This is about evacuation, not just access
A building can appear accessible in normal day-to-day use and still be poorly prepared for evacuation in an emergency. Disabled evacuation planning is about making sure people can get out safely when things are not routine, not just about whether they can enter the premises in the first place.
What a practical policy should consider
- How people will be alerted
- How escape routes are used in practice
- Whether assistance is needed and by whom
- Whether refuges or evacuation equipment are relevant
- How temporary visitors are considered as well as regular occupants
The value of treating this realistically
The strongest evacuation arrangements are usually the ones that have been thought about in real operational terms rather than written as a generic statement. The policy should reflect the actual building and the actual people using it.