AAT Helps Social Housing Make Flats Safe for Disabled Tenants

With some 2.4million disabled tenants in social housing(1), leading mobility innovator AAT is helping housing associations step up to enabling them to safely get in and out of multi-storey multi-occupancy units (MOUs).

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Most disabled people are not born with their impairment- it results from disease, illness or an accident, so many tenants are not disabled- and thus do not require accessible, ground floor accommodation- when they move in.

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Any MOU over two storeys should have a lift.

But what if that lift is out of order- a common occurrence and outside the realms of PEEPS(2), or if the MOU is only two storeys.?

If the tenant has impaired mobility- the most common limitation- they become a prisoner in their home. ?

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A stairclimber/ stairclimbing wheelchair such as AAT’s top-selling S-Max delivers safe egress. Unlike conventional evacuation chairs, it also delivers safe ingress. Thus the disabled tenant is able to come and go as normal.

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A portable, mobile unit, S-Max means there is no permanent nor temporary fixture to the stairway, thereby common parts are not impeded for other tenants.

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All that is needed is a person trained in the equipment to control the battery-powered unit- whether someone who cares for the tenant, or the building manager.

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AAT’s S-Max can travel 300 steps from a single battery charge- equivalent to a 20-storey block of flats.

The standard unit can be easily attach to most common wheelchairs; the Sella version incorporates an integral seat with support arms and harnessing for optimal safety for the passenger.

Using this technique, the disabled tenant is safely able to get in and out of the building, into their home and into the outside space and beyond.

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Use of stairclimbers in MOU’s is increasingly popular up and down the country- proven in practice from East London to Yorkshire.

They are a cost-effective, non-disruptive way of enabling the tenant to remain in their home, for the social housing provider to meet their legal obligations and to provide short-term safe access/exit until the lift is repaired/operational.

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The housing association has an asset it can re-cycle/re-use when the original recipient no longer needs it to manage risk with other tenants should they become disabled whilst more suitable, ground-level accommodation is found for them or when the lift is repaired/operational again.

For each recipient, AAT provides in-depth assessment of the person and the ‘environment’ top assess suitability, and trains the operator in the stairclimber’s safe use.

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Full details of the S-Max stairclimber can be found at https://www.aatgb.com/s-max-sella/where a free, no obligation assessment can also be booked.

ENDS

References:

(1)???? https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/disability-groups-call-more-accessible-housing-privaterenters#:~:text=There%20are%20around%209.8%20million,and%20secure%20form%20of%20tenure.

(2)???? Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan