Browsing by Author "Flemmer C"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Evaluating the Accessibility and Inclusiveness of Community Playgrounds in Australia for Children with Disabilities
(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2024-12) Glass C; Flemmer C; Frawley P; Cordier R
Play is vital to the wellbeing of children, but playgrounds can be inaccessible to children with disabilities and limit their physical and social participation. This study evaluated the accessibility/inclusivity of twenty-five free-entry playgrounds in two Australian states and investigated whether location, construction age, and regional socioeconomic status affected accessibility/inclusivity. The New South Wales Government’s Everyone Can Play: Playspace Evaluation Checklist was used as the assessment tool with a maximum score of 156 points. Playground scores ranged from 29% to 96% of available points. The average score for destination playgrounds was significantly higher (78.0% ± 16.6%) than that for neighborhood playgrounds (54.5% ± 20.7%). Modern playgrounds generally scored higher than older playgrounds. Regional socioeconomic status did not correlate with playground score. The audit tool inadequately addresses the needs of children with disability, allocating just 24 points (15.4%) to features they need and mostly considering mobility impairment. More inclusive audit tools that capture the needs of a wide range of impairment should be developed. Main areas for improving playground accessibility include wayfinding, layout, signage (including braille, auditory, and pictorial information), and sensory and cognitive play opportunities. These findings are useful for stakeholders involved in the design, provision, and maintenance of community playgrounds.
Perceptions of People with Disabilities on the Accessibility of New Zealand’s Built Environment
(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2025-09-01) Flemmer C; McIntosh A; Frawley P
Accessing the built environment poses many challenges for people with disabilities, severely affecting their independence and quality of life. A panel of experts with a lived experience of disabilities co-designed a survey capturing the challenges in New Zealand’s public places. There were 319 survey respondents with impairments related to mobility (66.5%), vision (18.8%), hearing (5.0%), sensory processing and cognition (8.8%). They perceived sports stadiums as the least accessible venue, followed by bars, boutique shops and public toilets. The most accessible venues were supermarkets, libraries and shopping malls. The type of disability affected the main accessibility challenges. Significant outdoor barriers included uneven and cluttered paths, inadequate provision of curb cuts, seating and accessible parking spaces, and obscure wayfinding. Entrance barriers included heavy doors, complex access control, remote ramps and narrow, obscure entrances. Interior problems included cluttered paths and poor signage. The top priorities for improvement were simplifying layouts, keeping paths clear, and providing clear, inclusive signage, communication and assistance for people with varying impairments. Providing lower counters, better colour contrast, hearing loop facilities and better control of lighting and acoustics also improve accessibility. This research contributes novel experiential data from people with disabilities that is critical to achieving an inclusive built environment.
The Effect of Job Status on Stressors and Stress Coping Strategies in the New Zealand Construction Sector
(Taylor and Francis Group on behalf of the Associated Schools of Construction, 2025-04-11) van Heerden A; Flemmer C; Boulic M; McDonald BW
The construction sector is a substantial employer but has a reputation for having stressful jobs. This study investigates whether stress is affected by job status within the hierarchical structure of construction teams from highest status executives to managers with intermediate status to tradespersons (both skilled and unskilled) with the lowest status. Statistical analysis of survey responses from 300 New Zealand construction workers explores the effect of job status on significant stressors and identifies key stress coping strategies for the different roles. Tradespersons are primarily stressed by physical job demands and are most likely to turn to maladaptive stress responses. They would benefit from site safety and stress reduction training. Relationship-based stressors are problematic for managers, and this could be addressed in communication and role-specific skills training. Both managers and tradespersons would benefit from an organization culture that fosters supportive management, career development, flexible work hours, and counseling services. Executives face stress from long hours, operational problems and managing contractors. If they prioritize financial success, then they may be reluctant to implement costly training programs and flexible work schedules. However, reducing job stress amongst all team members can improve job satisfaction, reduce employee turnover and increase productivity of the whole team.
Wind turbine infrasound: Phenomenology and effect on people
(Elsevier B.V., 2022-11-25) Flemmer C; Flemmer R