The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 15 per cent of the world’s population is living with disabilities. In India, 2.21 per cent people are disabled and Odisha has a 2.96-per cent disabled population as per the Census 2011. Around the world, persons with disabilities not only face physical barriers but also social, economic and attitudinal barriers. Besides, many people with disabilities do not have equal access to healthcare, education and employment opportunities and do not receive the disability-related services that they require, and experience exclusion from everyday life activities.
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated on December 3 to raise awareness and mobilise support for the dignity and well being of persons with disabilities. This year’s theme is “Sustainable Development: The Promise of Technology”. Technology has changed the world, bringing knowledge within reach and expanding a range of opportunities. Persons with disabilities can benefit enormously from such advances. Through adaptive, assistive and inclusive technology, they can make the most of their potentials in their communities and workplaces.
Therefore, technological advancement for a barrier-free environment is an important consideration. The goal of barrier-free design is to provide an environment that supports an independent functioning of individuals so that they can get to and participate without assistance in everyday activities such as procurement of goods and services, community living, employment and leisure. Barrier-free design standards should satisfy anyone who is hampered in his mobility of functioning (as compared with a non-disabled person) as a result of obstacles put in his way by the design of a building and the arrangement of outside space. Although barrier-free recommendations are concerned exclusively with the requirements of disabled people but the facilities will invariable make buildings more convenient for elderly persons and persons suffering from any kind of physical ailments.
To make a barrier-free environment for the disabled, the Government of India has enacted the Disabilities Act, 1955. Sections 44, 45 and 46 of the Act stipulate that the appropriate Governments and local authorities are to ensure provisions of barrier-free facilities in all new Government buildings and public utilities, roads and transport. Also, in 1996 the Government of India enacted the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunity, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act. The main purpose of this law is to integrate disabled and elderly persons fully into the society.
The fundamental principles, which have been followed in developing standards/norms for various facilities to buildings, healthcare institutions, meet disabled people’s standards for safety, convenience and usability. Before building any residential building for the disabled people, it is advisable to note street conditions, access to transportation, proximity to shopping areas and whether there are major obstacles between the building and the shopping locations. Pathways should be smooth, hard level surface suitable for walking and wheeling. Every building should have at least one entrance accessible to the handicapped and should be indicated by proper signage. This entrance should be approached through a ramp together with a stepped entry. The ramp should be finished with nonslip material and minimum width or the ramp should be 1,800 mm with a maximum gradient 1:12.
Creation of barrier-free environment in towns and cities is the responsible of the State Governments. Urban local bodies, Development Authorities and other Dtate departments are responsible for creating barrier-free built environment in towns and cities. Amendment of building byelaws is the most important step towards creation of barrier-free built environment, and the guidelines for barrier-free environment may be referred from the Bureau of Indian Standards, Ministry of Urban Development guidelines, etc. The barrier-free design guidelines will help considerably towards greater independence of not only wheelchair users but also, hopefully, the elderly, the visually or hearing-impaired, children and, indeed, a broad spectrum of the community. This standard is intended to make all buildings and facilities used by the public accessible to and functional for the physically-handicapped.
Besides, there are model building byelaws prepared by different Development Authorities to provide facilities for handicapped persons. As per Section 42 of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (Planning and Building Standards) regulations, adequate provision for facilitating easy access of physically-challenged persons shall be made in all public buildings in accordance with the provisions of the National Building Code of India including the minimum facility to reach the staircase/lift without any barrier.
Rights of disabled persons include protection from inhuman treatment and equal protection and safety. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on February 7, 2013 by the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment. The Bill states that persons with disabilities shall have the right to equality and shall not be discriminated against on grounds of their disabilities.
Barriers make an environment unsafe and cause a high level of difficulty to the user. Therefore, barrier-free features are now becoming fundamental to all design concepts. It is important that not only public buildings but also the housings are designed to enable them to move freely. While designing the built environment, adequate space should be allocated for persons using mobility devices, e.g., wheelchairs, crutches and walkers as well as those walking with others’ assistance. Attention should be given to dimensions of wheelchairs used locally. This decides the width of entrances and exits,
There are several obstacles to implementation of the guidelines and legislative measures on barrier-free design. Even where guidelines and legislative measures exist, poor implementation and enforcement remain serious issues. Promotion of barrier-free built environment is a new area of work. There is a need to work together with people, technical personnel and governmental organisations to promote barrier-free development that would make the city safe and comfortable for everyone to work and enjoy.
The importance of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as mobile phones or the internet expand access to key public services. However, for the people with disabilities, the benefits of many established and emerging technologies remain intangible. Therefore, public information/service counters should be provided to various categories of buildings. The approach to the counter should be direct, clear and unobstructed. Signs associated with counters should be located and visible to wheelchair users. Besides, warning signals may help the disabled persons perform their activities. Audible warning signals should be accompanied by simultaneous visual signals for the benefit of those with hearing disabilities. Visual signals should be accompanied by simultaneous audible signals for the benefit of the blind.
Use of new technologies can help disabled people use public buildings and facilities. This requires close cooperation of technical personnel such as architects, engineers and town planners to include the design features in built environment for disabled persons. Besides, proper implementation of the guidelines and legislative measures on barrier-free design can create an inclusive access and sustainable development for the disabled people.
(Dr Mayarani Praharaj teaches in the Department of Architecture, College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar)