Wheelchair accessibility of public buildings in the central business district of Harare, Zimbabwe.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate accessibility of wheelchairs into public buildings in the central business district of Harare, Zimbabwe and to identify architectural barriers faced by wheelchair users in public buildings.


METHODS
This was a descriptive study of 20 public buildings in the Harare business district of Zimbabwe. Wheelchair accessibility was determined on a point scale based on specifications provided. Descriptive statistics of simple percentages and means were used to determine the level of compliance to the guidelines of the instrument, and wheelchair accessibility to the surveyed buildings.


RESULTS
Of the various items surveyed, elevators recorded the highest average accessibility (83% compliance), while parking areas recorded the lowest average of 18%. The compliance score of ramps was 39%, while entrances were 71% compliant. Wheelchair accessibility to toilets was 51%.


CONCLUSIONS
The poor compliance score for items such as parking areas, and ramps for wheelchair users is probably because the physically challenged persons and experts in the area of physical ability management are not consulted and involved in the design and construction of these buildings. High compliance of entrances and toilets may be purely coincidental and not for meeting the needs of wheelchair users. To improve on the wheelchair accessibility in public buildings, there should be liaison between the users the disabled, and various professionals (the occupational therapists, physiotherapists, politicians, engineers and architects). The findings of this study indicate a great challenge to the aforementioned professionals. Recommendations were made to increase wheelchair accessibility to public buildings.
Useh
U
U
Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zimbabwe, Mount Pleasant, Harare.
Moyo
A M
AM
Munyonga
E
E
D001107:Architectural Accessibility; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D006801:Humans; D014910:Wheelchairs; D015030:Zimbabwe