A Universal Design & Disability Africa Consulting (UDDAC) Presentation

1. A Universal Design & Disability Africa Consulting (UDDAC) Presentation Consulting on Universal Design is a necessary part of the design process. Consultation is therefore provided in all phases and could include product information. Consultation is provided to codes or model buildings by-laws/ standards and policy developers. UDDAC assist businesses, government and government ministries, and parastatals to prepare for the senior citizens (elderly), the young and disability market.

2. Introduction • This presentation seeks to share information through the work of the Universal Design & Disability Consulting Africa (UDDAC) a registered Trust in Zimbabwe and founded in the year 2002. • Tomson Dube is my name and am the Executive Director of this privately registered Trust. We are a team of four people that includes a secretary, and 2 other disability activists that are Senior Consultants in the company.

3. Focus of Discussion • Our mission states that UDDAC exists to promote the universal design philosophy through service provisions to a multiplicity of stakeholders that include but not limited to the old (elderly), young and people with physical disabilities.

4. The Drive This drive (to promote universal design) is influenced and/or emanates from our definition of the term disability, that means a physical, mental or sensory impairment, whether permanent or temporary, that limits the capacity to perform one or more essential activities of daily life and which can be caused or aggravated by the economic and social environment. – Poverty and Disability.

5. Involvement of Stakeholders • UDDAC seeks to achieve the above work through engaging stakeholders in participatory approaches that are emancipatory. • The Trust, (UDDAC) believes universal design is the answer to creating a user friendly environment for all people. We place our emphasis in that together, we can create a barrier free society through the provision of barrier free travel, tourism, and user friendly environment. In addition, we design solutions that are more responsive to the needs of all people.

6. Involvement of Stakeholders cont’d • At UDDAC we are committed to the development of rural and urban environments that are user-friendly and are therefore usable by people who constitute a range of ages, sizes and abilities. • We carry out baseline audits of your premises to determine assets and deficits in relation to Universal Design objectives. Our team of experts has experience from small scale buildings to large scale urban audits. • We have a strong experienced team that has been in this business longer and themselves living with disability. • We have engaged the Government of Zimbabwe’s various ministries such as Higher Education and Technology, Civil Aviation, Environment and Tourism, Transportation and the Ministry of Health. • We have also corroborated with other SADC countries such as Malawi, Zambia and Botswana at various levels.

7. Life Experiences • UDDAC works with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA). • The ZTA is the Implementing Operational Authority arm in Zimbabwe’s issues with regards to tourism. We work with them in areas of compliance and awareness. One great thing that the authority does is to make sure that all lodges, hotels and any business people that offer accommodation are registered with the ZTA. The authority ascertains that the buildings are compliant and addresses access issues. However, the authority may not have the capacity to visit every accommodation providers, but they insist that their premises should be accessible then they are registered.

8. Life Experiences cont’d • UDDAC works in partnership with Zimbabwe Council for Tourism (ZCT). ZCT is the policy making body. ZCT is eligible to receive close to US$3 million that is budgeted for training travel industry personnel on customer service skills in anticipation of the World Cup this June 2010 in South Africa. UDDAC has since engaged the Zimbabwe Council for Tourism to offer training to personnel staff in areas that will include addressing issues of travelers with disabilities, Universal Design, or inclusion in any form. UDDAC has submitted a budget which ZCT is considering so that we can partner in this mammoth task. If successful, UDDAC will be contracted to train specifically on service to travelers with disabilities attending World Cup 2010. We see this marriage going beyond June 2010 as we seek to establish a partnership that lasts longer than a single contact.

9. WORKING WITH GoZ MINISTRIES • Working with the Government of Zimbabwe (Selected Line Ministries) • As a representative of UDDAC and in his capacity as Senior Consultant, Mr. Malinga used his experience from being the ex-mayor of the City of Bulawayo to represent our views for accessibility of the built environments. As a respected senior politician in Zimbabwe he was influential in the Ministry of Local Government and National Housing in designing a prototype house for disabled people. The design was adopted and became a model house under the Ministry of Rural Housing and Amenities. Another senior Consultant in the company Mr. Alexander Phiri uses his expertise in engineering and architectural skills to design houses for recommendation to the ministry. UDDAC has since championed many policies that have brought a difference on the disability movement. We lobby and influence in the building of schools that are accessible. We make sure that there are by-laws that direct municipalities, (Planners and Designers), construction and engineering companies in building public buildings and other public facilities. The schools construction model was later taken to the national level through engaging the bodies that are influential. The same applies to the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare; they consult in areas of improvements in infrastructure. Most of the public buildings were constructed during the colonial era and nothing to support the disability community was included.

10. WORKING WITH GoZ MINISTRIES Cont’d • UDDAC has engaged Cresta Group of Hotels especially, Jameson Hotel management with regards to the inaccessibility of the main entrance to the hotel. UDDAC staff had been patronizing Cresta Jameson Hotel since 2002 to 2007 and had never seen any conference organized by people with disabilities at the hotel premises. When asked why it was the case, management only managed to say they (disabled people) shun our hotel. UDDAC then told them that there were no basic assistive devices such as a simple ramp. This had never crossed their mind. The following day, there was a make-shift quick solution. UDDAC observed that management had genuinely constructed a poor below standard ramp. The ramp would be quickly removed because it did not give the hotel a corporate image. Rainbow Hotel (formerly called Bulawayo Sun Hotel), used to be inaccessible but through UDDAC’s advisory services, the management was committed and responsive. Today all of disabled people’s workshops in the city are held at the hotel because of its accessibility.

