Accessibility Café to highlight accessible features of new residences
March 3, 2014
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By Craig Leroux, Senior Communications Officer
The 2013-14 Accessibility Café series wraps up this week with a presentation and discussion on the accessibility features that will be integrated into Queen’s two new residence buildings. The café, entitled “Designing in Accessibility,” will be facilitated by Queen’s campus planner Yvonne Holland and include a presentation by Ray Zaback, the project architect.
“Accessibility has been a priority for the new residences right from the earliest planning stages,” says Heidi Penning, Equity Advisor. “I’m looking forward to Mr. Zaback’s presentation about how many design decisions, from flooring to furniture, were made with accessibility in mind.”
The construction of the two new residence buildings, which was announced in November, will include:
- Dedicated bedrooms designed for wheelchair access throughout and completely barrier-free living
- Common lounges, kitchens and laundry areas designed for wheelchair and mobility devices
- Doors equipped with barrier-free access
- Clear, straight sightlines with six-foot-wide corridors
- Visual alarms in corridors and 10 per cent of all rooms Gender-neutral washrooms in common areas and shared rooms
The Accessibility Café will take place on Thursday, March 6 at 11:30 am at Common Ground café in the Queen’s Centre.
“Our Accessibility Cafés provide an excellent forum for the Queen’s community to engage in a dialogue on a variety of accessibility topics, and this year we have had some excellent discussions, including around Queen’s new Accessibility Hub and the design of a new International Symbol of Access,” adds Ms. Penning.