The Centre has provided a submission to the Specialist Disability Accommodation Design Standard Review.
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) plays a critical role in supporting people with intellectual disability to live safely, independently and with dignity.
As many people with intellectual disability are ageing and experience higher rates of early-onset dementia, it is essential that SDA design standards incorporate dementia-enabling and dementia-friendly design principles.
We have shared our views with the review panel. Read our submission. Not in plain English.
What we said about the need for dementia-enabling and dementia-friendly design
We said that people with intellectual disability represent a large proportion of SDA-eligible participants and that many are ageing and living with dementia.
We said that embedding dementia-enabling and dementia-friendly design principles would better support wellbeing, independence and participation for people with intellectual disability, particularly those living with dementia.
What we said about gaps in the current SDA Design Standard
We said that while some elements of the current SDA Design Standard align with dementia-enabling design, several important features are not explicitly addressed.
We said the SDA Design Standard could be strengthened by clearer guidance on:
- lighting quality, glare control and access to daylight
- acoustic design to reduce distress caused by noise
- wayfinding and orientation, including sightlines and looped pathways
- homelike design, familiarity
- opportunities for personalisation access to sensory-calm retreat spaces within dwellings
We said that the SDA Design Standard should better support future-ready design by introducing assistive technology-ready pathways
Why this matters
We said that embedding dementia-enabling and dementia-friendly principles into the SDA Design Standard would:
- improve quality of life for people with intellectual disability living in SDA
- promote safety, independence and wellbeing
- reduce long-term modification costs
- support NDIS goals of inclusion, choice and community participation.
