Significance of the Disabled-Friendly Architecture at Community College

Abstract

This study was conducted to study the important aspects and factors of designing Community College architecture which offers Special Skills program for Students with Disabilities and this study can be used to Community College as well as all educational institutions in Malaysia to become disabled-friendly. According to the findings of Hasnah (2009), less physical access to disabled people, including no dedicated zebra-crossing for the disabled, no lanes or ramps, no elevators or broken elevators, no special signage and no disabled toilets are among the obstacles found in daily activities of students with disabilities at an institution. The Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 (Act 685) of Part IV clarifies that persons with disabilities must have the right to access and use public facilities, amenities, services and public buildings open or provided to the public equally with persons with no disabilities. Therefore, the study was conducted to identify the accessibility factors that should be considered in the design of Community College architecture or the renovation work of existing Community College to make all Community College a disabled-friendly education hub in Malaysia.