Wheelchair Access, Disability & Personal Support

Accessible Holiday Accommodation & Supported Independence

Our policy is to respect and support the independence of guests with disabilities and frail aged. To achieve our goals, we use a combination of good design, mechanical aids, electronic equipment and attention to detail. Qualified staff can help guests with showering, personal hygiene, dressing, dining and retiring, and a Registered Nurse is on site at all times and can assist with medications, light dressings etc. We have the highest regard for protecting guest privacy and maintaining guest dignity.

are fully insured and provide Carer Respite services for private individuals, government departments and non-profit groups.

enjoy good relations with various charitable support groups, and through them have access to a range of equipment eg hoist and chairbed.

embrace the principles of universal design to make the Guesthouse safe and as guest-friendly as possible, and in many cases exceed Access & OHS requirements.

Please contact us to discuss your requirements and to arrange a quotation.

Accessible Bathrooms

Wheelchair accessible bathrooms We pay a great deal of attention to maintaining the bathrooms in a spotlessly clean and hygienic condition.

Bathrooms are thoroughly disinfected on a regular basis.

Level entry, open showers with easy-grip, adjustable shower heads
Precise control of water temperature
Doors open inwards and have removable hinges
Hospital-grade, non-slip floor tiles

Horizontal grip rails = 800mm - 850mm from floor level
Vanity basin height = 750mm - 800mm from floor level
Auto-sensing night lights

Shower chair (height adjustable) available
Wall-mounted pull-down slotted shower seats Complies with AS 1428.1 1998

Length = 960mm (double size)
Depth = 390mm
Height = 475mm from floor level
Accessible toilet

Load capacity = 160kg

Toilet seat heights = 450mm - 465mm from floor level (Raised toilet seat available)
Bidet seat height = 465mm from floor level (The bidet gently washes either the genital or posterior areas with warm water, and blow dries with warm air.)
Shower commode available

Bedrooms

The four large bedrooms are easily reconfigured to suit individual preferences.

Premium quality latex mattresses, hypoallergenic, queen sized
Bed height from floor = 600mm, with a clear space of at least 800mm to the side. Bed raisers are available.
Mobile, open, adjustable hanging space and easy-glide wire baskets
Bathrobes or ponchos (no sleeves to worry about)
Wall-mounted halogen lamp, extends to 830mm, shade-mounted switch
Magnified reading lights available
Light switches, ceiling fan control and door locks = 900mm -1100mm from floor level
Fridge: 130L, height = 850mm
Auto-sensor or foot-pedal trash cans
Individual remote-controlled air conditioning, reverse-cycle
Hoist available with notice

Pool

Motorized pool transfer chair operated independently or with the help of an attendant
(Load capacity = 140kg)

Wide-tread, narrow riser pool steps and central stainless steel handrail
Horizontal stainless steel handrails on two sides of the pool, just below the surface of the water
Flotation belts available (S - XL)

Mobility Aids & Scooters

Bolwell Luxury Mobility Scooter

A wheelchair and walker are freely available for use by guests.

We currently have two electric mobility scooters for use by guests with disabilities. One scooter is mid-size (Bolwell Deluxe) and great for exploring the village and going for a picnic at one of the nearby accessible sites, while the other scooter (Rio4+) is smaller, easily transportable and better suited for indoor use.

Computer nook

Table height = 690mm from floor level
Large monitor, low vision settings
Low vision keyboard with Braille overlay

Games

Large print books
Low vision playing cards & card holders
Braille Scrabble®
Tactile dice

Pendant Alarm

Pendant Alarm Pendant transmitters, about the size of a matchbox, are available for guests who require supported independence. When the button is pressed, a central command station is activated, notifying management that assistance is required. The transmitters work throughout the entire Guesthouse property.

General

Ramps and walkways: 1 in 14 gradient or better and a clear width of at least 1000mm
Clear width of doorways: at least 800mm
Uncluttered circulation space
Large print menu available
Trained assistance animals welcome
Accessible parking at rear

Flooring

French doors from bedrooms open onto wide verandahs.
Original polished floorboards throughout the Guesthouse are well-sealed and in excellent condition. The main entertainment area was a purpose-built teak dance floor, and the old-fashioned timber joists and bearers give the Guesthouse a certain amount of 'spring' and softness underfoot.
In the event of a fall, timber floorboards are more forgiving than tiles or cement. It is also an inhospitable environment for dustmites and moulds and therefore hypoallergenic.

Ventilation and climate control

Ventilation Although not generally highlighted as an accessible feature, temperature control is important for both comfort and access because subtropical warmth can adversely affect many conditions such as lymphoedema.

The Guesthouse maintains a very pleasant temperature, brought about by the great cross ventilation, ComfortPlus® louvre windows, high ceilings, wide decks, elevated position, new light-coloured roof, double ceiling insulation, whirly-birds and solar protection from nearby trees and vegetation.

In addition, there are ceiling fans and reverse-cycle remote-controlled air conditioners in all guest rooms (rarely required).

First Aid

First Aid logo A well-equipped First Aid box is available at all times for guests and staff, including an Incident Report Book.

We are 12 minutes from Murwillumbah Hospital.

Fire Safety

Fire Safety logo All bedrooms have at least two exits, one of which is key-less and opens out from the bedroom via panic bolts.

Fire alarms are integrated with emergency lighting throughout the Guesthouse, so that if one alarm is triggered all alarms are likewise triggered and emergency lighting is simultaneously activated.

Luminous directional arrows on floor

Top of Fire Extinguishers from floor level = 800mm

Web Accessibility

We have made a genuine effort to make the Uki Guesthouse website accessible for people with a visual impairment and users of assistive technologies. We have tried to keep things simple, followed advice from Vision Australia, consulted WCAG guidelines and ran the website through a battery of tests. It is100% W3C compliant and validated for css and strict xhtml. The only exception is the Google map on the Location page - Google's fault, not ours.

We have also tested the website against several web access validators, and virtually everything passes with flying colours.

If you have difficulty reading or using assisted technology to access this website, we would appreciate your feedback so we can try to correct the problem.

Guest Feedback

IDEAS Newsletter Sept/Oct 2008

READERS MAILBAG

Dear Staff at IDEAS,

In response to an article in a recent IDEAS Newsletter, regarding a Guesthouse at the NSW town of Uki, which offered accommodation to persons with disabilities & their carers, I booked a holiday there for my husband and myself for seven days.

It was the best spontaneous decision I have made for a long time. We have travelled extensively during our life, but this was one of the most relaxing stress free, friendly & most enjoyable stays we have experienced in ages. We couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised.

Our hosts Jules & Maggie, have thought of absolutely everything for people with disabilities & their carers. Bathrooms, bedrooms, all wheelchair accessible, Pool (complete with hoist), mobility scooters etc & the list goes on. If they haven’t got it & you need it they will do their utmost to get it for you. It is 4 star rated, but we would up that by 1 star at the least. It is spotlessly clean & everything is within easy reach for someone using a walker or a wheelchair.

Jules is an excellent cook, who prepares meals to your taste & has Barista skills second to none in a kitchen which would be the envy of any Chef in the land. Maggie & Jules treat you just like one of their family & spoil you into the bargain. My husband is very reluctant to travel anywhere with his disability these days, so it was so good to see him thoroughly enjoying his stay there, and to that we will be booking a repeat stay there again in the not too distant future.

Thank you so much IDEAS for the story on the Uki Guesthouse. It is much more than we imagined it would be.

Yours truly, Barbara McCormack