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Audit spells out accessibility quotient

Audit Spells out Accessibility quotient

Publication: The Times Of India Pune; Date: May 14, 2012; Section: Times City; Page: 2

Neha Madaan | TNN 

Pune: Svayam, a Delhi-based NGO, that works to make public places accessible for the elderly and the disabled, plans to undertake an audit of Ajanta and Ellora caves, as well as other ticketed monuments in the Aurangabad circle including Bibi ka Maqbara, Daulatabad Fort, Aurangabad Group of caves and Padavlena caves in Nashik. 

    Svayam, which had earlier signed a memorandum with ASI to help them make their sites in Delhi, Agra and Goa accessible, will gradually move to other sites in Maharashtra. Qutub Minar, the first monument that Svayam audited, became the first heritage monument to be made accessible by ASI. Red Fort, Taj Mahal and Lal Quila, among others, have also been audited by the Svayam team. 

    Abha Negi, director of Svayam, an initiative of the SJ Charitable Trust, said, “We have been working with ASI as consultants for six years and are currently undertaking the incorporation of accessibility features in a phased manner. We started with trainings of those involved in maintaining the world heritage sites— engineers as well as contractors— before undertaking interventions at different sites.” 

    “It showed that the disabled and elderly have a right to expect dignified and comfortable access to and within these heritage sites and buildings,” she added. In the past, Svayam has also participated whereever possible in audits of Agra fort, Fatehpur Sikri and Taj Mahal. 

    Svayam had also conducted a series of trainings with ASI engineers and contractors. “These trainings ensured appreciation of user requirements, as opposed to theoretical design prescriptions and guidelines, thereby eliciting an appropriate response followed by required desired action. A host of issues need to be kept in mind while making a heritage site accessible, right from arrival and site access, entrance and entrance gates, change in levels, thresholds, steps, incline of steps, to steep inclines, kissing gates and stiles, historic ground surfaces, surface finishes and other physical features. Staff awareness is also important,” Negi said. 

    An audit said, “An access audit process involves observing the building/ heritage site complex from the perspective of its usability by children, disabled, elderly and women. A team of professionals, user groups and trained volunteers form the audit team. They take photographs, measurements and audit the property from the perspective of not only a physically disabled person, but also blind visitors, those with low vision or with hearing impairment or with psycho-social disabilities,” Sminu Jindal, chairperson of Svayam, said. 

    The team audits each area of the complex which includes the monument’s website, parking, ticket counters/ information kiosks, toilets/amenities (drinking water facilities etc), approach ways and access route to and around the monument and to major attractions within the monument, canteens/eating joints or refreshment areas/ souvenir shop/counter, and museum/interpretation centre/ libraries. 

    Other aspects audited include level differences that create barriers for smooth mobility and safety of visitors, directional and informational signages at the entrance, parking and all other areas frequented or likely to be frequented by visitors, mobility equipment (if available) and topography/level changes in the complex. 

    Access features are suggested with the archaeological norms in mind. “We ensure that the intervention gels with the overall aesthetics of the monument and does not stand out like a sore thumb. Also the whole objective is to make the site ‘visitable’ by a wide range of people without interfering with the nature and architecture of the monument. Thirdly, we also ensure that there is no damage to the monument while implementing the suggestions for improving accessibility. Ramps and other features supplementing the accessibility are temporary structures and not grouted,” she added. 

    When it becomes essential, the team suggests minimum grouting required for the safety and proper securing of the equipment/lift wherever needed. “However, it is difficult to generalize the access solutions at all heritage sites since each differ in its characteristics, topography, architecture, usage and climatic conditions. If the area is too big, we suggest mobility solutions such as wheelchairs, carts that are run on battery and are non-polluting,” she said. 

    An official from ASI’s headquarters in Delhi said, “Barrier-free features in monuments across the country is a continuous process. Toilets at major monuments across the country will be made barrierfree with easy wheelchair maneuvering. The barrier-free initiative will also be applied to monuments in Maharashtra.” 

