The steep flight of stairs in front of St Peter’s Church is a cultural icon in the town of St George. Unfortunately, the same stairs can spell serious disappointment for visitors who would love to see the historic church, but have mobility issues.

There is actually easier access around the back of the church, but if you were new to the Old Town, you might never know this.

Richard Duncan, an American expert in accessibility and universal design (the concept of making a building accessible to everyone) recently toured St George with town officials.

Mr Duncan has 30 years in the accessibility field and is the executive director of the R L Mace Universal Design Institute in North Carolina.

He made some simple suggestions for making the town, and other places in Bermuda, more accessible to people with physical challenges. One of them was putting up signs to make it more obvious where easier entrances to historic sites might be located.

“I found St George moderately accessible,” he said. “It is very historic. With very old buildings, St George has the same infrastructure and design challenges as similar historic sites around the world. You don’t want to alter the building too much because you destroy the historic character of the place, but you want to make the buildings usable by more residents and tourists.”

He said elevators and lifts were often the best options, but they were often pricey.

“Sometimes they can be incorporated into the structure of the site and you don’t even notice them,” he said.

Mr Duncan said he saw a lot of earnest effort going on in St George, although he definitely saw some areas that needed help.

“There are some continuity of travel issues so that people can get from one end to the other,” he said. “There needs to be signage saying things like ‘watch out can’t go any further’, or ‘easier access around the back’, or whatever. Discreet rails up steep stairs can help some people. Some places publish accessibility route maps so you can see how you could get from one place to another (if you have a mobility challenge). I see lots of good intentions to upgrade and improve and that is all good.”

He said, though, that he had only had a general look around and hadn’t done a comprehensive review of every site in the town.

He was accompanied by Accessibility Officer for the National Office For Seniors and the Physically Challenged Keith Simmons.

Yesterday, Mr Duncan and Mr Simmons visited Dockyard and met with West End Development Company (Wedco) officials. Mr Duncan said in some ways Dockyard had it easier than St George, in terms of accessibility, because it is mostly flat and does not have as many terrain changes as St George does.

Mr Simmons said it had been very exciting to show Mr Duncan different parts of Bermuda, and hear his ideas.

“He has been pointing out some minor things that can be done,” said Mr Simmons.

He said it was also exciting to hear accessibility plans for the future from officials in Dockyard and St George.

“In Dockyard there are lots of new sidewalks with accessible ramps and new parking bays planned,” he said. “In St George they are focused on new public bathrooms in the town square. They are going to be more accessible to wheelchairs. In the future they would like to put accessibility ramps into Somers Garden. There is already a boardwalk onto Ordnance Island. The Somers Wharf complex by the Tavern by the Sea Restaurant and Bar in St George already has some ramping.”

Speaking generally, Mr Duncan said sometimes people make very well meaning efforts to improve things without first seeking expert advice. This often leads to ramps that are too steep or too narrow to be easily fit wheelchairs.

“I’ve seen a bit of that in Bermuda,” he said. “Unfortunately, that is common around the world. It is about educating people about design and construction changes.”

To that end, today Mr Duncan will be giving a talk with 50 architects, building owners and facilities managers at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel.

Mr Duncan started his career working with children with disabilities. Part of his job became looking at their housing issues, and this led him further and further into the accessibility field. He has worked with people to make homes, commercial and community buildings more accessible to people with physical challenges. He said there is a surprising upside to making a building more accessible.

“While accessibility issues originally were thought to benefit only people with disabilities, and the elderly who often have physical challenges, we have come to realise that it benefits everyone. A ramp, for example, does benefit a person who uses a wheelchair, or an older person with a walker, but it also helps the person delivering sodas for the soda machine or the family travelling with a stroller. It might help someone who has a temporary injury or a health issue. The range of people helped by an accessibility feature is wide.”

For more information call Mr Simmons at 292-7802 or e-mail kowsimmons@gov.bm.