11. WORKING WITH GoZ MINISTRIES Cont’d • Holiday Inn; at least there are great efforts that have been done. There is parking space clearly marked and designated for people with disability. They have public toilets and a room reserved for disabled people. This is not enough because there is only one room (Room 710). Formerly called Harare Sheraton and now called Rainbow Towers; there are challenges from the hotel lobby to the conference centre. There is a ramp that is almost 90 degrees. The conference Centre is completely inaccessible. Kadoma Ranch Motel and Conference Centre is part of the Rainbow Group of Hotels. UDDAC was involved and the place is a very good and accessible place to be. The toilets are the best accessible places at the hotel. UDDAC continues to make an audit of the tourism industry and hope to cover most of the hotels within the next two years.

12. The Malawian Experience • Observation 1. Construction of Parliament Building • UDDAC’s involvement was during the current construction of Malawi’s new Parliament building. UDDAC observed the drawings and commented thus: It is still not accessible as the only rail-lift that is introduced caters for a limited section of the building. Inside the building itself, disabled people on wheel chairs would be physically lifted to find their way to the foyer. There are current serious omissions on access issues that still need considerations. Upon an intense scrutiny, we found out that the drawings for the plan were done in China and the Chinese are the construction company (there is nothing wrong with this arrangement), but we found out that there was need to adjust door sizes , passage ways and most of the toilets are inaccessible especially restaurants toilets were inaccessible for disabled people. The public gallery auditorium is accessible, but the committee rooms are not. In such cases, we professional advise was offered and our audit was shared with the Construction Supervisor at site

13. The Malawian Experience Cont’d • Observation 2. The Tourist Place (Mausoleum) • Soon after the death of the long serving founding father president Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, his body was embalmed and placed at a selected place that led to the creation of a tourist attraction place. The place though a scenic place is not accessible. There is a ramp that is not to UN Standards. UN Standard stipulates that ramps should be between 1 in 12 or 1 in 24 maximum and the ramp that is there is far below the expected standard. Infact it has a ninety degree gradient. UDDAC gave the authorities advice which is yet to be followed up if this was corrected.

14. The Malawian Experience Cont’d • Observation 3. Capitol Hotel • A visit to the Capitol Hotel was one of our most shocking experiences. This is one of the most popular hotels in Lilongwe, Malawi. The Hotel is completely inaccessible. For wheel chair users, you need four people to help you to either go up on their ramp or down to the foyer. UDDAC engaged the Public Relations person who also asked us to contact the Sunbird Group of Hotels in Malawi to either have a meeting or make suggestions for our observations. (We are yet to schedule a meeting with the concerned proprietors).

15. The Zambian Experience • In partnership with the Southern Africa Federation for Disabled (SAFOD), UDDAC participated at a press conference conducted in Zambia in late October 2009. The media conference attracted eight (8) to ten (10) media houses that attended the press conference. This conference was immediately followed by serious articles of access issues. The press conference was held at the Intercontinental Hotel which itself has access issues. While some of their hotel rooms are accessible, the majority are not. In most cases, not only in the Zambian case, when such accessible issues are raised, there is always a quick response of a half-baked solution. There is no commitment; there are make-shift ramps just for the occasion. There is no political will. The concept of UD inclusive of accessibility is that facilities should be 100% user friendly.

16. The South African Observation Experience • Recently, UDDAC senior officials attended the just ended December African Network for Evidence-to-Action in Disability (Afri-NEAD) Symposium in South Africa at Cape Town. One of the Senior Consultant was an international invited guest but ended up sitting with the ordinary invited guests (not that there is anything wrong sitting with ordinary guests). The event was at the Sports grounds of the University of Stellenbosch. The place was not accessible and there were serious challenges. The guest on Honour was the Vice President Monhlante of SA, who shared the stage with Honourable Zille President of the Democratic Alliance. Mr. Muzi Nkosi (chairperson of DPSA), was an invited guest and he is 100% reliant on a wheel chair. They had to lift him up to the podium because it was inaccessible to get to the top table. The entire internationally invited guests could not access the podium and they set with the crowd. Yet this was a Symposium whose majority were disabled people. These are the things we as UDDAC are bringing awareness to the world and there is a lot of work that is on our hands.

17. Working with the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe • UDDAC’s mission and interest is that Zimbabwe’s five airports are accessible. The five (5) airports include Harare International Airport, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International airport (ex-Bulawayo International Airport), Victoria Falls Airport, Kariba Airport and Buffalo Range airport. (See communication between UDDAC and CAAZ). UDDAC addresses conferences for Mayors, Urban Council Associations of Zimbabwe, town planners and town designers, engineering and construction companies and Members of Parliament. UDDAC is currently working with the Government of Zimbabwe as they plan to build the new Parliament of Zimbabwe at Kopje Hill. UDDAC’s advise is that the parliament has to be accessible. The current parliament is not accessible. When Mr. Malinga was a member of the Senate, parliament authorities had to erect a mini-elevator in order to facilitate his movements in and out of the parliament building.