    INCLUSIVE HERITAGE SITES WORLD OVER 

  • Edinburgh Castle in Scotland has a stair lift alongside a temporary ramp that is in use in the castle’s Great Hall 
  • Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland has a permanent ramp 
  • The Caves of Jerusalem have been made accessible by installing platform lifts 
  • King Ludwig’s fairytale castle, Neuschwanstein, in Germany, has an elevator for people with disabilities to access all the towers and different levels of the castle 


SHANIWARWADA: SOON TO BE ACCESIBLE TO ALL 


The Qutub Minar was the first heritage monument in the country to be made accessible for the elderly and the disabled 

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Svayam will conduct Access Audit of Heritage sites under Aurangabad Circle of ASI

Dear Colleagues,

Below is the feature from Times of India, Pune by Ms. Neha Madaan, a well known feature writer who has been closely following such issues.

After audit, Ajanta, Ellora caves may become more accessible

Neha Madaan, TNN | May 14, 2012, 12.56AM IST

PUNE: Svayam, a Delhi-based NGO, that works to make public places accessible for the elderly and the disabled, plans to undertake an audit of Ajanta and Ellora caves, as well as other ticketed monuments in the Aurangabad circle including Bibi ka Maqbara, Daulatabad Fort, Aurangabad Group of caves and Padavlena caves in Nashik. Svayam, which had earlier signed a memorandum with ASI to help them make their sites in Delhi, Agra and Goa accessible, will gradually move to other sites in Maharashtra. Qutub Minar, the first monument that Svayam audited, became the first heritage monument to be made accessible by ASI. Red Fort, Taj Mahal and Lal Quila, among others, have also been audited by the Svayam team.

Abha Negi, director of Svayam, an initiative of the SJ Charitable Trust, said, “We have been working with ASI as consultants for six years and are currently undertaking the incorporation of accessibility features in a phased manner. We started with trainings of those involved in maintaining the world heritage sites- engineers as well as contractors- before undertaking interventions at different sites.”

“It showed that the disabled and elderly have a right to expect dignified and comfortable access to and within these heritage sites and buildings,” she added. In the past, Svayam has also participated whereever possible in audits of Agra fort, Fatehpur Sikri and Taj Mahal.

Svayam had also conducted a series of trainings with ASI engineers and contractors. “These trainings ensured appreciation of user requirements, as opposed to theoretical design prescriptions and guidelines, thereby eliciting an appropriate response followed by required desired action. A host of issues need to be kept in mind while making a heritage site accessible, right from arrival and site access, entrance and entrance gates, change in levels, thresholds, steps, incline of steps, to steep inclines, kissing gates and stiles, historic ground surfaces, surface finishes and other physical features. Staff awareness is also important,” Negi said.

An audit said, “An access audit process involves observing the building/ heritage site complex from the perspective of its usability by children, disabled, elderly and women. A team of professionals, user groups and trained volunteers form the audit team. They take photographs, measurements and audit the property from the perspective of not only a physically disabled person, but also blind visitors, those with low vision or with hearing impairment or with psycho-social disabilities,” Sminu Jindal, chairperson of Svayam, said.

The team audits each area of the complex which includes the monument’s website, parking, ticket counters/ information kiosks, toilets/amenities (drinking water facilities etc), approach ways and access route to and around the monument and to major attractions within the monument, canteens/eating joints or refreshment areas/ souvenir shop/counter, and museum/interpretation centre/ libraries.

Other aspects audited include level differences that create barriers for smooth mobility and safety of visitors, directional and informational signages at the entrance, parking and all other areas frequented or likely to be frequented by visitors, mobility equipment (if available) and topography/level changes in the complex.

Access features are suggested with the archaeological norms in mind. “We ensure that the intervention gels with the overall aesthetics of the monument and does not stand out like a sore thumb. Also the whole objective is to make the site ‘visitable’ by a wide range of people without interfering with the nature and architecture of the monument. Thirdly, we also ensure that there is no damage to the monument while implementing the suggestions for improving accessibility. Ramps and other features supplementing the accessibility are temporary structures and not grouted,” she added.

