The Government as well as society at large are duty-bound to ensure that at least public places are easily accessible to the differently-abled. Ramps and wheelchair-friendly washrooms, for example, must become the norm
Only a small percentage of public buildings in India are accessible to the differently-abled. With the real estate sector getting a boost by way of foreign direct investments, we must ask: Are we doing enough for the differently-abledIJ Are our homes and office buildings easily accessible to the differently-abledIJ
The answer to these questions is not encouraging. Apart from other problems that the different-abled people face, advocating a barrier-free access to the buildings is yet another challenge in India. All stakeholders of the realty sector, while designing and finalising their projects, must take into consideration the needs of the disabled.
Disabled rights activist Javed Abidi has had a tough finding a rented accommodation for himself, simply because he is disabled. Mr Abidi says that it is a herculean task to find a home, as landlords in the national capital refuse to give their home for rent to the disabled. Well, this is the plight of Mr Abidi, who is the director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People.
It is tough for anyone these days to find a rented accommodation or to get into any residential or commercial building. But its worse for the differently-abled. The buildings are not constructed according to the needs of differently-abled people.
And each time school teacher, Mr Sunil Yadav, visits his office or any other building, with the aid of crutches, he finds it extremely difficult to get into the building. The floors are slippery and none of them have a ramp.
“We do not see many disabled-friendly buildings for the simple reason that our town planners and architects hardly get any training to create such type of residential buildings, malls and commercial complexes. Architects, while making a building, should hold a sensitive view for the disabled people. It is high time that both the architects and town planners think on these lines”, says Mr Deepak Mehta, a noted Delhi-based architect.
As far as giving training to architects and town planners is concerned, some feel that if a person is sensitive, he does not require any course. He can do it at his own will. And for those who are not sensitive enough to the needs of the disabled people, they will not change even after they have completed a special course on accessible buildings.
Buildings with more than one floor should have accessible lifts. Public buildings should have boards/signs so that the visitors can be guided to their destination. In both commercial and residential buildings, separate provision for toilets should be made for the public and for the disabled.
There should be an alarm system in the toilets, and a regular test should be conducted to ensure that a staff is available whenever there is an emergency. The accessible toilets should not be used for storing cleaning equipment, deliveries, or anything else.
While the winds of change in the real estate sector are certainly blowing, they are blowing softly. Still, there are many firms that keep in mind benefit the disabled: They have provisions for a wheelchair, if required, for example. Activists of disabled rights point out that apart from lifts, ramps and other necessary infrastructure, new buildings must have a bathroom whose doors are wide enough for the wheel chair to enter. As the doors are not wide enough, it is a nightmare for these people to go to a bathroom.
We find some firms in the real estate sector who make apartments according to specific demands and needs of the disabled. These builders do not mind doing some other alterations too.
Arguably, the society is duty-bound to provide a comfortable living to the disabled. But in India, people seemingly build homes on the assumption that they will never grow old or cannot be disabled.
There are many people, including seniors, who have poor vision. This leads to accidents, particularly during the night. To help them, we can make a few easy adjustments at home. For instance, those with compromised vision, may trip over objects left on the floor. We should make sure the floors they walk on are free of toys, packages, magazines and other dangerous clutter.
Failing vision makes it difficult to find light switches in the dark. Try replacing your current switches with illuminated ones that glow softly for easy location. With poor vision, finding indoor doorways can actually become a challenge.
last but not the least, while there is lot of clamour for affordable housing, one expects that the Government provides land for building apartments for the disabled and also senior citizens in all the major towns and cities at cheap rates. This will, at least, make sure that these people can spend their life in a peaceful way.