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| Sunday, 20 March 2005 |
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Features |  |
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'Access for all,' boon for disabled The Consortium of Disability Organisations (CDO) comprising 17 Disability Organisations (Joint Front), the Spinal Injuries Association, Intermediate Technology Development Group (HDG), Motivation, Handicap International, Christossel Blindenmission (CBM) and John Grooms launched the 'Access for All' campaign to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities. The campaign formulated to lay emphasis on the inclusion of the disabled people in mainstream development activities and plans for the nation will be promoting the inclusion of disabled people in all post-tsunami relief, reconstruction and development programmes as its initial focus. Hence, while raising awareness on the importance of architectural access in all construction, the Consortium of Disability Organisations will be taking the matter to parliament in the ensuing weeks in order to press on the guidelines on architectural access, legally enforceable. An estimated 10 per cent of the population is disabled and are largely stigmatised and excluded from society due to stereotypical attitudes. Families hide disabled members from public view and as consequence, they are often unseen, unheard and unaccounted for in the community. In an emergency situation disabled people are particularly vulnerable and become even more invisible to Government and International Agencies. Thus, it is vital to take off for a much needed paradigm shift in changing the policies on inclusion of disabled persons and in their actual application. Therefore, the enforcement of legal provisions regarding accessibility for persons with disabilities has become a decisive factor, due to the massive financial donations, which the country has received for reconstruction work, in the aftermath of the tsunami catastrophe. No noticeable extra cost will be involved, if guidelines in architectural access are adhered to at initial stages of the construction process. But if the needs are to be met at a later stage, the case would be different. These provisions of accessibility are not only beneficial for people with permanent disabilities. But also to aged, pregnant women & persons temporarily rendered disabled. Even though the Urban Development Authority has incorporated guidelines for accessibility in the Colombo Development Plan, difficulties have occurred in making the enforcement of these provisions mandatory as it has not yet been incorporated in to law. Nevertheless, Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act No. 28 of 1996, passed by the Parliament of Sri Lanka addresses the rights of the disabled.
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