THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sitting in a wheelchair for the first time, Natasha Lily, a Class 12 student of the Government Model Girls HSS, Pattom, was initially taken aback. Ahead of her lay a rough surface, a slanting ramp, and a square-shaped step, before she had to navigate the course back to the starting point.
Natasha was not sitting in the wheelchair because of any medical condition; she was taking part in a wheelchair simulation track demonstration, an awareness programme organised by the CanWalk Society and SP Adarsh Foundation at the Manaveeyam Veedhi here on Sunday evening.
“Pushing a wheelchair all by oneself is more difficult than it seems. Since this was a higher quality wheelchair, it was easier for me,” she said.
The event was aimed at increasing awareness about the challenges faced by disabled people using wheelchairs and the need for inclusive infrastructure in all systems.
A retired KELTRON official, Prabhakaran, said his one minute in the wheelchair made him realise how poor our infrastructure is in addressing the requirements of the disabled community.
A wheelchair user himself, CanWalk founder and chairman Gokul Retnakar said they are planning to conduct similar awareness programmes in the coming months too. “Now that people have begun seeing wheelchair delivery partners along the streets of the city, the next initiative should be aimed at empathising with them and understanding their harsh reality, which was the core idea of the event,” he said.