When it becomes essential, the team suggests minimum grouting required for the safety and proper securing of the equipment/lift wherever needed. “However, it is difficult to generalize the access solutions at all heritage sites since each differ in its characteristics, topography, architecture, usage and climatic conditions. If the area is too big, we suggest mobility solutions such as wheelchairs, carts that are run on battery and are non-polluting,” she said.

An official from ASI’s headquarters in Delhi said, “Barrier-free features in monuments across the country is a continuous process. Toilets at major monuments across the country will be made barrier-free with easy wheelchair maneuvering. The barrier-free initiative will also be applied to monuments in Maharashtra.”

Inclusive heritage sites world over

Edinburgh Castle in Scotland has a stair lift alongside a temporary ramp that is in use in the castle’s Great Hall

Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland has a permanent ramp

The Caves of Jerusalem have been made accessible by installing platform lifts

King Ludwig’s fairytale castle, Neuschwanstein, in Germany, has an elevator for people with disabilities to access all the towers and different levels of the castle

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Ajanta & Ellora Caves to improve accessibility for Visitors with Disabilities

Dear Colleagues,

Archeological Survey of India plans to provide battery powered wheelchairs to make World Heritage Sites of Ajanta & Ellora Caves accessible to those living with disabilities. Svayam had undertaken access audit of Agra Fort, Taj Mahal & Fatehpur Sikri group of monuments and shared detailed audit reports with the Archeological survey of India recommending these batterly powered wheelchairs and vehicles which has been accepted by the ASI to be incorporated at other world heritage sites also.

Here is the news from Gulf News:
World-famous caves to offer access to disabled

Battery-powered vehicles to be provided by Archaeological Survey of India at Ajanta and Ellora sites.

By Pamela Raghunath, Correspondent Published: 00:00 March 23, 2012

Mumbai: Disabled tourists are to be given access to the world-famous Ajanta and Ellora rock-cut caves via battery-powered vehicles.

As part of its 150th anniversary celebrations, the Archaeological Survey of India is to provide the vehicles which can transport up to five people per trip to the caves, in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

The beautiful rock-hewn Buddhist, Hindu and Jain temples of the Ellora caves, carved on the hillsides of the Sahyadri ranges, will be the first to be made accessible using existing ramps, Dr D. Dayalan, director of the Aurangabad Circle at the ASI, told Gulf News yesterday.
The service will then be rolled out to the Ajanta caves, 100km away.

In an attempt to make the sites — visited by tourists from all over India and the world — more tourist-friendly, the ASI will completely revamp the existing facilities.

“Apart from undertaking major conservation works, we have identified around a dozen monuments in Maharashtra where tourist facilities will be upgraded and brought to an international level,” said Dr Dayalan.

A sophisticated security system has already been installed at Daulatabad, one of the world’s best-preserved medieval forts, and there are similar plans at Ellora, Ajanta and Bibi Ka Maqbara, a replica of Agra’s Taj Mahal built by Aurangzeb’s son in the 17th century as a tribute to his mother, Begum Rabia Durani.

Inaugurating the 150th anniversary celebrations of the ASI’s Aurangabad and Mumbai Circles at Ellora caves yesterday, Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan congratulated all those involved with the work of the organisation.

“As a chancellor of 20 universities in Maharashtra, I do feel that the ASI should have greater interaction with our universities, research institutions and even private conservation organisations,” the Governor said.

Modern methods

“We should work closely with heritage conservation bodies in advanced countries. Such interactions will help us adopt modern methods to preserve and conserve our heritage and monuments.”

Sankaranarayanan added he was surprised to note Maharashtra alone has 168 places of historical importance taken care of by the ASI. Several more are maintained by state and local authorities.
He said Maharashtra was home to four important world heritage sites, namely the Ajanta, Ellora and Elephanta caves and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai.

