Combining Access with the Ancient: Accessibility Report on India

 

Access at Storied Cultural Sites
Signs of inclusivity stretch across India, including in historic sights. A famous pink gate -- part of the impeccable Jaipur City Palace -- welcomes visitors inside. What is less visible is a gentle incline that allows people with mobility limitations to enter by wheelchair or by foot. Open layouts, which ramps help create, are beneficial to everyone, including many manners of limitations. This also provides an easier entrance over, for example, tremendous, challenging stone steps found at many Indian historical sites.  

Ancient Mughal structures in Fatehpur Sikri or Agra are organically retrofitted with red ramps that blend in and allow for improved access. I witnessed sights in Jaipur, Fatehpur Sikri, the Taj Mahal, and the Agra Fort by wheelchair, and got to understand firsthand how these help. These additions are thoughtful and organic. However, admittedly, there were still portions where the ramp was too narrow for the wheelchair to ascend, or a few steps still blocked the way. This thoughtfulness is much appreciated.

 

  

Indian Inclusivity: Past the History
Signage for people with disabilities is present across all of India's major cities, as far as I Can tell. Ramps also appear in everyday life for stores, apartments, and more. Just within my sister's apartment complex, I've seen people in wheelchairs moving about. Newer buildings feature smooth, open layouts in combination with elevators. Sidewalk markings for the blind can be found in Mumbai and elsewhere. Clearly, India is making strides to include all of its citizenry, though these vary across the entire country.

 

Discussing these aspects of Indian life brings me to an important realization. As a traveler, I can only speak as an observer and what I see directly. Living in the United States presents me with a chance to be especially aware of disability rights. However, each country is different and has their own unique approaches to integrating people with disabilities. There are real constraints placed on my worldview that may limit my understanding of access efforts done here.

India and Disability Policy
Despite my lack of intimate familiarity, there are policy moves India has taken to support people with disabilities. India is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Peoples with Disabilities. Though nonbinding, this underscores the nation’s efforts to more fully include people with disabilities. The country has also developed disability rights laws most notably the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act enacted in 2016 and taking effect in 2017. Not too terribly surprising here. 

A more unique feature is the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. I observed an office like this for a few provinces in Canada but just as a provincial office. This is across the entire nation.

The department published a tally of ten years of achievements since the act of 2017. These can be quite technical and are challenging to understand without knowing India's governmental policies. Still interesting to read. For instance, Reservation in Government jobs for persons with disabilities increased from 3% to 4%. Additionally, Reservation in seats for students with disabilities in government-supported higher education rose from 3% to 5%. Another instance of progress: the new institute named Indian Sign Language Research and Training Center set up in the capital of New Delhi.

Several other highlights from the report:

• 1314 State Government buildings retrofitted, 2851  buildings elected for retrofitting, and 1100 buildings selected were made accessible
  
• 709 railway stations made accessible through ramps, lifts, reserved parking and more
• All 35 international and 55 of 69 domestic airports made accessible via lift, audio signage & braille, ramps, toilets and more.
  

Many of these details are difficult to appreciate, especially without living in India. I do applaud this department for both existing and taking meticulous efforts to demonstrate progress over ten years. In fact, there is plenty more on the website that you can check if you are curious.

Challenges and Opportunities for Indian Access

Despite these improvements, I found many challenges that are much less prevalent in the US, Canada, and Western Europe, which tend to be accessibility-minded. India, like neighboring Pakistan (also a signatory), struggles with challenges of infrastructure and more. However, this country is wealthier, better resourced, and with fewer excuses.  

 

 There are some accessibility limitations worth noting:
1. Sidewalk markings for the blind are remarkably inconsistent in frequency.

I noticed that Mumbai seems to have more of them in the very developed areas, such as near malls.

2. Many buildings are not outfitted with modern design -- maybe not super surprising. 

Historical sites often feature caveats to their accessibility. Mehrangarh Fort, in Jodhpur, features an elevator that provides a more inclusive experience -- but charges 50 rupees for each way. Mahabalipuram, a 7th century monument, has sand that can impede movement, lacks ramps and other ways to get around, especially for features like Krishna's Butterball. (The Shore Temple, being a Hindu temple, has an open layout and paved paths that make for an easier access.) 

 

3. The challenges of traffic make walking much more challenging at busy intersections where crossing signals are few and drivers unpredictable.

Smaller cities, like Amritsar, have more traffic control that improves walking access. Also, some areas like Chandni Chowk (Delhi) and Hathi Gate (Amritsar) are closed to cars, raising walkability. This does not necessarily mean they are fully accessible, but provides one measure of improved movement. In my experience, India is especially fluid here.