18. Training of Stakeholders • We train people that handle the elderly, disabled people at airports. Our major aim in offering training in all this is influenced by our primary target to implement and promote the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled. Unfortunately, funds have been scarce in this area. The project with ZCT will give mileage to our work. Our core business as UDDAC in the consultancy business is to promote inclusiveness. We advocate that disability could be used as a criterion for funding. In the same way women, children and animals are targets for funding, so should it be a criteria for disabled people in order to facilitate services for disabled people. We intend to train close for 400 personnel under the ZCT proposal in areas of handling travellers with disability during the upcoming World Cup in South Africa and beyond.

19. UDDAC’s work with Universities • UDDAC works closely with the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) to draw lessons learned and influence municipalities to build accessible housing and public buildings. Accessibility is required through doors, elevators (lifts), stairways be it in public/private or semi-private domains. We encourage students to design simple ramps as these facilitate easy access/travel and movement up and downstairs of buildings. The only University that is accommodative in Southern Africa known to UDDAC is the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa that has a lab for the blind. The lab accommodates wheel chair users, the blind and has a computer Braille system. These are facilities that we want to see in our institutions of higher learning. Through NUST, we have encouraged the municipalities to at least say after every 20 parking bays, there is need to include disabled parking space. Toilets should have dual purposes. It should be huge and have an ensuite type of a structure. There is need for a specific lining that leads to every door or direction. • UDDAC notices with great concern that there is some model of shower designs in hotels in Southern African countries, specifically in RSA that is not disability user friendly. The shower is a small “stool” that does not have resting arms or any supportive devices. It is almost in every 4 to 5 star hotels. UDDAC would like to consult her colleagues in South Africa if they know the designers, so that recommendations for improvements can be shared.

20. Senior Consultant’s Nightmare • The major thrust behind UDDAC’s work is to create a paradigm shift. To change the mindset. We want to inculcate the culture to plan with everybody in mind. Everybody includes disabled. • (Refer to the Mali experience with Mr. Alexander Phiri (Mr. Phiri, Mr. Malinga and myself were traveling to Bamako-Mali and when we arrived at the airport, it was something else. They (Malinga & Phiri) had to be lifted using a forklift. The folk lift driver was very ignorant of the dangers he was exposing these guys. When they had been taken to a particular level, they were merely lifted like babies without consultation. The steps were too steep and too narrow. When cautioned on their (airport staff) behaviour they were very aggressive and uncooperative. There were not functional toilets and those that were functional, were small and inaccessible. It was a nightmare. Most airports in some African states are in appalling states. If we plan with everybody in mind, our lifts would be written in Braille, our trains, buses would be having lifts (elevators) that have adequate space for someone on a wheel chair to navigate. We need the construction industry and planners that build inaccessible houses to come to us and consult.

21. Concluding Remarks • In addition to what has already been mentioned, we carry out baseline audits of your premises to determine assets and deficits in relation to Universal Design objectives. Our team of experts have experience in small scale buildings to large scale urban audits. • We have a strong experienced team that has been in this business for years and themselves living with disability. • This is evidenced by our engagement with the Government of Zimbabwe’s various ministries such as those mentioned elsewhere in this presentation. • Our work is known to those who have engaged us and they are happy with our product.

22. Concluding Remarks cont’d • We develop and deliver Workshops, Training and Evaluations that cater to your organization’s needs. Examples of workshops on offer are: • Disability Sensitivity Training • Introduction to Universal Design • Universal Design and Human Rights • Universal Design and Home Modification • Researches and Evaluations are carried out as commissioned.

23. Final Concluding Remarks • UDDAC is available for conducting research such as those previously done under the DKaR project. See the research on Promoting inclusion? Disabled people, legislation and Public Policy that was both interesting and challenging. • We are available both on short term notice and long term notice. • UDDAC has done work for the African Decade Secretariat, as evidenced by the production of a Training Module on Mainstreaming Gender and Disability, • UDDAC conducted a PAFOD evaluation that was commissioned by the Disability Awareness in Action (DAA). • In addition, please see our article in:, In or out of the mainstream? edited by Bill Albert chapter 8

25. FINALLY CONTACT DETAILS • Thank you for listening. Please do not hesitate to contact us on the below listed data: Tomson Dube • Office Address: Victory Faith Centre; 104 George Silundika Street, Between 10th Avenue & 11th Avenue • Postal: P. O. Box 4139, Bulawayo-Zimbabwe, Mobile cellular phones: +263 11 866 523 or +263 912 568 029 • Other mobile numbers: +263 11 416 478 or +263 11 702 104 and Home: +263 9 20 15 11 • E-mail: tomdube-63@hotmail.com • Other alternate e-mails include: TomsonDube@gmail.com, phiri@yahoo.com or joshuatmalinga@yahoo.com