Lord Nelson - access all at sea June 2018 in Jersey harbour....

The "Lord Nelson" is in St Helier for a few days and is open to the public. I went down to have a look since she is a fine vessel and always delights the eye....
but this time I was a bit unlucky because she is always moored in the least visible place and it was a low spring-tide due and she was already a long way down from the quayside...

However, by chance I met a couple on holiday who had also come down to see her and had a particular interest since the "Lord Nelson" flies under the flag of the Jubilee Sailing Trust and is specifically designed for people with disabilities to enjoy.

This elderly couple had managed to reach the quay - the wife pushing her husband in a wheelchair from their hotel near the Howard Davis Park -  a considerable distance - on a very hot day.

The ship was not open until 2pm for the public (it was about 12.30pm when this was  recorded) so no on-board visits were possible but I was very saddened at the poor access standards on-shore and the lack of information or directions.

Access down to the vessel is via a very steep ramp to the pontoon which could be very dangerous to many and if this couple had managed to get down, I don't think they would have climbed up again without the help of a crane.

It is all very sad especially since this vessel is all about access for all and the new Disability Discrimination laws are arriving in Jersey soon.

Also very sad is the state of the whole quay under management of the Ports of Jersey. This is certainly not a location to spend any time to enjoy the ships - a family day out at little cost. Parking is a nightmare if the signs are to be believed. This is potentially a great place for people to come and spend a few enjoyable hours....the couple of holidaymakers were last seen hurrying back towards St Helier....

Accessible Architecture or pretty Jersey buildings...what are awards for ?

Here we return to an old theme because progress and improvement are so slow.
How is it possible that some buildings - especially important public buildings - are still so inaccessible in 2013?

This short video looks at the Planning and Environment HQ at South Hill which is where the minimum standards for new or altered buildings are laid down and administered. Yet this building achieves the worst standard of any government public building in Jersey.
It is simply scandalous of course.

But it is not just that disabled people find it impossible or at the very least, difficult to get past the front door but the facilities within are totally inadequate too. Thus, there is not even a hearing loop on the reception desk....and we must remember that disability can strike at the employees in this building just as much as the general public who might want to consult a planner or other building expert. There is no accessible toilet in this building for the use of employees or visitors - so the whole "employment of disabled persons" policy of the States of Jersey is reduced to a farce by such  omissions.

We spoke with the chief Building Inspector but he would not be recorded which is a great pity - especially since he kept referring us to "others" with supposed responsibility for access.

We have asked the Minister for an interview and invited any architects to come forward too to show how Jersey is facing up to the challenges of an ageing population and  so many injured people surviving accidents and illnesses with "disabilities".
Good design is not just about the way a building "looks"

It is no longer enough to accept  only the minimum standards as laid down for new buildings. Architects and designers should be exceeding the basic and striving for much higher aspirations in  ALL classes of buildings. Important buildings and public places need to be updated and modernised so that discrimination against those with disbilities or other differences is constantly challenged.

In a few years we are promised that anti-discrimination laws will apply in Jersey so that it will become illegal to provide services to the public from buildings that fail to achieve universal standards. This building like so many others will be fit only for demolition.

So here we are again with another Jersey Architecture Week being organised to look at the best of design in buildings - but who is really setting the pace on functional design in this Island? Will any architect or designer respond to this invitation and show the public the high standards of universal accessibility that can or should be achieved in the 21st century?