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SDA Design Standard 12 Months On
Welcome to our first in a series of short informational videos on Specialist Disability Accommodation. In this video, we share our learnings from the first year since the release of the new SDA Design Standard that I was co-author of. Already we are starting to see things go wrong with SDA. In this presentation, I will review some of the issues but more importantly identify areas where improvements can be made. Additionally, I will look at the opportunities available for developers and providers who choose to exceed the minimum standards View the Video .
Alarm Notifications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community
Being woken from your sleep by a smoke alarm or similar is not something most of us think about. But what if you are deaf or hard of hearing and cannot hear emergency alarms in an emergency? Deafgard is an alarm that you can see but more importantly feel when you are asleep as it has an intense vibrating pad that is placed under the pillow that will wake the heaviest of sleepers. There are fire alarms you hear and those that you feel. Deafgard has been specifically designed for the deaf and hard of hearing in fire and emergency....
The Failures of SDA and Fire Safety
Following on from my previous posts about the safety of participants in Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) I thought I would again challenge the status quo of what is perceived to be permitted building classifications vs safe building classifications. How difficult is it to evacuate one SDA participant from a home in a fire? Now ask yourself, how you would evacuate 10, 20 or even 30 participants in an emergency? We have an SDA development on the books with 34 participants housed above ground level, how will they be evacuated? We already know based on the SDA Pricing Arrangements for Specialist....
Enrolling Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) with the NDIA
With the introduction of the SDA Design Standard, the NDIA has implemented a new process for all new as-built dwellings wishing to meet the criteria for enrolment as SDA. As of 1st July 2021, Certification of the Design and As-built stages for new build SDA must be provided by an Accredited SDA Assessor. Under the new process a dwelling is required to be certified by an Accredited Assessor to a particular SDA Design Category at two stages: Design (Provisional) Certification, and Final-as-built Certification (Mandatory for SDA enrolment). The 2-stage certification process, as outlined in the Implementation Plan, aims to assure....
What is a Breakout room in an SDA Robust home?
A separate room is designed to respond to the individual disability-related needs of the participant. This means the rooms contain finishes and equipment suited to the preferences of the resident and tailored to support their needs. It does not need to be a large room, however, should have enough circulation space for furniture and equipment. For people in the community with very high needs, securing suitable housing can be a challenge – but now, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) aims to change this. SDA is available to participants of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) who are assessed as needing a....
Making Emergency Management Compliance of SDA’s Simple
Keeping everyone safe in a multi-storey building that contains Specialist Disability Accommodation, is the responsibility of both the SIL provider and the SDA owner/provider. Unfortunately, the Australian Building Codes Board negligently ignores the rights and life safety of people with disability by excluding any prescriptive requirements within the deemed-to-satisfy sections of the Building Code of Australia that address the protection and safe evacuation of people with a disability. Like most things I personally think it will require an incident involving loss of life of people with disability before anything happens with building legislation, as if Kew Cottages, Childres Backpackers and....
How to Design & Build Robust Housing
Prepared in conjunction with Anna Fleming from Purposed Housing Australia. Photography Bruce Bromley When planning Robust Category Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) suitable for participants who may require positive behaviour support, there are many designs and operational factors that must be closely considered. From selecting the site itself to planning the environment on both the inside and out, designing and developing a space that meets the needs of the individual is key. To do this, it’s important to create a dwelling that not only meets industry best practice standards but also suits each of the participant’s needs, including any highlighted in....
Fire Safety for Specialist Disability Accommodation
There will be fatalities! It’s not if, but when! Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) first rolled out in 2013 and is aimed at designing houses for persons with ‘Extreme Functional Impairment or Very High Support Needs’. These are identified under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (SDA) Rules 2016 as an impairment resulting in an extremely reduced functional capacity to undertake in one or more activities of mobility, self-care or self-management and has a very high need for person to person support. The result is that particular attention will need to be paid to design suitability for occupants of these dwellings in....
SDA Housing Density Requirements and Calculations
An often overlooked section of the "National Disability Insurance Scheme (Specialist Disability Accommodation) Rules 2020" is density. Unfortunately, this has not been made clear in most documentation produced. Anyone looking to create SDA within a single parcel of land must familiarise themselves with these requirements. National Disability Insurance Scheme (Specialist Disability Accommodation) Rules 2020 Subdivision C—Density restriction 31 Density restriction (1) The density restriction applies in relation to a parcel of land if: (a) the parcel of land has 2 or more dwellings; and (b) at least one of those dwellings is either: (i) a new build; or (ii) ....
Motorised Powered Stair Climber EvacuLife Power
Family homes or apartments with stairs present barriers for people with a mobility type disability restricting them accessing the greater community. Additionally broken or out of serviced lifts are of no use in an evacuation nor are stairs when individuals don’t have the capacity to use them. The EvacuLife Power MKII motorised powered stair climber and evacuation chair solves that problem and importantly is easy to use. It’s the ultimate powered solution for movement of people with a disability for day to day activities or in an evacuation or medical emergency. With one push of a button you, can transport individuals comfortably and....
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Recent Posts
- There will be fatalities! It’s not if, but when!
- Creating Accessible and Inclusive Housing: Universal Design in SDA
- Understanding Luminance Contrast and Colour Contrast for SDA
- Disability Fire Safety Forum: Specialist Disability Accommodation
- Converting an Existing House to Specialist Disability Accommodation