Arcitecture - inclusive culture: Protection of persons with disabilities

Abstract

The paper has analyzed the contemporary standards that all democracies have embraced. A special emphasis has been placed on international conventions and rules, as well as the laws to protect the rights of all members of a modern social community. It is its duty to look after all its members and eliminate any form of discrimination, and even a threat of it. The European Concept for Accessibility promotes a new social model, designed to change entirely the attitude to the handicapped. The Concept offers a completely new approach, viewing the community as a whole. This integrated approach stretches to the needs of the community and the needs of each and every member of it, making no difference between individual groups within the population. Instead, it creates the environment to satisfy the needs of each individual member and, by extension, the community at large. The role of architecture is to recognize the needs of a community and take the lead in reshaping the standards to create a new environment accessible to all its members. This will give architecture a fundamental dimension, and make it the integrative factor to blend the community together. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TP 36035: Spatial, Environmental, Energy and Social Aspects of Developing Settlements and Climate Change - Mutual Impacts]

Keywords

• social community
• human rights
• discrimination
• international treaty
• soft law
• inclusive culture