Invisible Boundaries...

 Access to Public Spaces for Persons with Disabilities 

 I call this piece, invisible boundaries, for the simple fact that I never really used to think about access until my son was born and diagnosed with microcephaly and cerebral palsy. It wasn't a problem for me so I never thought about it.  As selfish as this seems, it's the mind set of most people: until it happens to you, you won't see. 

There is an existing boundary but it's invisible to you because it doesn't affect you in any shape or form.

I went to a little chapel in Accra the other day and saw this (a man in a wheelchair right at the door, and couldn’t get in due to one step- blocking him from having fellowship and feeling part of the community) and as I walked in I had to take a few steps back and capture this. I wanted to help him, but once we got over that step there was nowhere to place the wheelchair but right in front by the alter, and I doubted he wanted to sit there, and still, he would not feel part of the congregation. There is a side entrance to the chapel and I did not check whether a wheelchair could pass there or not. And I certainly do not mention the church’s name, as this would defeat the purpose of the message I’m trying to deliver.

After this episode, I had a baptism to attend at one church, I had to google an image of the church just to see if it's wheelchair accessible for my son. All this can be really nerve racking for caregivers. 

We always talk about access for persons with disabilities. We say the churches welcome PWDs with open arms, we say persons with disabilities have the right to take part in public activity like any other citizen, but are our public spaces really accessible? Are the rights or persons with disabilities limited due to the lack of access? 

Based on this observation, I decided to just visit a few churches in my area to see how accessible they are. Ghana claims to be a very religious nation and leaves no one out. People take going to church seriously and churches make a lot of money through offertory and tithe, supposedly for development of God’s work. I think using some of the offertory to create ramps for wheelchair access would be ideal. 

I use church as an example because the majority of the nation is Christian and also a large percentage attends church. It’s also because it’s one of the main organisations for community outreach, so if the church cannot reach out too all community members then there is gap. There are several other facilities apart from churches that create barriers of accessibility for persons with disabilities. A public space is simply a space that is accessible to everyone: so churches, law courts, parks, beaches, restaurants are all public spaces. It breaks my heart when I can't take my son to certain places...

Little or no access pushes the exclusion of persons with disabilities instead of inclusion. 

What can we do to promote inclusion for persons with disabilities and their families in public spaces?

   Promotion of built environments, facilities and services that are accessible and inclusive for all.[1] 

   Every time I’m invited to an event or have to go somewhere with Giovanni I always have to call the place or go there myself to find out if it’s completely wheelchair accessible and also ensure that we would not feel excluded from the event like sitting at the back or something. A lot of thinking always has go into our travel plans both inside and outside Ghana. Extensive research sometimes for a simple trip by calling airline operators, hotels or those who will accomodate us to ask them questions on stairs, bath facilties, etc. Giovanni is almost 3 years old now and much heavier so it’s also more difficult to carry him with the baby carrier. I always try and take my son to events, sometimes I even feel like a bother because I always have to ask people details about their events which might seem irritating to them but important to me: will there be loud music? Is it outdoor or indoor? Is it on the grass or on the pavement? Is there a place where I can change Giovanni? Wow the questions are many and sometimes I give up or have no choice but to leave him at home because I cannot be assured he would be comfortable or seizure free at the event. It’s heart-breaking to go to functions and see other people’s kids there and I’m obliged to leave mine at home, just because the building or facility isn’t wheelchair accessible enough.

As architects, interior designers, senior management and others must make sure to incorporate designs that are wheelchair friendly for your buildings, offices, etc. Every person is responsible for fitting a design like this for every public space. Churches that do not have ramps for wheelchair access can use a small part of offertory to make this possible; they can also go a step further to create spaces where wheelchairs can fit during the service and not put them in some secluded area. The public space must be accessible from the car park all the way to the space. 

We need to relook at our transportation system and make it accessible to persons with disabilities.

  

Creating public spaces like community centres and parks that are accessible and useful for persons with disabilities. I know Mmofra Park which is located in Dzorwulu-Accra (right next to Marvel’s Mini Golf Course) is trying to create such a space, where it’s easily accessible to children with disabilities. A beautiful green serene space where families can go and have picnics and they also have a few toys for kids with mobility issues. Occasionally we also visit legon botanical gardens, the walk way there isn't wheelchair or stroller friendly. Meanwhile it's a kids park. I always wondered what they were trying to achieve by making a stoney walk way... Very uneven walkway for kids with walking challenges. I think the Ministry of Gender, and Social Protection in Ghana is the biggest joke; if an organisation of persons with disabilities is to visit this ministry, they would have serious challenges to enter as there are several flights of stairs.

As indicated by the World Urbanisation Prospects (2014), “Urban environments, infrastructures, facilities and services, depending how they are planned and built, can impede or enable access, participation and inclusion of members of society.”  Marginalising one part of the population just because of access takes us several steps back from achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This simply means that there is an important and urgent need to incorporate accessibility into urban design and development. 

I know Ghana is far behind when it comes to accessibility and then again developed countries also haven't necessarily made huge progress either, but there is a need to take some bold steps to make these things possible. Disability and access has never been priority on the government’s agenda, but it’s about time we make it relevant.

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[1] Secretary General’s Special Bulletin on Employment and accessibility for staff members with disabilities in the United Nations Secretariat (ST/SGB/2014/3)