Walls

Equal access
Requirements for the integration of equal access for all users
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) defines ‘premises’ as the whole of the built environment and includes existing buildings, new or proposed buildings, transport systems, car parks, pathways, and public parks and gardens.
Note: Consult an access consultant accredited by the Association of Consultants in Access Australia (ACAA).
Elements required for equal access
- Embellishments must be designed in accordance with AS 1428 Design for access and mobility.
- Install walls adjacent to strip pathways at a minimum 500 mm offset from the edge of the pathway, to provide safe clearance for pedestrians and cyclists.
- Where walls are designed for seating, provide a continuous accessible path of travel (CAPT) comprising a level all weather surface, connected to a special purpose car parking bay.
- Seating requires a 150 mm minimum gap from the front edge of the seat to the base of the seat (at ground level), to assist people to rise from a seated to a standing position. Install armrests to assist rising.
- Where a rock wall is to be used for seating, ensure rocks are grouted, smooth and near level.
- Where there is the risk of a fall from height, a pedestrian, cycleway or vehicle barrier is required.
- Barriers must be designed to prevent children from climbing over, underneath or through.
- Avoid finished height difference between a concrete slab and adjoining surfaces to prevent trip hazards and to prevent ‘tramlining’ of pram, bicycle and wheelchair wheels.
- Consider adding armrests to aid with rising from a seated position (where possible).
See Figure 19: Elevation – required offset for rising from a seat.
Figure 19: Elevation – required offset for rising from a seat

Visual/sensory wayfinding
- For people with a vision impairment, provide a minimum 30% luminance contrast between objects and the background they are viewed against, for ease of identification.
- Where luminance contrast may not be achieved (such as grey aluminium furniture on grey concrete), luminance contrast can be addressed by introducing colour into the ground surface providing a minimum 30% luminance contrast with the embellishment base, resulting in the embellishment being more visible for people who have low vision.
- Consider designing nodes with a contrasting coloured concrete, or a variation in surface texture, to enable people with a disability to identify the location of embellishments along a pathway.
This component is currently in development