A Barrier Free Environment : The key towards integrating the disabled into the national mainstream.

To address the problems of the differently abled and to integrate them into the national mainstream, one of the key pre-requisites is the need for a barrier free environment. With a large number of over 70 million disabled in India, the need to create a barrier free environment for this huge population has assumed a lot of importance. Statistics point out only 3% of the disabled population is gainfully employed. Since the setting up of the first special employment exchange in 1959 only 100,000 persons have been employed till date.

The National Sample Survey points out that more than 7 million employable disabled people are still waiting for a job. One of the biggest stumbling blocks that have been preventing the disabled from competing with the general abled population has been the constraints they face regarding mobility. It is almost impossible for a person with disability in India to reach his destination without help. The lack of proper footpaths, road crossing facilities, friendly public transport system, lack of friendly access to public places have all been dampners and prevented the integration of the disabled into the mainstream.

In fact, one of the major problems faced by the differently abled has been the lack of improved access to buildings and work places which has hampered employment opportunities for them both from the employers side and from their side. This is a problem that needs to be addressed and it is imperative that various stakeholders and different sections of the society needs to be sensitized on providing a barrier free environment.

The disabled population can generally be classified into four groups, people with impaired mobility, people with visual impairment, people with hearing impairment and people with learning disabilities and mental retardation.

People with impaired mobility are generally wheel chair users and face a lot of problems in proper accessibility if the buildings are not disabled friendly. A lot of attention has to be paid regarding approaches to the building, space, floor surface, approaches, doors, seating spaces and other facilities. The most important thing to be noted here is that most wheelchairs have a seat height of about 500mm and the reach of the wheelchair user is confined to a zone of 700 mm to 1200 mm. So a lot of thought should be given while providing access to workbench, tables, washbasins etc. Special care should be taken in providing disabled friendly toilets. For people with ambulant disability, the floor surfaces should be even and slip resistant. They would need the help of hand rails and preferably for easy mobility and access.

For people with impaired vision, orientation can be aided by marking with the use of color, illumination and the texture of materials used. To minimise the risk of falls and injuries, hazards such as posts, single steps and projections should be avoided. Contrasting colors and warning blocks should be used to aid identification of doors, stairs, rampways, passageways etc. If possible visual information should be supplemented with audible information in lifts, passageways etc, this is more so in public places like airports and bus terminals.

Comprehending sounds is one of the main difficulties faced by people with impaired hearing. Care should be taken to provide clearly audible loud speaking systems. Moreover, people with impaired hearing rely on lip reading and to assist this the places must be well illuminated and nor reflective. It would be better if loop induction units may be installed in auditoria, theaters, meeting rooms, etc.

People with learning disabilities and mental retardation face various different kinds of disorders in addition to congenital deficiencies and various kinds of central nervous system diseases and brain disorders. A large number of them are paralytics and have difficulties in coordinating and controlling their movements. They may find it difficult to perceive, comprehend or interpret information such as signs. They may also have spatial orientation difficulties difficulties. It may be very difficult to meet all their needs but minimum provisions to make life comfortable for then would include providing them with clear and easy to grasp information to aid their orientation and even road surfaces.

The Disabilities Act,1995 casts obligations on appropriate governments and local authorities for creating barrier free facilities. Section 46 enjoins upon appropriate governments and local authorities to provide Ramps in public buildings, Braille symbols and auditory signals in elevators and ramps in hospitals, health centers and other public places. The act also calls for installation of auditory signals, slopes on pavements, engravings on the surface of zebra crossings etc. Section 48 of the act calls upon local authorities to promote and sponsor research on site modifications in offices and factories But how many of these minimum requirements are met is a matter of speculation and a big question mark.

Providing a barrier free environment is the key to integrating the disabled in the mainstream. The responsibility of providing a barrier free environment lies not only in the hands of the government and local authorities alone. Each one of us needs to be sensitive to their needs and the society and all stakeholders needs to understand the issue. The disabled are in no way different that the abled, the only thing is that they have certain physical deformities and if overcome can make them as abled or even better than the abled. The best, we as members of the society can do is to remove obstacles in their path by providing a barrier free environment wherein they get the right opportunities to lead a natural and productive life as any one of us.

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