Every 3rd December has been set aside by the United Nations to commemorate International day of persons with disabilities in the whole world. It is a thing of joy that the theme for this years’ celebration is “Removing Barriers to Create an Inclusive and Accessible Society for all”. It is a theme that provides an opportunity to bridge the gap between the persons with disabilities and the society which will be focusing on promoting accessibility and removing all types of barriers in the society. Barrier in this case can take a variety of forms, including those relating to lack of access to physical environment, information and communication technology (ICT) or those resulting from legislation or policy, societal attitudes or discrimination. However, the major target for international day of persons with disability in 2012 by the Nigerian Association of the physically Handicapped Persons – Anambra State Chapter is to campaign against lack of access to physical environment.
Accessible physical environment is one that all people, both individuals with and without disabilities can use freely without hindrance. Persons with disability includes people with vision, hearing, mobility, cognitive and other impairments, as well as anyone who might be experiencing a temporary disability due to an illness or accident. Accessible environment should also accommodate the elderly population, which is generally characterized by a gradual loss of ability of some sort.
The physical environment can be made accessible to the greatest number of people, with facilities like lift ramp where there are steps, covering of drainages, Braille prints on lift control panels for the visual impaired, display of routes on taxis & buses for the hearing impaired, low counters for the wheelchair users and dwarfs in the banks and other public places, ensuring that entrance to banks and other public places are accessible enough and where metal detector doors are used, it must be manned by competent personnel who can temporally disable the metal detectors for persons with disability who use iron based mobility aid/appliances to pass through without delay or embarrassment .
Accessibility of the physical environment is a key factor to persons with disabilities in achieving greater independence, participation and social inclusion. It is true that it affects all members of the society but, for persons with disabilities, the barriers to equal participation in the society due to an inaccessible physical environment are much greater.
An accessible built environment can facilitate great inclusion and participation and is recognized as a core element for realization of a society based on equal rights. It also provides people with independence and the means to pursue an active social and economic life.
However, the right to participate in the society is not enjoyed by all. On daily basis persons with disabilities are faced with barriers, which effectively excluded them from participating as equal citizens. Many of these barriers related to the accessibility of their physical environment.
A recent investigation by the Nigerian Association for the physical handicapped persons (NAPHP)AnambraStatechapter highlights the issues of accessibility as a significant factor restricting social participation of persons with disability.
The investigation confirms that persons with disabilities are more restricted in accessing their physical environment and thus participating in social and cultural activities than non-disabled persons. It was also discovered that over 70% of churches, hospitals, banks, markets, town halls, and schools more especially higher institutions, offices, homes etc in Anambra State are not accessible to persons with disabilities without going up and down steps. This can make it difficult for some persons with disabilities to visit their friends or family members, attending church services, other social gatherings and even working normal in their offices. These difficulties being experienced by persons with disability particularly by the old people in attending church activities, entering banks, markets, town halls for meetings, hospital for proper medication etc could be linked to the major reason why they usually felt isolated and socially excluded.
Despite the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, Article 9, which states that every disabled person has the right to participate in family, cultural and social life, many persons with disabilities from this part of the world remained excluded from participating in family, cultural, and social life due to an inaccessible physical environment. The major reason is that those structures and construction are generally designed without considering the needs of persons with disability.
The issue of physical environment accessibility clearly impacts in the lives of people with disabilities, young and old alike on their level of social participation.
However, legislations and regulations should play a vital role in introducing measures to improve our physical environment accessibility through expediting actions that will ensure the quick passage of persons with disability bill that is at the floor of the Senate while it is also expected that all the states of the federation should emulate the Lagos state government for their giant strides in passing the persons with disability bill in 2011 for their state and thereby improved the independence of persons with disabilities. It is imperative also that all relevant agencies responsible for regulating the environment, building and infrastructural standards such as ministry of environment and town planning authorities etc are strengthened by employing qualified persons with disabilities that will serve as a desk officer and will ensure at all times that our environment is accessible. This is necessary because, even when the bills are passed into laws, very little can be achieved in enforcing them without affective and effective regulatory agencies.
Finally, the church leaders, traditional rulers, government, and general public should make the environment building visitable by persons with disabilities.
This is to ensure that adequate provisions are made to enable persons with disabilities to satisfy and independently access and use their physical environment without any barrier.
Written By:
Comrade Okeke Ugochukwu Ernest
The Chairman,
Nigerian Association of the
Physically Handicapped Persons,
AnambraStateChapter.
