Features of the Building

Features of the building:

• Daylight bulbs throughout to aid any residual vision a person might have.

• Hand rails around the whole building.

• Colour contrasts (dark on light) for handrails, light switches, skirting boards and plug sockets.

• A special drag resistant carpet to aid the use of wheelchairs.

• Corridors that are twice the normal width to allow people to pass each other with guides and guide dogs.

• Under floor heating to avoid bump hazards.

• The fire extinguishers are tucked into alcoves in the wall.

• We have vibrating fire alarms for people who are deaf.

• All the wiring is in trunking underneath the windowsills to avoid trip hazards.

• All toilets are fully accessible.

• The windows in the doors to all rooms are very low to allow people in wheelchairs to see inside.

• The colour scheme (blue and yellow) is deliberate - they are 2 of the last colours that people with certain eye conditions can see

• We have hearing loops in the education exhibitions and all of our conference rooms and dividing acoustic screens to allow deaf people with hearing aids to hear only what is happening in their room and not adjoining rooms.

• Display boards highlighting the adversity and achievements of deafblind people.

• Educational exhibitions, which will be used to educate children about the disability of deafblindness. These include a simulation kitchen where they can try and perform an everyday task such as buttering a piece of bread or making a cup of tea wearing a blindfold and ear defenders; a life size model of an eye and an ear which can be taken to pieces and a demonstration of the many methods of communication that can be used by a deafblind person.

• A Braille and Moon room used to turn normal type into a tactile form of communication.

• A tape room used to record information on tape for people that still have some residual hearing that can be used when there is no background noise.

• A Helpline, which is operated using special equipment such as text phones. Operators communicate with deafblind people who also use special equipment such as Braille displays. The helpline is there for deafblind people who may have an emergency or need advice and support.
  
• The centrepiece of the building is a sensory garden filled with plants and flowers that appeal to senses other than sight and hearing - smell and touch.