People need easy access to food, hygiene, and rest areas in their homes. It can be hard for people with disabilities to find a home that meets these needs.
The CSA/ASC B652, Accessible dwellings standard was developed to support peoples’ accessibility needs. It uses evidence to outline the requirements for the design, construction, and renovation of accessible homes. It was written to help people build homes that can meet a wide range of requirements and are easily adaptable over time.
The CSA Group Subcommittee on Accessible Residential Homes developed the standard under the jurisdiction of the Technical Committee on Accessibility. Standard development was funded by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Accessibility Standards Canada.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STANDARD
The standard shows how to give every person who lives in the home access to the essentials for daily life. It recommends elements for accessible home design including:
- area allowances for rooms or spaces in houses;
- best practices for home operating controls (operating controls include features like light switches, buttons for appliances, faucets, etc.);
- requirements for floors and ground surfaces;
- requirements for headroom and protruding objects;
- lighting guidelines; and
- accessibility features for each room.
Users should be aware that these standards may differ from the requirements in the BC Building Code. Access the new 2023 standard on the website link.
CSA has also developed Accessibility Standards Support Tools to help people understand and work with the new standards.
