People with mobility issues voice daily accessibility challenges |07 March 2024
Mrs Winslow addressing the gathering
An impactful one-day workshop with the primary aim of educating various authorities on the importance of enhancing accessibility for wheel-chair bound individuals and the elderly took place at the Les Mamelles community centre yesterday morning.
The gathering served as a platform for authorities to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by those individuals, collaborate to come up with solutions that promote equal access to all, as well as push for a policy that all buildings in the country should have ramps to facilitate access to all.
It is a continuation of the national campaign dubbed ‘Ramp up Rise up Accessibility’ launched last year to highlight the lack of accessibility for individuals with mobility issues and highlight the responsibilities of key partners to make improvement in this area. It was initiated by Christine Winslow, whose son uses a wheelchair, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Family.
Present for yesterday’s workshop were representatives of the planning authority, the Ministry of Land and Housing, and the Ramp Up Rise Up association.
A group of around ten individuals with disabilities had the opportunity to voice their concerns, share their daily challenges as well as offer suggestions on how different entities could provide assistance.
Their input was invaluable, shedding light on the practical steps that could be taken to improve accessibility and inclusivity for people with disabilities.
Marco Gerry, director for the Elderly and Disable Division (EDD), said the workshop was done to create more awareness among the society following their intensive wheelchair-bound challenge late last year at various workplaces.
“We want to speak with them as they are the ones facing this challenge, and see what we can do to improve their lives,” said Mr Gerry.
“We want the buildings to become disable friendly and also improve accessibility for the elderly as this is their right, as per the United Nations convention of 2006,” added Mr Gerry, who commended the government entities who made a special effort to be present for the talk, including chief executive of the Seychelles Infrastructure Agency, Jitesh Shah.
“They have already demonstrated their interest and I appreciate their devotion,” stated Mr Gerry.
For her part, Founder of the Ramp Up, Rise Up campaign, Mrs Winslow, highlighted the need for a legal framework to enforce accessibility measures, such as penalties for those who misuse parking for the disabled, as well as toilet facilities for disabled persons in all buildings. She hopes that all architects would take this in consideration when designing the buildings.
Speaking to Seychelles NATION, Mrs Winslow expressed her disappointment that she was still seeing new buildings coming up without ramps. “It’s not yet compulsory to put a ramp on a building and we need to change that and ensure anything going forward has accessibility,” said Mrs Winslow.
She also stressed that there are different kinds of ramps available. “There are portable, wooden and concrete ramps so there is no excuse that a building cannot have a ramp. It is not a big thing to change,” expressed Mrs Winslow.
Next week, the national intersectoral committee set up to look at the rights of disabled persons and the elderly will meet to look at other issues including employment, welfare and financial stability among others, before drafting a paper to be presented to Cabinet for approval.
“Together we can make a difference,” Mr Gerry concluded.
Anika Cathene
Photos by Kurtrine Albert
