Accessibility - a change which we all need

Imagine there are two cities named ABC and XYZ.

                             

• In ABC City there are footpaths with kerb ramps which give access to everyone. When you go to the building, there is  provision of stairs and a ramp. In malls, escalators can also accommodate the person who uses a wheelchair. There is a banner for MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK. A trained dog is helping the person who is blind while crossing the road. In washrooms, a braille signage board is there.

This City provides people with a more reachable environment.

• In XYZ city, there is provision of footpaths but, the paths are damaged, this will cause problems for people to use it. Offices or buildings do not have ramps, which will cause a lot of difficulties. 
  
  
  

This City is not well maintained and has many barriers, which lead to a less reachable environment.

ABC city and XYZ city are like two sides of the same coin.

The problems we see in XYZ city are somewhat present in almost all countries or cities.

The countries or cities in which we all live, are regulated by various bodies that help them to work more efficiently. We often measure a country's growth based on how economically well it is doing.

But do we ever talk about how socially a country progresses? 

Do we ever think about the problems or barriers that people are facing?

Do we ever talk about how Inclusive or Accessible our society is? 

Or, Are we spreading awareness among people about it? 

Then what ACCESSIBILITY is ?

Accessibility can viewed as the ''ability to access''. It is about making things easily reachable to all, irrespective of whether the person has a disability or not. It is in a sense, refers to the design of the products, devices, services or environment that is to be usable by all. 

It should not be confused with USABILITY, which is the extent to which a product can use. 

It is strongly related to UNIVERSAL DESIGN, which is again the process of creating products that are usable by people, with an extensive possible range of abilities and situations.

An accessible society would help everyone, e.g. if there is a provision of ramp in a building, it would not only help a person who uses wheelchair but also other people like an aged person who faces difficulty climbing stairs, or a person carrying the baby via baby stroller or carrier, a ramp can help them by reaching as it is very strenuous to take a baby stroller via stairs. 

We need to look at the Problems that people are facing, such as -

(i) Ramps- are sloped pathways used both inside and outside buildings to provide access between vertical levels.

                      

Lack of provision of ramps at bus stops, buildings, educational institutions, offices, etc., causes problems as this does not allow people who are using wheelchairs or have any other mobility problems, to participate fully in the ociety. 

   

(ii) Braille signage- 

a tactile writing system that helps visually impaired people.              

 But lack of awareness about the use of it is still there. It is still not used in many public places.

(iii) Sidewalks/ footpaths- 

helps the pedestrian to travel without risk and also help people with disabilities.

                            

Lack of well-constructed pedestrian access is a problem in many countries. In the countryside, there is still a lack of sidewalks.

(iv) Public transportation facilities have changed a lot, but there are still problems. In many countries, there is still no provision of wheelchair accessible buses, or even if there is a provision, the staff is not well trained accordingly to use it.

Public taxis still do not treat people with disabilities equally.

(v)Accessible education-

 formulated programmes and policies are there for children with disabilities. However, despite these policies childrens with disabilities are amongst the most disadvantaged group in terms of access to schooling, as their needs are still not met effectively.

(vi) Not adopting accessible design in offices, commercial buildings, residential complexes, etc.

(vii) Lack of Accessible washrooms in public places.

(viii)  Digital Accessibility-

 In today's time, many of us spend time on our computers or our mobile phones, but there are still many digital platforms or websites that are not providing accessibility features like a screen reader, transcription, subtitles etc.

These are just a few, many problems are still there that lead to the exclusion of people with disabilities from society and eventually make people dependent on others.

We need to adopt UNIVERSAL DESIGN like provision of- 

• Accessible telephone handsets for landline phones,
•  Teletypewriters- is a text telephone. It is an electronic communication machine that is used in concert with a landline telephone.

This application has helped Deaf community a lot as it eases the communication.

• Voice over applications,
•  Grab rails in toilets,

   

•  Accessible escalators,

       

•  Stairlift which is a mechanical device for lifting people typically those with disabilities, up and down the stairs.

              

These are just few examples, many other things are there which contribute to universal design, and thus help everyone.

 

I am not saying that nothing has ever been taken place for accessibility, there are amazing things which are there like-

1) World's largest technology company APPLE provides lots of accessibility features in their devices such as, if someone goes to the settings of their respective apple device and select the option of Accessibility there are various features in it like, 

•  Voice over,
• Audio description,
• Hearing devices,
•  Face id, etc.

The company also launched their Home kit that is available on Ios only. The app lets you control your smart devices like A.C., doors, smart T.V., etc., through your iPhone.

2) Microsoft Corporation - an American multinational technology corporation that produces computer software, consumer electronics and related services.

It also provides lots of accessibility features like- 

• Color filters, 
• Soundscape- which uses innovative audio base technology to enable people with blindness or low vision to build a richer awareness of surroundings.

3) Nowadays Metros are also becoming accessible. 

Trained staff is there to help people who have a disability so that without any problem, they can access them.

4)There are places where dogs get trained to help people who are blind so that they can move across the streets without any difficulty.

Despite having such changes, many of us are still not aware of them.

Whether one has a disability or not, everyone should be aware of things, that are present or the changes that are taking place in our surroundings.

One can't change social progress by just changing the LAWS, many such laws are already there. They can only bring 10-20% change but, it is us who can add more value to these laws by following them. 

As we are heading towards reducing the carbon emissions, we should also focus on how to make entire world Accessible.

First thing which we need to do is to change the way we think, if you encounter a problem that someone you know is facing, rather than complaining about it and sitting, do something, find solution.

Eg. In your family, your grandparents face difficulty in lifting from the toilet seats, for this you can either install a higher toilet seat or can also install GRAB RAILS, which is a basic feature of an accessible toilet. It would provide crucial support, stability & balance.

Educate people as it is the greatest and the biggest tool for spreading awareness.

 Start sharing your thoughts about accessibility, Imagine how many different ideas or solutions we can get from each other, for making this world more reachable to all. 

Consider Accessibility as a movement, that will eventually help all the people living on earth. 

Accessibility is the new change that we all need to bring in this world.

Always remember, the secret of CHANGE is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.

So encourage each other, educate each other and bring the change which will make this world more REACHABLE to all. # AccessibleWorld    

So what you want, adjusting to old way of living, or to live in the world which is more reachable??