Application
This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to provide creative consultation services and develop optimal access and use solutions for incorporation into the design and construction of a range of projects. The work involves the ability to read and understand plans and specifications, and to communicate with building owners or operators, building and planning regulators, project managers, engineers, architects, designers, builders and building surveyors and certifiers. The unit covers the application of ergonomics and the human geometry of people with disabilities to access provision, and the analysis of built environment and infrastructure issues with positive and negative impacts on access and use. It involves an in-depth understanding of the range of available design solutions and how they may be applied to the provision of access.
The unit supports design review services to clients and design teams undertaking building and construction, transport services, infrastructure and facilities, and urban space development projects. It applies to experienced access consultants who contribute to the design of accessible domestic, residential, commercial, retail, industrial and public buildings; outdoor spaces; and transport infrastructure, conveyances, facilities and systems.
No licensing, legislative, regulatory, or certification requirements apply to this unit of competency at the time of endorsement.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the range of conditions. | ||
1. | Define and plan scope of own contribution to design project. | 1.1. | Nature of project, location and demographics of occupants or users are researched and noted. |
1.2. | Service levels, fees and timelines for reviews of design documentation at different stages of development projects are confirmed with clients. | ||
1.3. | Access and use compliance requirements and project’s access and use design policy and brief are reviewed and confirmed with client, design team and other key stakeholders. | ||
1.4. | Systems for the exchange, naming and storage of project design documentation and for communicating with the design team, client and stakeholders are planned and implemented. | ||
2. | Review design documentation at required stages of design process. | 2.1. | Level of service for review of design documentation at different stages of design process is confirmed and applied. |
2.2. | Design documentation is received, named and stored following agreed protocols, at different stages of design process according to service level agreement. | ||
2.3. | Design documentation is examined in relation to access and use compliance requirements and the project’s access and use design policy and brief, and anomalies in access and use provisions are detected. | ||
2.4. | Details of access and use design issues are researched or deduced and noted. | ||
2.5. | Report on access and use issues is prepared, distributed and discussed according to service level agreement, and further actions are agreed with client. | ||
3. | Develop solutions to access and use design issues. | 3.1. | Best practice solutions relevant to reported access and use issues are sourced and analysed in relation to project’s access and use design policy and brief. |
3.2. | Practical and effective solutions to access and use issues are explored and sketches made or explanations noted. | ||
3.3. | Solutions are presented and explained to client, design team and other stakeholders, as required, to facilitate selection of best solution. | ||
3.4. | Selected solutions are developed and specifications detailed, including compliance references, exclusion report or management plan as required. | ||
4. | Consult and report on project finalisation. | 4.1. | Access and use issues arising during the construction phase of projects are analysed and solutions proposed to design team, client and stakeholders. |
4.2. | Accepted access and use design modifications are recorded with exclusion report or management plan as required. | ||
4.3. | Access and use report is prepared for finalisation of project, detailing recommended and ‘as built’ access and use solutions with rationale for selected solutions and changes. | ||
4.4. | Information valuable to ongoing debate and development of access and use principles, standards and solutions is documented and disseminated to relevant professional communities. | ||
Evidence of Performance
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must satisfy the requirements of the elements, performance criteria, foundation skills and range of conditions of this unit.
The person must also scope and plan consultancy services for contributing to the design of accessible built environment and infrastructure for the following two different development projects:
one premises construction project
one transport infrastructure, conveyances, facilities and systems development project.
During each of the above projects, the person must:
exchange and store design documentation following agreed protocols
review and interpret design documentation at agreed stages of each project and report on access design issues, including visualising environments in three-dimensions (3-D), and conducting a cognitive ‘walk through’ of environments applying access and use principles
develop and propose practical and effective solutions to access and use issues, and develop specifications for selected solutions.
Evidence of Knowledge
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must demonstrate knowledge of:
access and use compliance requirements, including:
codes
guidelines
legislation
local authority policies
protocols
regulations
standards
accessibility requirements relating to equipment used by people with disabilities, such as:
assistance animals
audio frequency induction loops
braille and tactile signage
long white canes
TTY telephones
walking frames
wheelchairs
best practices in access and use, including measures that exceed compliance requirements
building and construction industry processes, roles and terminology
construction and manufacturing design principles and processes, including:
access and use principles
adaptable design to accommodate changes over lifecycle of project
cost-effectiveness
sustainability
gaps and trends in, interrelation of, and conflict between compliance requirements
legislative and regulatory frameworks relating to access to and use of the built environment and infrastructure
principles of access to and use of the built environment and infrastructure, including:
adaptable design
best practice solutions to access and use requirements
principles of ergonomics and human geometry as they relate to access for people with disabilities
types of disabilities and combinations of disabilities and related range of functional limitations, including:
auditory
cognitive
mobility
muscle wasting and weakness
psychiatric
vision
scope of functions of the human body, including:
auditory and visual processing
cognitive functions
mobility
psychiatric conditions.
Assessment Conditions
The following must be present and available to learners during assessment activities:
specifications:
design briefs, policies, drawings and other supporting documentation for the two projects specified in the performance evidence
applicable legislation, standards, codes and guidelines
physical conditions:
one construction project of premises
one development project of transport infrastructure, conveyances, facilities and systems
relationships with team members and colleagues:
design and construction specialists
relationship with client, including:
public or private building owners and managers
architects, builders, building designers and developers
potential purchasers of premises, facilities or services.
Timeframe:
in line with timeframe established in contractual arrangements and project development work.
Assessor requirements
As a minimum, assessors must satisfy the assessor requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) current at the time of assessment.
Foundation Skills
This section describes the language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills essential to performance in this unit but not explicit in the performance criteria. | |
Skill | Performance feature |
Learning skills to: | maintain own knowledge base relating to access and design issues. |
Numeracy skills to: | perform and interpret design calculations assess cost-effectiveness of proposed solutions. |
Oral communication skills to: | exchange complex information with people from diverse backgrounds using language and format suited to the context and audience. |
Reading skills to: | interpret complex legal and technical documents regarding accessibility, such as: legislation, standards and codes as specified in the range of conditions research papers. |
Writing skills to: | prepare accurate and comprehensive reports. |
Planning and organising skills to: | manage project documentation meet timelines for service provision. |
Problem-solving skills to: | select and adapt practical and cost-effective solutions to access and use issues. |
Range Statement
This section specifies work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. | |
Nature of project | type of client, such as: community-based organisation government department individual private company extent and type of stakeholder involvement location timeframe type and purpose of transport infrastructure and facilities or urban space development project. |
Design documentation | access and use policy and brief concept design or schematic design brief design drawings and specifications master plan. |
Access and use compliance requirements | Australian and international standards relating to access Building Code of Australia (BCA), including: deemed-to-satisfy (DTS) solutions formulation of performance-based alternative solutions Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and its regulations and amendments DDA Premises Standards DDA Transport Standards DDA Education Standards state, territory and local authority legislation, regulations and planning requirements. |
Details of access and use design issues | accurate and complete compliance specifications disparity between design and compliance specifications access and use requirements of occupier or user demographic that are not the subject of compliance specifications and are not addressed in the design documentation; and associated risks of exclusion risks associated with non-compliance. |
Solutions to access and use issues must include at least one of the following: | meeting compliance requirements, including alternative solutions and DTS solutions exceeding compliance requirements not meeting compliance requirements supported by an opinion of the success of a defence on the grounds of unjustifiable hardship not meeting compliance requirements accompanied by a statement supporting application of full or partial exemption from the requirements of the NCC as applied by state or territory legislation. |
Sectors
Access consulting