Disability Rights Act not fully functional; most government offices still not disabled-friendly

ALAPPUZHA: Even after eight years of the enactment of the Disability Rights Act, measures to make government offices and public places in the state disabled-friendly are still staying on file. When the Disability Rights Act was implemented in 2016, it was suggested that all citizen-centred public systems in the state should be made disability-friendly within five years. However, only 2255 institutions in 44 government departments of the state are currently disabled-friendly, that too not fully (about 60 percent). The reason for this is that the Department in charge of Disabled does not have the funds to make all the institutions disabled-friendly and there is no general order from the government handing over the responsibility of making each office disabled-friendly to the respective departments. Even facilities like differently-abled rooms, toilets, grievance redressal officers and rehabilitation centres are still not in place.

No wheelchair-friendly toilets

• There are concessions and reserved seats for wheelchair users, but wheelchair-accessible buses are rare.
• Lack of ramps and wheelchair-friendly toilets is a challenge from school to college level
• Even though the employment exchange call the differently abled for an interview for temporary work, 95% of the offices are not wheelchair friendly
• The Aswasakiranam pension for differently-abled inpatients has been discontinued for months
• Many of the ATM counters are not wheelchair friendly and require assistance.

"Efforts are continuing under the leadership of the Chief Secretary to make the public transport systems more disability friendly. A recommendation has been submitted to the government to direct the respective departments to spend funds to make government offices disability friendly. More than two thousand offices are currently disabled friendly."

- Jalaja S, Additional Director, Department of Social Justice

Public spaces and transport systems should be disability friendly. The Government and the Disability Commission should effectively intervene in this regard

-Chandradas Kesavapilla, social activist