Australian Disabled Access Consultants , Sydney, extended operations to the United Arab Emirates by opening offices at Dubai and Abu Dhabi in 2007 under the trading name of Emirates Special Needs Consultants to serve the United Arab Emirates, the GULF Region (United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia) and the Middle East. They commenced operations in the United Arab Emirates, GCC Region and for the Middle East to protect rights of disabled people and people with special needs within the United Arab Emirates.
 

Australian Disabled Access Consultants and Emirates Special Needs Consultants business partnership met the Sharjah Government for the Emirate of Sharjah in 2007 to discuss about preparing a disabled access and mobility design code for different future buildings and works for disabled people and people with special needs within the Emirate of Sharjah.


The Sharjah Government’s Comprehensive Access and Mobility Design Code Guidelines for disabled people and people with special needs should incorporate external and internal disabled access and wheelchair access design guidelines fordifferent types of buildings including:

·         Apartments, hotels and housing estates

·         Shopping centres and retail outlets

·         Factories

·         Warehouses

·         Commercial offices

·         Banks

·         Schools, colleges and universities

·         Restaurants and cafes

·         Child care centres

·         Sporting venues and facilities

·         Public buildings and places

·         Institutions

·         Community facilities and cultural facilities

Negotiations have commenced for the Australian Disabled Access Consultants and Emirates Special Needs Consultants business partnership to prepare the Access and Mobility Design Guidelines Manual for disabled people and people with special needs.

The United Arab Emirates Disability Act (Federal Law No.29/2006) protects rights of people with disabilities and special needs. To correct this imbalance, they require equitable access and related facilities for disabled people and people with special needs into advanced property developments and public facilities.

This law became operational on 21 June 2007 and requires that architects, building designers and builders must:

a)    Recognise rights of disabled people and people with special needs, and

b)    Ensure that disabled people and people with special needs have the same equality of access and mobility into and within the built environment as able bodied people.

Disabled people and people with special needs have the same rights and privileges afforded to the able-bodied members of our community.