Making assistance accessible
People who use assistance animals face a barrier most people wouldn’t realise exists. A new UTS facility is changing that.
Megan Taylor and her guide dog at the facility. Photo: Aspect Studios.
Users of assistance animals face daily challenges. Rushing to find a place for their animal to go to the bathroom between classes shouldn’t be one of them. It’s not an obstacle most people would know existed. But given our campus’s location in the heart of the city, it’s a particularly prominent issue for members of our community.
Enter: The Assistance Animal Toileting Facility.
A joint venture between UTS, landscape architects Aspect Studios and builders GapComm Projects, the project brought together a wide range of stakeholders from across the university and Guide Dogs NSW, collaborating toward a common goal – accessible planning. The brief? Solve access issues before they arise rather than retrofit accessibility once someone has had to ask for it.
It’s an instinct many of us have; we see a cute dog and we want to shower them with pats. But when they’re in their – yes, adorable – uniform, assistance animals have a critical job and shouldn’t be distracted. The Alumni Green is the largest green space on our campus, but it’s often filled with people studying, eating and lounging, making it inappropriate for the toileting of assistance animals.
That’s where the need for a purpose-built facility comes in. And a facility like this is far more complicated to design than many would realise.
Megan Taylor, a PhD candidate in Planning with the School of the Built Environment (UTS) and an industry expert in inclusivity in the built environment, wayfinding, and braille signage, consulted on the project. She was also the first person to access the space with her guide dog.
The guide dog toilet is beautiful! It is dignified. It feels solid. It works – which is a big plus and we felt safe in there. This is a game-changer. I am surprised by my delight in such a simple thing that provides so much equity and the lack of vulnerability while using it. It is absolutely beyond what I had expected.
Megan Taylor
It takes a village
Megan described this project as an important step in codesign. ‘What we have done here at UTS is we have gone beyond community consultation and the hierarchical levels of top-down decision making and top-down engagement ... They say it takes a village. For this project, I’m not going to lie. I lost sleep. It went through many iterations. We had many discussions about what would work, why it would need to work and why it would need to be nature-based, sustainable, equitable and look the way it does.’
The design process went on for over a year and included consultation from Andrew Downie, a lived experience expert in access and inclusion; Professor Simon Darcy, who championed this project from its inception; Jane Bryce, an access consultant; and Guide Dogs's Jennifer Moon.
Scott Badham from Aspect Studios said this ‘Was one of the most special projects I’ve ever worked on’. There were many technical challenges, such as the space needing to meet strict requirements while being modular and moveable. But the opportunity to work so closely with the user group and be privy to their practical insights made this an exceptionally fulfilling venture for Scott.
Megan knows all too well that this project was about much more than providing a physical space. ‘It provides freedom! We know that people with disabilities, and particularly those with assistance animals, are less likely to come to higher education. One of the reasons is the built environment.’
The build was completed by GapComm Projects, led by Project Manager Jonathon MacDonald. While Jonathon wasn’t new to the regulatory requirements of building accessible spaces, this project had unique challenges and taught him to think beyond compliance requirements.
Megan almost cried the first time she used the space, ‘I felt safe. It contributes to a larger body of work, a larger innovation that, as an urban planner, I believe we need. Micro places like this are essential for urban greening, and this pop-up space that can be adapted is the perfect addition. Not only does it bring flora, fauna, and a sound buffer in this concrete jungle. It is a place that is equitable, dignified and allows me to have the big thoughts that I need to do my job because I’m no longer having to travel 15 minutes out of my way to find, hopefully, a patch of grass that isn’t on somebody’s picnic rug’.
The facility was officially launched in August as part of UTS’s Inclusion Festival, where those involved could appreciate and showcase their hard work.
Together with all of our stakeholders, we’re committed to investing in finding safe, accessible places that can be efficiently accessed and result in the elimination of ambiguous and inconvenient work arounds for people who need those spaces.
Kylie Readman, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Education and Students).
The facility has been placed directly outside of Building 1 on Broadway in an intentionally prominent location. While this was a practical choice for users, it was also an important statement – putting UTS’s ethos of inclusion on full display.
The Assistance Animal Toileting Facility launch. Photos: Anna Hay.
Image 1 Description: A group of people outside UTS Building 1, their hands in the air in celebration.
Image 2 Description: Kylie Readman, Megan Taylor, her Guide Dog, Liz Penny and Angie Clements in front of the facility.
Image 3 Description: Megan Taylor and her Guide Dog are standing beside Liz Penny, who is speaking at a podium.
Image 4 Description: Kylie Readman, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Education and Students), speaks at a podium.
Image 5 Description: An array of cupcakes; some have printed dog illustrations on them, and others have dog faces made out of icing.
