SERVICES

Marnie Peters & Co. provides accessibility consulting services to architects, landscape architects, urban planners, interior designers, project managers and other design professionals, working with or on behalf of institutional or commercial clients and developers to ensure the implementation of accessible, inclusive, and Universal Design concepts into their designs.

Marnie has conducted accessibility audits at government, educational, and corporate facilities. Specializing in large public use facilities, Marnie has reviewed architectural drawings for proposed construction of public buildings, sports facilities, health care, housing, transportation and educational complexes. Marnie has also conducted human rights investigations for the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Typical project services include:

Determine project-specific accessibility requirements based on input from the client and design team, including the application of current mandatory codes, and appropriate or optional standards and best practices
Development of project-specific comparative code matrix, accessibility guidelines and/or checklists for use by the design team during the early design phase
Review of architectural drawings and other project documentation
Preparation of detailed accessibility reports and recommendations
Presentations to clients, design teams as necessary
Participation in design meetings
Coordination of input from persons with disability user groups
Site visits during and post construction to review accessibility related design elements to ensure compliance and assist with problem solving whenever necessary.
Provision of comprehensive written reports, with prioritized recommendations.

Review of Architectural and Construction Drawings

Drawing reviews are conducted of proposed building plans to determine the level of accessibility against a range of codes, standards and guidelines determined in consultation with the client. Beginning with the site plan, landscape plans and progressing through the architectural plans, elevations, sections and details, Marnie and her associates are able to identify issues and deficiencies in relation to achieving full accessibility. Evaluations are undertaken using a cross-disability perspective, and result in a comprehensive written report, with prioritized recommendations.

Artist conceptual drawings of the Brockville CPHC community care facility. It is a collage of the various building views and elevations.

Facility Auditing

Facility accessibility audits are completed in order to determine existing levels of accessibility for persons with a wide range of disabilities. A comprehensive audit takes into consideration the associated exterior landscape elements and progresses through the building in a systematic manner and evaluates design elements against the range of codes, standards and guidelines determined in consultation with the client.

Audit results are developed into a report summarizing the findings, along with recommendations to remediate deficiencies. Depending on the type of audit, this report may range from a few pages to a comprehensive package including illustrative architectural drawings. The final report enables the client to appropriately cost, plan and implement renovations to achieve accessibility goals.

Marnie is experienced in auditing large buildings and campus settings to determine compliance levels across an entire organizational portfolio.

Photo of the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, ON. The 4 storey heritage ‘Castle-style’ building has a new glass tower at the front as the new accessible entry.

Architectural Consultations – Audits and Drawing Reviews

Accessibility compliance is most often evaluated based on design criteria related to various mandatory and optional legislation relevant to the project, which may include:

Provincial / National Building Codes
Municipal Accessibility Guidelines/Standards
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) - Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulations (IARS)
CSA B651 Accessibility of the Built Environment Standard
ISO 21452 Accessibility and Usability of the Built Environment Standard
ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG)
Universal Design Principles and International Best Practices
Heritage / Conservation requirements
Sustainability / LEED Design requirements

Fire & Life Safety – Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction

Marnie has extensive experience in ensuring the inclusion of persons with disabilities with respect to addressing fire and life safety and emergency and disaster preparedness, having managed the On Thin Ice Project, a three year project to address the emergency preparedness needs of persons with disabilities living in Canada’s North; participated in the development of the Planning for Safety: Evacuating People Who Need Assistance in an Emergency for the Government of Canada, as well as the Fire Safety for People with Disabilities Public Education Kit in partnership with the Canadian Paraplegic Association. Marnie also participated along with another firm in working for SNC Lavalin and CBC to develop a Comprehensive Fire and Life Safety Plan for all CBC Facilities.

Cover of the On Thin Ice Project publication entitled ‘Emergency Planning and Preparedness for Persons with Disabilities in Canada’s North’. The cover has an illustration of 2 adults and 2 children with disabilities, including one with a service animal.

Poster from the On Thin Ice project, No Friend Left Behind component of the project. The poster says ‘In an Emergency, LEND a HAND, No Friend Left Behind’ and depicts a person walking and holding the hand of a person who is a wheelchair user as they walk away from the viewer towards the northern lights and into a northern landscape.

Additional Accessibility Consulting Services

Development of Facilities Guidelines and Standards
Development of Accessibility Compliance Strategies
Research in Universal Design
Code and Standards Reviews and Compliance Matrix
Fire and Life Safety Programs
Human Rights Investigations