by Shane Henson — December 20, 2013—The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) recently announced its support of the Built Environment Professional Education Project (BEPE), a new U.K. government-backed initiative created to promote accessibility in the built environment. BIFM made the announcement as part of the United Nations’ International Day of Persons with Disabilities held December 3.
Using the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Park and venues as an exemplar of inclusive design, the BEPE aims to change the education and training of built environment professionals so that their work is fully inclusive from the outset. As well as the social, moral, legal and sustainability rationale, the economic case for inclusive design for both disabled and senior citizens is clear as people over 65 spend nearly four times as much as people under the age of 35, and the disposable income of the U.K.’s 12 million disabled people has been estimated at £80 billion, notes BIFM.
BEPE is being funded by Department for Work and Pensions, Greater London Authority and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Within 10 years nearly one-third of all U.K. built environment professionals are expected to be proficient in inclusive design.
BIFM will be working with key players in the U.K. FM sector to promote greater awareness of this initiative and support positive change in inclusive design. Other professional institutes who have signed up to the project include the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Institution of Civil Engineers, and the Royal Town Planning Institute.
