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I want to build SDA – Do I need LHA or SDA Standards?
The NDIA began accepting SDA or Specialist Disability Accommodation stock enrolments designed under the new SDA Design Standard in April last year. Since then, there has been some confusion amongst developers around which requirements currently apply; LHA (Livable Housing Australia) or SDA. To provide clarification, here are a few key dates to keep in mind:* BCA Class 1a, 1b, 2 & 3 SDA Until 1 July 2021, all SDA Design categories' current minimum requirements are based on the 'Silver' or 'Platinum' level housing designs set out in the Liveable Housing Design Guidelines (fourth edition) Australia. These minimum requirements are outlined....
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....
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) ....
The Critical Role Occupational Therapists Play in SDA
Enabling Independence Through Good Design Working with an Occupational Therapist during the design phase of new Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) will ensure optimal outcomes for residents with complex disabilities. While identifying the individual needs of residents with complex disabilities is a specialist skill and needs to be addressed through a formal assessment from an Occupational Therapist, it is evident that as we start to consider the needs of an individual and how their environment can either facilitate or hinder independence, the importance of both health and design professionals working collaboratively with residents to achieve successful outcomes and design quality homes....
Why your SDA might be a Class 3 and not a Class 1a or 1b
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is setting new standards within the building industry, paving the way for the development of homes rather than institutions for people with a disability. However, this has created some ambiguity over when a home registered as an SDA no longer fits the model of a ‘Typical home’ under the Building Code of Australia. The Building Code of Australia (BCA) is a technical building document adopted Australia wide which categorises how a building use shall be designed/constructed to safeguard health, safety and amenity of all occupants. These uses are defined as ‘Building Classifications’ and include; Class....
Fitness Rehabilitation Equipment funded under the NDIS
It’s rare to find a piece of equipment that combines functionality and good design into the one product. For many years fitness & rehabilitation equipment has taken the functionality route over design. And then came the Access Xpress. The ultimate good design and functional hybrid. The Access Xpress has been designed with the end users in mind and caters for all fitness levels and physical abilities. It’s a flagship piece of fitness equipment that allows both able-bodied and wheelchair users to gain the most of the endless possibilities of exercise movements available from the patented adjustable arms and additional cable....
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Recent Posts
- Upgrading an Existing House to Specialist Disability Accommodation
- Why Robust SDA is Failing Participants, Carers and Investors
- You cannot certify Hybrid SDA with Robust and High Physical Support or Fully Accessible for the same dwelling
- Introducing the Turtle Tough TV enclosure—the perfect protection for your TV in Robust Specialist Disability Accommodation
- How much money will I earn investing in SDA Specialist Disability Accommodation?