The philosophy of the DDA is that all people have rights to access the economic, social, cultural and political life of the community. This does not rule out additional special assistance - but that is not what the DDA is about. We do not want and must not have a separate regime that encourages the marginalisation of people with disabilities and exerts a new and different regulatory burden on industry. So because of the focus of the DDA we particularly want to help mainstream organisations and activities, such as the Australian Building Codes Board and their management of the Building Code. It is from that direction that must come continuing improvement in access and participation for the whole community.
Access is just an ordinary aspect of good building design.
As we come to grips with how to get the outcomes we want, we all tend to lean on the knowledge and experience of specialists. But the best results for the most people will in the longer term be achieved by good design where access doesn't need specialised advice but is just part of the ordinary process of putting up and operating a building. One day we won't need access experts. A comprehensive DDA Standard covering access to premises will evolve over time to include some or all of these elements as they are completed. Progress in this area has been slow due in part to a concern in some quarters that significant changes to regulations covering new buildings will result in economic and technological difficulties for owners and operators of existing buildings undergoing new work.