Ways to go to make UAE accessible to all, wheelchair users say

Wheelchair users say there is still work to do to make public places and public transport accessible for all.

Although the UAE is improving disabled access, more must be done, campaigners say. Ravindranath K / The National

ABU DHABI // Wheelchair users say they feel like an afterthought in many public places because of a lack of ramps and inadequate disabled access.

While the UAE has made significant progress in becoming disabled friendly, there is still work to do to make public places and public transport accessible to all, they said.

“People in wheelchairs are no different from anyone else and should be given equal accessibility rights,” said Shobhika Kalra, who is wheelchair-bound because of Fredreichs Ataxia, a degenerative disease.

Ms Kalra, the co-founder of disability group Wings of Angelz, said many locations have no disabled parking – an issue she has raised to the Dubai Road and Transport Authority.

She believed there were many public places that still, although unknowingly, discriminated against wheelchair users.

Often, she said, it was a lack of ramps that posed the problem.

“There are many times I have emailed organisations after having difficulties to access the place to build a ramp,” said the 25-year-old Indian.

“They have not responded, thinking it is not an important issue to be tackled immediately.

“It might even be because of the nominal additional cost of a ramp.”

Shaik Mohammed Bavazeer of Disability A Perception – a non-profit advice and support group – also faced a daily struggle negotiating public places.

“The most common problem – or you can say a hurdle – is that most of the time there is no access from road to footpath. Even a four-inch kerb is like a wall for a wheelchair user,” said the 33-year-old managing director of Delta Financials.

The Indian, who lives in Ajman, said those operating public transport, such as bus drivers, needed more education to help those with disability. One of the biggest bugbears for wheelchair users, he said, was being treated differently.

Angel Marcini, a disability campaigner in Dubai, said mobility should not be an issue in any public place.

“What we need to aim for, as a society, is to reach a level where access for wheelchair users is as normal as everyday folk would have,” she said. “Ramps should be made a norm.”

Ms Marcini said the RTA provided wheelchair-friendly taxis on request while welcome-access improvements have been implemented at metro stations.

“However, the buses aren’t pro-wheelchair,” she said. “Most of the newer areas in the UAE are wheelchair-friendly and disability parking is all over the UAE. In areas that are older, such as Karama, Sharjah, Al Qusais, etcetera, a lot of establishments do not provide ramp access or have ramps that are non-user friendly in terms of the slope being too steep or the location of the ramp being too far from the entrance.

“Certain areas of the UAE are still quite backward in terms of wheelchair accessibility and are quite resistant to change, which is unfortunate.”

Kevin Sujai, a volunteer with Wings of Angelz, described access for wheelchair users as “an afterthought”.

“Public places and parks and museums are generally covered, however access to footpaths and buildings is still an issue faced by many,” he said.

“Buses, public transport aren’t pro-wheelchair and more could be done for restaurants, which is what we are targeting over here in the capital.

“I would like to see a future where a wheelchair user can be independent without any worry, and where the UAE is cited as a leading example for other countries to follow.”