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NGO PERSPECTIVES for Full Participation and Equality

A Review of the Status of Accessibility in Asian and Pacific Countries
after the Asia-Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons 1993-2002

  • A greater degree of awareness regarding local, national and international observances and concern in disability issues by a higher degree of multi-sectoral involvement in the society yielded better implementation in accessibility, with effects that can be seen and proven by the higher levels of attainment in the fields of education, employment and empowerment.

  • Developed cities or countries with greater land masses, like Japan, Korea, for as long as the country is not situated in extreme mountainous terrain, tend to have better accessibility in terms of transportation as compared with island nations such as the Philippines or the Pacific islands.

  • Very little information is available regarding the actual status of accessibility in countries in the north and central Asia, like Russia.

  • Very progressive or highly developed island cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong that have a much higher concentration of urban development and investment from first-world countries are faster at integrating and implementing accessibility into their infrastructure, buildings and transportation systems.

  • Specific rights-based laws in different countries have been enacted; however, unless a country creates highly specialized implementing agencies or monitoring bodies that have active PWD members and unless these entities are amply funded to carry out its programs, persons with disabilities have little to gain from such laws.

  • Since governments tend to concentrate all efforts in accessibility implementation and improvement in urban and highly populated areas, there is a common tendency for the rural areas to be left out. There is therefore a need for advocacy and implementation work to reach into the far-flung places where PWDs, elderly and frail also reside to stimulate their participation in the rural community.

  • Awareness that accessibility is a right of PWDs has probably only begun to be understood in many south-east Asian countries. Many countries, especially the war-ravaged and with struggling economies, are still relatively in the early stages of implementation and are still in great need of sustained advocacy work. Again, there seems to be a direct high correlation between awareness of disability issues and accessibility implementation.

  • During the time of the Asia-Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, Thailand enacted and put in place a very well-developed system of policies and regulations concerning accessibility, transportation and communication overseen by specific government agencies and committees.

  • By comparison, the Philippines passed its Accessibility Law 8 years earlier than Thailand, but endeavors to implement accessibility does not seem to lie effectively within the government sector; rather, it seems to make progress in areas where there is vigilant involvement of the disabled sector in the more urban cities of Makati (Luzon), Cebu (Visayas) and Cagayan de Oro (Mindanao).

    Among the problems now emerging in the process of implementation are:

  1. the lack of awareness on the issue of accessibility and its related laws among government officials and implementers themselves;

  2. the economic setbacks that may have discouraged government and private establishments to invest in accessibility projects and improvements; and

  3. the lack of many establishments' management's full cooperation in letting recently built accessible toilet facilities be used for the purpose they were built. Perhaps on the wrong assumption that PWDs are an insignificant minority of the population, these toilet facilities are rampantly being used as stockrooms, and if not, many do not receive priority attention when it comes to repairs, cleaning and toiletry supplies.

  • A new strategy to hopefully inspire neighboring areas become disabled-friendly is thought of by both Malaysia and Cebu, Philippines by making portions of these cities become models of a barrier-free environment.

  • To a certain extent, one can tell how good the level of accessibility and communication is of a country by its high statistics on education, open employment and tourism among PWDs.

  • Highly developed economies like Singapore tend to have the capability to launch projects that are in the "fine-tuning" phase of accessibility implementation, such as the retro-fitting of all old buildings and stations with accessibility features to ensure complete mobility of PWDs within a very specific target date. Struggling economies are faced with more pressing issues and concerns that often relegate disability issues to the background.

  • Advocacy work, especially for accessibility, may prove difficult in countries like India where social classes are strongly defined and where mixing of classes in social situations are not well tolerated. Some religious beliefs might tend to reinforce this difficulty.

  • Sri Lanka seems to have drawn out a clear roadmap of strategies towards building a barrier-free environemt; however, it may require international technical and funding support if all of its plans are to be accomplished.

  • Islamabad (Pakistan) and Cebu (Philippines) have been at one time or another been declared as "disabled-friendly cities." However, the question remains: How disabled-friendly indeed are these cities? Often, when ramps and slopes abound in building establishments, parks and stations, it often connotes that the city is accessible. But are there, for example, establishments with accessible toilet facilities that enable PWDs to pleasantly stay, study and work for 8 hours a day? Is it safe and convenient for PWDs to commute without assistance to and from their places of study and work? These are the hard questions that must be answered.

  • It is noteworthy that Australia has taken several initiatives for the welfare of PWDs only during the Decade, and yet some states began to implement those initiatives even without legal imperatives. This is something that perhaps only advanced economies can achieve.

  • Sketchy information of the status of accessibility in the isles of the Pacific, except New Zealand, suggest a range of zero awareness of its importance to a very slight degree of implementation. This area deserves greater attention for advocacy endeavors in the 2nd Decade.

  • There is still a great need for the Asia-Pacific countries to understand that accessibility benefits not only PWDs, but the elderly, pregnant women, and children, as well, especially those that use strollers. Terrorism aside, accessibility also stimulates local and international tourism. Once this realization is achieved, accessibility will no longer be seen as needed by a mere minority of the population, but must be considered as a good strategy towards nation-building.

  • Terrorism is a relatively new global issue that threatens to turn away the attention of governments away from disability issues--and the need for accessibility-- towards the issue of preserving peace and security. Yet, it is precisely at this time that governments must be made keenly aware that when terrorism strikes, more and more people join the ranks of PWDs. Therefore, to hasten their return to normal and productive life, full accessibility implementation must be given even greater priority these days. A highly accessible society for PWDs is one in which all members can participate, contribute, and be compensated such that there is a prevalent feeling of satisfaction and contentment in the full realization of one's potentials, thus, leaving little or no room for feelings of discontent, inequality or hostility.

Reported by:

Adela A. Kono
Cebu City, Philippines