4. Ramps are not always flush with the ground, posing a further challenge.

Though ramps are beneficial, these efforts can be undercut. See the previous image of how the ramp has a gap that could interfere with a wheelchair or other movement, even in a modern apartment complex.

5. Access can vary tremendously based on location within a city and within the country.

The Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar -- where I saw a few people in wheelchairs -- has some design modifications to invite people with disabilities. By contrast, the Ranakpur Jain Temple -- a popular tourist destination! -- inside is filled with stone steps that impede access.

6. India's strict reliance on procedure can sometimes leave out space for people with disabilities. 

The Dabolim airport in Goa -- my least favorite in the country -- is theoretically disability-friendly (see the report described earlier) because its lifts work and you are able to take a wheelchair across. However, it has a very confusing layout that takes a lot of energy and also separated me from my sisters and my wheelchair porter. Simultaneously, I was not able to access my luggage while also sitting and waiting in the wheelchair, which made me feel stranded. Fortunately, I was able to make my flight, but this airport especially impeded my ability to get to my flight. A clear example of poor accessibility in spirit even if not legally.

Here's another example. Take my time at Lollapalooza India at this large racetrack in Central Mumbai. There was a main gate, followed by a gate for people with disabilities, and then a few minutes walk to the shuttle. This was not explained well in the promotional material. I myself did not know about the shuttle. 

 

Fortunately, this arrangement worked well enough, with the caveat that the shuttle would wait for the concert to fully end. I walked into the venue through a Lolla VIP exit, close to where I was dropped, with my non-VIP badge. Green Day finished quite promptly around 10 pm.

The next hour plus was rough though. With the concert done, I tried to leave from the nearby Lolla VIP exit and was told no. Even after explaining my disability, they maintained their rules-based response without budging. Head to the next one, probably the one I entered from, and was again told to leave the line. They clearly wanted me to walk around the entire racetrack to use the accessible shuttle, which made less than zero sense. Venue was listed as a disability-friendly space -- a big sense of irony.

I go to the crew for help. They understand my need for help -- using the term PWD for shorthand -- and they come partway but cannot help me simply get through the line. After 15 minutes of waiting, I return to ask for their help. Now the crew person explains I was supposed to get a Lolla pass as someone with a disability. I borrow the one seat available and wait. After ten more minutes, the crew opened the barrier and let myself and a few others leave. (We had all been trapped in this Kafkaesque loop together, it seems.)

Unfortunately, after the shuttle dropped me, I saw no suitable seats and had to wait for the rideshare. I wait from 10:45 PM to about 11 and am finally on my way. By the time I got home, I was pretty ecstatic to just be there and escaped from the Lollapalooza labyrinth. Was pretty angry with how the staff had refused to let me through the nearby exit just on their rules without considering my needs. Worst part is: the concert was incredibly fun until every minute after. 

There's an added frustration here. As someone with a disability, my family can be wary of me doing things on my own. Especially because of the logistics. I felt a pressure to perfectly handle this solo trip, without tiring myself out but also while having limited phone service. Ultimately, my concert trip worked out -- on average -- but still that made the tough parts infuriating. On the flip side, though, this means I can handle this challenge and many more.

Disability Rights and Communal Effort
Oftentimes, community -- and the help people give to others -- is an invisible and underrated aspect of access. Many pieces about Indian disability rights are also likely in languages like Hindi, Urdu, and more -- which I unfortunately do not speak or read fluently. Clearly, there are many efforts I am not privy to.

That makes it imperative for me to try and point to others engaging in this work. I will end this piece with sharing stories of others working to improve access within India. 

Rosy and Robert are two individuals highlighted by Mobility International USA (MIUSA), a disability-led non-profit organization based in Eugene, Oregon.

Their goals are two-fold:
1. To empower people with disabilities around the world to achieve their human rights through international exchange and international development.

2. To ensure a just, accessible and inclusive community in which the human rights, citizenship, contribution and potential of people with disabilities are respected and celebrated.

In line with these goals, MIUSA has supported disability rights efforts in India -- both through locals who came to the US and others who came from the US.

Take Rosy (click for the article) from Chennai who traveled to Eugene, Oregon to learn more at the 7th International Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability (WILD). They talk about engaging two different local NGOs; one which works exclusively for people with disabilities and the other a general developmental organization, which has a few programs for people with disabilities.

Interestingly, Robert (click for the article) volunteered at the Agape Rehabilitation Center in Chennai where students with disabilities are taught computer courses and other skills for leading independent lives. While there, they focused on using videos to teach these students how to ace job interviews.

This piece is a work in progress and might be updated later.