wheelchair

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

"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