Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Nov - Dec Vol. 9 No.6 | Page 26

Sanitation

Approach to sanitation system planning

Technical adjustments for accessible toilets

Water and sanitation professionals have in the past not
responded sufficiently to the different needs of community members as part of project planning and design. Persons with disabilities are often excluded from consultation processes due to lack of awareness and knowledge
about their needs and impacts on society.

The following list provides design recommendations for
making sanitation facilities easily accessible for persons
with physical or visual impairments (more details are
provided in the publications on the last page):

Regardless of the type of project undertaken, it is important to raise awareness of disability issues and to practise
an inclusive approach that considers aspects of disability
from the start. It is also equally important to implement
projects specifically for persons with disabilities.
Recommendations for actors in the sanitation
sector
Create awareness about real facts of disability
and the impact on society.
Identify the needs and concerns of people with
disabilities alongside those of other poor and
marginalised groups (participatory approach).
Disseminate information about accessibility options to the entire community.
Identify, include and promote universal design
(also called ‘inclusive’ design) options for sanitation facilities in all programme planning.
The following principles of programme planning and implementation are recommended:
Involve persons with disabilities from the outset
of projects to understand their needs. Encourage persons with disabilities to express their views and needs.
Involve Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs)
and other disability organisations in stakeholder consultations and in task groups for planning and implementation.
Provide inclusive or individual design options.
Most disabled people do not need special, individual
facilities. Their needs can be met by ordinary services
with only minor adjustments. If needed, individual
accessible facilities should be provided. Utilise innovative ideas and technologies and share your solutions widely.
Disseminate information on disability issues to
create awareness and capacities among people with
and without disabilities.
Also make the surroundings as accessible as
possible since providing a fully accessible toilet is
only the first step. Users with physical impairments
should be able to get to the toilet as easily as possible.
Ensure that the number of toilets, dimensions
and design features are adequate as per national
standards or as per the universal design concept
(meaning usable by all people). For schools, provide
ideally two separate accessible toilets for female and
male pupils with disabilities, or at the very least one
accessible toilet.

Proximity: A short distance to the toilet is important.
Indoor installations and those attached to houses or
school buildings are easier and safer to reach, and are
generally preferred if the toilet type permits this option.
Approach path: The ideal path is 120-180 cm wide.
Elevations are crossed via ramps, which should have
handrails at 70-90 cm height and curbs on both sides.
Ramps should have a maximum slope of 5% to ensure that persons with disabilities can reach their destination without assistance. A level platform or ‘landing’ with a minimal length of 120 cm is needed in
front of the toilet.
Path surface: A firm, even, non-slip surface such as
concrete benefits everyone, and in particular blind
persons, wheelchair or crutch users. It prevents the
surface from becoming muddy and slippery during
the rainy season.
Doors: The minimum door width should be 90 cm.
The door should fully open and have grab bars outside and inside instead of knobs to allow easy opening and closing from a wheelchair or by people with
reduced strength.
Floors should have smooth and easy to clean surfaces,
especially for those people with impairments who
have to crawl due to lack of assistive devices.
Room size: Allow for a wheelchair-turning circle of 150
cm, and a space of at least 80 cm beside or in front of
the toilet to allow positioning.
Toilet seat: Provide a sitting toilet (pedestal) or bench
rather than a squatting pan. The toilet seat should be
easily cleanable. It should be well attached, or moveable in case other family members prefer a squatting
position.
Interior: Provide adequate handrails or grab bars attached to the walls or to the floor at 70-90 cm height
to assist people moving from a wheelchair or people
with reduced strength to reach the seat.
Highlight the edge of a step or entrance, and provide
rails or guiding systems leading to the entrance.
Additional costs
It is a common misconception that providing accessible
facilities are ‘nice to have’ but too expensive in practice.
In fact, there are no additional measures, expenses or
constructions necessary if a universal design is considered
during the planning phase. On the other hand, the retrofitting of features to accommodate specific needs is usually
more expensive