 Empowering
    Good afternoon @JennyBHurll and a warm welcome to the online community  

    I don't know the answer to your question but I do know that there has been a lot of general discussion in the press and online about the lack of provision for disabled access in new developments.

    I found The Building Regulations 2010 which set out the extent of the requirements imposed on a  developer that it needs to carry out to provide disabled access.  These are set out in Category 3 and paragraph 3.14 (j) and (l) might be relevant to you. 

    These might not be the relevant building regulations but they may be a useful starting point. I would check with the planners/building control whether building control were satisfied that the necessary requirements were met, despite what the developers have said. There is also information about   adaptations  and how to fund these on the Scope site.  If all else fails  try contacting your local MP. Do keep in touch and let us know how you get on. 

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