Reducing dependence on friends and family, and the horror of abuse, must be at the centre of how we address accessibility of public spaces

Even with limbs all intact, 20/20 vision and perfect hearing, the Indian city is a minefield to navigate — pot-holed roads, disproportionately raised and unevenly spaced pavements, crowds, unruly traffic… If the able-bodied perceive the city as unfriendly to negotiate, then for the disabled it’s virtually hostile. For disabled women, it’s even more so and they are reminded daily that even the simple act of accessing public space for everyday tasks is a battle.

“Disabled women are doubly challenged — both for being women and being disabled,” said Nidhi Goyal, a disability and gender rights activist, in an interview to this column.

The absence of accessible infrastructure and services, limits disabled women’s access of public space. For a visually-impaired working woman, a simple bus ride can be torturous. The lack of audio announcements in buses means that she has to mentally count every stop until she arrives at her destination. Wheelchair-bound women cannot even get on the bus, as buses here have narrow doors and don’t have the service to lower the steps and create a ramp, like buses in London, for example.

The only way most disabled women get around is by being dependent on the charity of family and strangers. “Routinely, blind women taking the help of strangers while crossing the road are touched inappropriately, but what can they do, how can they raise their voice against those who purportedly ‘help’ them in public?” asked Goyal, who is visually-impaired herself. A physically disabled person in India, who cannot afford private transport, has no way of accessing public transport unless they are accompanied by a caregiver, which means they can’t be independent in public spaces.

About 2.21% of India’s total population is disabled (Census 2011), with 1.5 crore disabled men and 1.1 crore females. The actual figures are possibly higher (4-8%) as disability is under-reported in India due to the stigma attached to it. That’s a huge number of people for whom our cities are inaccessible.

“The joy of experiencing public space on their own is something women with disabilities rarely enjoy in an Indian city,” said Goyal. “I always say I travel the world quite easily for my work, but going to the dry-cleaner at the end of my lane in Mumbai is really challenging.”

Goyal, who recently co-authored the Human Rights Watch report ‘Invisible Victims of Sexual Violence: Access to Justice for Women and Girls with Disabilities in India’, says everywhere in the world disabled women and girls face greater risk of sexual violence, as those physically disabled find it more difficult to escape their attackers, and those deaf-mute are unable to call for help. But in India, they face additional barriers in accessing justice — from reporting the crime to receiving medical care to navigating the judicial process.

“One of the most disturbing things we found was that women with disabilities were not believed when they gave testimonies, and were not treated as credible people,” said Goyal, who wants to make visible disabled women and their concerns to the justice system and city planners to enable certain accommodations and universal access.

As cities worldwide invest increasingly in technology, disabled-accessible public space is no more a dream. In Melbourne, a pilot scheme at a rail terminal uses Bluetooth and free GPS smartphone app BlindSquare to transform how visually impaired people navigate public space.

Users receive audio cues via their smartphones, providing specific directions and real time information. In Seattle, University of Washington’s map-based app allows pedestrians with limited mobility to plan accessible routes; it points out steep inclines and difficulties. Singapore’s metro rail system is improving accessibility by getting more lifts, wider gates and tactile guidance. Washington, DC’s 91 subway stations are fully accessible, along with its rail carriages and entire bus fleet.

If urban life becomes more inclusive for people with disabilities, it can make cities more amenable for other groups as well, such as the elderly and children.

The writer is a Mumbai-based journalist, researcher and co-author,Why Loiter? Women & Risk on Mumbai Streets.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/making-cities-accessible-for-all/article23819353.ece?utm_source=tp-metroplus&utm_medium=sticky_footer