Since the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act in 1992, accessibility has become a major consideration in open spaces and the design of Street & Park Furniture. Today, we see a growing trend in particular with Picnic Settings and Barbecues to provide wheelchair accessibility for inclusive communities. The guide to manufacturing wheelchair accessible furniture is the Australian Standard 1428.2 Design for Access and Mobility.
Over the years, Furphy Foundry has manufactured a number of wheelchair accessible Street & Park Furniture products whilst referring to the Australian Standard 1428.2 Design for Access and Mobility. Today we carry a range of standard Picnic Setting designs that cater for wheelchairs. The most common design provides wheelchair space at one, or each end of the Picnic Table. The second is by providing a space along one of the sides. Both designs have their advantages and can work with an individual location. If the Picnic Setting is under a Park Shelter, then generally there are no posts or obstructions to the table ends – which tends to be the most commonly chosen method by our customers for public spaces.
A couple of examples of this endeavour include:
- Flinders Picnic Setting with wheelchair accessibility on both ends and utilisation of sustainable Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) Slats as part of a major project to supply open space furniture as part of 8 brand new school builds in the state of Victoria
- Modified Metro Picnic Setting with side-based wheelchair accessibility and Hardwood Timber Slats as part of the product suite at Julia Gillard Library in Tarneit, Victoria as well
Meanwhile, we also offer accessible Public Barbecues in a single or double configuration with a recessed cabinet underneath the bench that provides full accessibility for those using wheelchairs. Other features of the Furphy Access Barbecue include:
- The Furphy Intuitive Cooking System
- Furphy’s unique Barbecue waste bag collection assembly
- All features of the Furphy Premium Barbecue
- Recessed cabinet allowing wheelchair access
- Designed using AS1428.2 Design for Access and Mobility guide
- Collaborated with Access Consultant for design and usability
- Stainless steel construction throughout
- Delivered fully assembled and ready-for-use
Furphy Barbecues can be easily integrated with wheelchair accessible Picnic Settings and Drinking Fountains in addition to a range of Park Shelters as part of a Total Project Solution.
For more information about Furphy Foundry’s accessibility options or if you need a custom accessible solution, please call us on 1300 768 230.
