DESIGNING OUT BARRIERS FOR DISABLED: TOWARDS AN INCLUSIVE URBAN ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

Disabled people often struggle with the complexities of our built environment, hindering their full participation in contemporary urban life. Our built environment is considered relatively well organized for the various groups in society, despite disabled people continually encounter numerous barriers in their everyday lives. Accessibility and social inclusiveness are the major challenges for the active participation for the persons with disabilities in the urban world. This study looks at different theories of disability, relating them to the accessibility and inclusive design concepts. The lack of legal obligation to implement the inclusive solutions for authorities and the training and disability awareness has led to the environments full of barriers of the disabled community. The research has explored the types and nature of these barriers faced by persons with diverse disabilities for their integration into the urban society through bringing up to the light, a user perspective. The analysis of the findings has identified the barriers in four categories, either related to poor physical design, inadequate organizational or policy considerations, negative attitudes, and stigmatization or the technological deprivations. The latest approach to overcome these barriers along with the use of accessibility standards and policy legislations was emerged as “the smart solutions” related to the technological innovations in our cities. Recommendations have been formulated according to the analysis for maximum inclusion of disabled in our society by overcoming the barriers identified in the research. Extraordinary measures, such as laws, technical solutions, accessible technologies, disability awareness and training programe, have to be defined accordingly, adjusting to specific and perhaps contrasting needs for an inclusive urban environment. After all, the disabled population is the largest minority group on the planet, and is the only minority group any of us could join at any time.