Walled in: For those using wheelchairs, the city is largely off-limits

At least 10% of people living in Karachi require the use of ramps.


Express December 27, 2011

KARACHI: For Adil Rafiq, 14, the only place he can freely move around in his mechanically propelled wheelchair is within his house. Since ramps are few and far between in the city, his view of the world outside is extremely limited.

Adil’s father, Amir Rafiq, is frustrated with the lack of accessibility for his son in main centres and popular restaurants. To ensure his son went to a regular educational institution, the elder Rafiq built a ramp at his son’s school in order for him to move easily around campus. “I see many people of dead heart and dead mind around me,” he says. “They either don’t think or don’t care about others and their rights.”

For those seeking justice and using a wheelchair, the only accessible location is the Sindh High Court, where a ramp was built recently under the directions of Chief Justice Mushir Alam. But the lower courts, which have a heavy load of daily litigation, still do not have ramps.

Other than the two main shopping centres the Rafiq family frequents, The Forum and Park Towers, Amir Rafiq says most places end up “excluding his son and others in wheelchairs”.

General Secretary for the Association of Physically Handicapped Adults (APHA) S M Nishat says at least 10% of people living in Karachi require the use of ramps. “These include those who are disabled, expectant mothers as well as the elderly.” Nishat adds that barely one per cent of all buildings in the city are ramp accessible. “As per Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) guidelines all new buildings must build ramps entrance and exits as well but we hardly see anyone implementing that,” he says. A representative of the KBCA was unavailable for comment.

“The situation is particularly uncomfortable for girls and women,” says Dr Maimoona Bari, who has been in a wheelchair for most of her life. “We are reliant on family members or even strangers to help lift us up the stairs, it is so embarrassing.” Bari says by simply building a ramp, authorities could remove this reliance and give people the independence to be in charge of their own movement.

“Sometimes I feel like going out with my family but then I keep thinking whether there will be a ramp or not,” Bari says. “Finally I give up and stay at home as I do not want to ruin my family’s fun by constantly having them help me up and down the stairs.”

It wasn’t until Bari joined her job at one of the City District Government Karachi’s (CDGK) hospitals that they had a ramp built there. “That was after I asked my boss [to build a ramp],” she says, “He had it built almost immediately but why do we always need to ask?”

“I want to be able to move freely and not be dependent on anyone,” Adil says. “But for that we need better roads and more accessible buildings.” Till then this 14-year-old freely whizzes around in his powered wheelchair... but only inside his home.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 28th, 2011.

COMMENTS (1)

Cautious | 12 years ago | Reply

You have the bomb -- but can't build wheelchair ramps? Anything build with taxpayers money should be accessible by all taxpayers - even if they are disabled.

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