Cities can but lack will to be disability-friendly

For common people, their city can only be good as the convenience its public spaces offer. Add the needs of people with disabilities into the mix and that’s when a clearer picture emerges on how inclusive the city is for this segment of society. And if there is indeed inclusive infrastructure in place, does it really meet universal norms or is it mere tokenism?

This International Day of Persons with DisabilitiesGovernment of India’s ambitious Accessible India or Sugamya Bharat campaign completes eight years.Launched in 2015, the campaign aimed at making both physical and digital spaces accessible to people with disabilities (PwDs). Its implementation, according to activists and PwDs in Ahmedabad, has remained a mixed bag.

Samir Kakkad, founder president of Akhil Hindustani Viklang Sangathan, says that some efforts in this direction have been made through accessibility audits at places such as GSRTC depots by the disability com missioner office. “Some changes have also been made after the audit. But overall, compliance with universal accessibility norms has remained poor,” he said, adding that opportunities for PwDs are closely linked to mobility.
While there is no public data available on how accessible buildings in Gujarat’s cities are, that from a mobile app developed by India and US-based Voice of Specially Abled Persons (VoSAP) has ratings on a scale of 1 to 5 for buildings in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot. Of the 12,666 buildings surveyed on the app, only 7% were voted as having ‘5 star’ facilities for PwDs. On average, 62% or six in every 10 buildings were in the ‘inaccessible’ category.
“When we talk about concepts such as universal accessibility, not only PwDs, but pregnant women, the elderly and people with fractures also benefit if the buildings and spaces are accessible. It goes beyond constructing a ramps,” said Bhushan Punani, executive secretary of the Blind People’s Association (BPA). “We must laud the efforts in sectors such as railways, BRTS and metro, but the onus is on everyone to think in terms of all potential users.”
Prakash Mankodi, managing director of Andh Mahila Vikas Gruh in Rajkot said that the removal of barriers may take some time. Gopal Chudasama, a developer from Rajkot said, “The new general development control regulations (GDCR) make disability-friendly infrastructure mandatory, but there’s no mandate to convert all buildings into disability-friendly structures like there is for fire safety.”
(With inputs from Nimesh Khakhariya in Rajkot)