ABSTRACT
This chapter is informed by a survey conducted on wheelchair basketball facilities in selected Zimbabwean cities. It investigates the levels of adaptation of facilities toward standards for use by people with mobility impairments. A facility inspection tool derived from the United Nations manual for a barrier-free environment, designed to guide and set standards for built environment accessibility by disabled people, was used. Physical measurements or those derived from construction plans were used to check if the facilities met the recommended specifications. Facilities used by 11 wheelchair clubs registered with the Zimbabwe Paralympic Committee in 2015, were inspected. The variables of interest were obstruction and signage, street furniture and pathways, public phones, mail boxes and water fountains, curb ramps and parking, pedestrian crossing (traffic lights) and ramps, elevators and platform lifts, stairs, railings and hand rails, entrances, vestibules and doors, corridors and rest rooms. The results show that the majority of the expected features fall short of the specifications or are non-existent. One key recommendation is the need for educating those responsible for designing and constructing buildings and sports facilities on the needs of disabled people and the fundamentals of universal design.
