Struggles of a wheelchair user are many. Most of them are unable to go out
and enjoy or explore things due to lack of accessibility. We all
know that most of our public places are inaccessible for wheelchair users.
Inclusion seems to be only on papers. But a group of young people from
Tirur in Kerala have come together to become real change-makers.
The All Kerala Wheelchair Rights Federation (AKWRF) and
Snehatheeram, a group run by a bunch of youngsters, have
joined hands to make Tirur accessible for wheelchair users. Their campaign
Idam has already been successful in ensuring installation of
wheelchair ramps at prominent places in Tirur.
Idam in Malayalam means space and that is just what these youngsters are
looking out for. Recently, they made a documentary on the hardships faced by
wheelchair users and how Idam hopes to make a difference to it. The video
went viral and was shared by people from across the globe.
According to organizers of Idam, even railway stations, government hospitals,
shopping malls and cinema theatres are not accessible in Tirur. Wheelchair
users are not given fair treatment making things worse for them. Over the
years, wheelchair users in the city have been complaining to officials about
their lack of accessibility features. Children are unable to attend schools
because hardly any educational institutions have wheelchair ramps. Wheelchair
users are clearly denied their rights.
When we go to public places, people raise their eyebrows. They ask us why
are we outside when we are supposed to be staying indoors. How is that
fair? Just because we have a disability, it does not mean that we need to
shut ourselves from the world. We are humans and have the right to enjoy
every bit of what a person without a disability does. We face
discrimination every day. That is how we decided to do something about it
and started off our campaign ‘Idam’- Mohammed Rabeeh, Tirur
Taluk Join Secretary, AKWRF
‘Idam’ also aims to introduce disabled friendly parking
spaces at public places. Recently, they were allotted space at Tirur
railway station for disabled friendly parking. But the youngsters had to pool
in money from their pockets to renovate and make it user friendly.
“When we go to a railway station, we do not have exclusive disabled
friendly parking spaces. So we are forced to go further for at least 200 to
300 metres. That causes so much inconvenience to a wheelchair user. We are
glad that we could start off by introducing disabled friendly parking slots
which are easier for wheelchair users”, says Rabeeh.
AKWRF and Sneehatheeram kick-started the campaign on May 2016.
Ever since then, they have been able to make a few shops and public places
accessible. Now, with over 100 people who are part of the
campaign, Idam hopes to spread wings to other parts of Kerala as well.
“Snehatheeram and AKWRF have been working closely for the past few months.
Only recently did we actually think about the hardships faced by wheelchair
users. It is high time that a change is brought about. The documentary that
we made was also a huge success. It deeply moved many people who have been
offering us a helping hand”, says Ubaid, volunteer of
Snehatheeram.
ALSO READ: You can make your home accessible and disabled friendly. Here are
some tips.
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/20984
