QUEEN'S ROAD: The State Disabilities Commission has set a February 28 deadline for government departments to inform him of the disabled-friendly measures they have implemented.
Commissioner K S Rajanna took up a suo moto case late last year, directing government departments and state-run institutions to implement the Non-Discrimination clauses of the Persons with Disabilities Act of 1995.
Compliance is just about 20 per cent, his office said. Secretaries and principal secretaries are required to furnish the information on the steps they have taken so far.
A few months ago, they were sensitised about the law, and the needs of persons with disability.
"The Act states that government departments should implement these measures 'within the limits of their economic capacity'. It has been 19 years since the Act came into force and departments have ample funds now," said Indresh R, undersecretary to the commissioner.
So right from the state-level departments to gram panchayats, every government body has to respond to the order.
The information submitted by the departments will be put up online for the public to verify. "So if people say the information is false, it will amount to contempt of court," Indresh said.
"The deadline sounds great on paper, but may not be entirely practical," said K N Gopinath, executive director, operations, Association of People with Disability (APD).
"Most of our government buildings are very old, so it's difficult to make drastic changes, especially at short notice," he observed. However, he hopes the deadline will increase public awareness and set processes in motion.
"Turning an entire city into a disabled-friendly space requires a lot of support, which is lacking at the moment. Just to make government offices understand how large and complicated the problem is will take some time," he told City Express.
Where things might be looking better is the education and employment sector. "Both government and private schools are opening up to disabled children, with teachers being trained. Corporates are doing a great job hiring differently abled persons," Gopinath said.
But Sunil Jain, founder-trustee of Astha, which works towards bridging the gap between the 'abled and differently-abled', feels the education sector is where focused work is required.
"Making public spaces accessible, or making transport and roads more disabled-friendly isn't the end. There should be places that the differently-abled want to go to," he told City Express.
A chartered accountant who lost mobility when he was just 18 months old, Jain believes children with special needs should be given regular education rather than vocational training.
"It's not just about livelihood. Parents should be able to believe the differently abled can support others too," he says.
He suggests the compilation of a ward-wise database of persons with disability.
"Then, Bengaluru can be a model city and we could even have differetly-abled sections in each zone," he said.
The database will help make poll booths more disabled-friendly, something that he, through a people's movement, wants to achieve by the next election.
In addition to ramps and disabled-friendly toilets, Samarthanam co-founder Mahantesh G feels having bright coloured borders for glass surfaces will help the visually impaired.
"And, in a flight of stairs, a contrast colour band on the first and last steps. Door handles should be in bright colours so they can be easily located," he said.
He has observed that in the London underground, staff help people with special needs board the train.
"They also find out which station these people get off at and coordinate with the staff there to escort them out," he explained.
A similar system should be put in place in the railways as well as the Metro here, he said. "This will not only help people with disabilities but senior citizens as well," he said. (inputs by Chetana Divya Vasudev)
What the law says
Provisions under Section 44, 45 and 46 of the Persons with Disability Act (1995) recommend:
Transport