April 15, 2019
Swarnalatha J, founder of the well-known NGO Swarga
Foundation, travels often by air. Last year, she had an unfortunate
experience where she was de-boarded from an Air India flight at
Coimbatore airport because she was a wheelchair user. The excuse airport
authorities gave her was that they did not have wheelchair ramps, nor did
they want to risk carrying her on her wheelchair.
As someone committed to making accessibility a way of life, the incident
brought home to Swarnalatha that this was a common experience with many
passengers on wheelchairs routinely de-boarded by airlines. So, she took up
the initiaitive of sensitizing Coimbatore airport staff about how to handle
passengers with disabilities. Over 150 staffers took part in the awareness
session.
Swarnalatha believes the training will help ensure people with disabilities
are treated with dignity and sensitivity.
After the incident that happened to me, I contacted the airport authorities
who were willing to hold awareness sessions. Inaccessibility, even inside
airports and flights are issues that we face often. So whether the
passenger is visually impaired or deaf, they offer a wheelchair. They do
not even know the purpose of a wheelchair! Clearly, a visually impaired or
deaf person needs assistance and not a wheelchair. Awareness session was
conducted so that staffs get to know in detail about all
this-Swarnalatha J, Founder, Swarga Foundation
Videos were played where disabled people were projected as achievers. The
discrimination faced by people with disabilities was also highlighted so that
there is more empathy and understanding about community members. Apart from
people with disabilities, even elderly people undergo issues at airports,
which were highlighted.
“All the airport staffers were open to this idea. They agreed that they
never realised problems faced by a disabled person while travelling”, said
Swarnalatha. “Even caregivers undergo many problems. Like for instance, if an
elderly mother is travelling with her son and she wants to use the washroom,
she is unable to do it without help. Her son cannot accompany her to the
ladies washroom. It is high time that airport staffs become aware of all this
and finds solutions”.
Prince Durairaj, a para volleyball player based in
Coimbatore says that this is a great initiative by Swarga Foundation.
“People with disabilities often face discrimination at railway stations and
even airports. In fact, it is the responsibility of the Airport Authority of
India to ensure that there is 100% accessibility in airports. I’am glad
that Swarga Foundation came forward with this initiative”, he says.
Sessions like these are welcome and go a long way towards building
sensitization. Perhaps NGOs across India could take a leaf out of Swarga
Foundation’s move and hold such sessions in their cities. While sensitization
sessions are held in major airports in the big cities, it’s smaller ones that
tend to get overlooked.
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Source: https://newzhook.com/story/21972
