Managing accessibility of public spaces: understanding how public space operators approach accessibility

The importance of making public spaces accessible is well-known. However, improving accessibility for people with disability can be challenging for businesses and space operators. This is in part due to the nature of public spaces, and the diversity of their uses and their users. This project aimed to understand how accessibility is approached and managed within public spaces and to identify the barriers to and facilitators of improvement. This session will discuss the results of a systematic literature review and interviews with a range of public space operators.

About the Disability Innovation Institute

The UNSW Disability Innovation Institute is a world-first initiative, focusing on disability research, education and knowledge exchange. Its team members take pride in undertaking work that is radically inclusive and crosses disciplinary boundaries. The Institute’s approach is to see disability not as a problem to be solved, but as an integral part of the human condition, to be encountered and engaged with rather than feared. We offer small seedfunding grants to UNSW researchers with a disability focus; this webinar introduces one of these seedfunded projects.

About the speakers

Dr Carlo Caponecchia is an Associate Professor in the School of Aviation at UNSW Sydney and Co-Associate Dean Equity Diversity and Inclusion in the Faculty of Science UNSW. He has a background in psychology and works in Human Factors and Safety. He has particular interest and expertise in psychosocial risks and safe systems of work. Carlo is a member of the Standards Australia committee on Occupational Health and Safety Management and was part of the ISO TC283 working group responsible for the development of ISO45003. He is the Past President of the International Association on Workplace Bullying and Harassment. Carlo is an Associate of the UNSW Disability Innovation Institute.

Dr Vanessa Huron is an education-focused lecturer and Acting Director of Teaching in the School of Aviation, UNSW Sydney. Her research focuses on human factors and safety, and educational design and delivery applied across several domains. These include psychosocial hazards and work re-design, information transfer, communications, and educational technologies. Vanessa has led the development and delivery of large-scale workplace competency training and educational programs for both academia and industry. She is an Associate of the UNSW Disability Innovation Institute and a member of the UNSW Women in Maths and Science Champions 2023 cohort. 

Dr Beth Mayland is a lecturer in Occupational Therapy in the School of Health Sciences at Western Sydney University and is a registered Occupational Therapist. She has a background in psychology and health and safety and has a particular interest in psychosocial risks at work. She has led several research projects focusing on the ways in which complex organisation and social environments impact individuals’ ability to fully and safely participate in meaningful roles. Beth is a member of the Standards Australia Committee on Ageing Societies and is an elected Health and Safety Representative at Western Sydney University’s Campbelltown Campus.