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Museum to improve accessibility for visitors with disabilities

CHENNAI, INDIA: The Government Museum is gearing up to receive more visitors with disabilities with a host of amenities for them set to come up in the next few months on its sprawling campus in Egmore.

From more ramps with hand railings near the galleries to elevators to tactile flooring to modified toilets, work on a few of the proposed facilities to make the museum more disabled-friendly has already begun. A public address system is also to be installed. Around 3.5 lakh people visit the Museum’s various galleries annually, entry to which is by way of tickets. At least 50 per cent of them are children. The Museum is also a sought-after destination for school excursions.

“We want to make this an inclusive museum and one for all,” said S.S. Jawahar, Commissioner of Museums. A sculptor garden designed is the new addition at the museum, where visitors get to touch and feel each of the artefacts. A pillar excavated from Anantapur district, sculpture of Vishnu, Nandi, Durga and Lion, all sourced from across the country are some of the exhibits in the garden. A few exhibits at the Geology sections are also the touch and feel type.

The touch and feel garden is expected to attract blind visitors. It would be of great interest to the school students and the museum should have more of such facilities, think school heads.

“We frequent the Touch and Smell Park at Taramani for our school picnics as this is the only place where children get a feel of things around as well as explore,” said Deepika Srinivasan, teacher for deafblind children at Clarke School for the Deaf. She says that it is always a challenge to find places for blind people.

“Not all blind children have access to Braille, so having audio systems will be helpful. We will also like to have interpreters for the deaf to explain us about exhibits in the museum,” she adds.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com

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Four wheelchair users to tour country’s monuments

Sunita Sancheti, 40, has never ventured out of her house without being assisted by a family member to manoeuvre her wheelchair.

However, this September, she will cover approximately 16,000 km at a stretch by road without their assistance.

“If not for the world, I am hoping to at least go around the country in 80 days on my own,“ said Sancheti, who will travel to tourist spots across 28 states along with three other wheelchair users -Arvind Prabhoo, 42, Nishant Khade, 40, and Neenu Kewlani, 41.

The group, that calls itself the Adventurous Four, will undertake the Beyond BarriersIncredible India project to gauge how accessible the country is to wheelchair users. It plans to submit its observations and an access audit report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“Tourism for the disabled is nonexistent in India. Right from the lack of disabled-friendly urinals on the roads to the absence of supportive infrastructurevisiting architectural marvels in our country is an ordeal,“ added Sancheti. Under the guidance of the Vijay Merchant Rehabilitation Centre for the Disabled (VMRCD), they will visit two monuments in every state during their three-month trip, and will discuss the challenges with the states’ chief ministers and disability commissioners.

“Travelling such long distances at a stretch is going to be a big challenge,“ said Kewlani, who will also be travelling outside the city without her family for the first time. “Keeping in mind the health concerns, we will also be accompanied by our care-givers,“ she added.

For Prabhoo, who conceptualised the project, visiting the tourist spots has been a childhood dream.

“The enthusiasm is overpowering the nervousness. By putting ourselves on a spot, we are hoping to make a larger difference in the lives of the 10 % of the country’s population that is disabled,“ he said.

Published in : Hindustan Times.

 

 

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Australia leads in making Museums accessible to the Deaf

Source: Travability Blogs

Australian First in Museum Access for Deaf Australians at the National Sports Museum

“Smart Auslan”Technology Developed by the Australian Communication Exchange

Melbourne, Australia: 4 May, 2011:

Deaf and hearing impaired Australians can now enjoy Australia’s first onsite access to Auslan and caption services at the National Sports Museum in Melbourne. The “Smart Auslan” technology was developed by not‐for‐profit organisation, Australian Communication Exchange (ACE), over an 18‐month partnership with the museum.
While hundreds of museums across Australia offer audio tours, only the National Sports Museum now offers the equivalent service for Deaf and hearing impaired Australians to gain easy access to the same information through a smartphone device.
Up until now, Deaf Australians have had to either pay for their own Auslan interpreter, or wait for a scheduled Auslan tour to fully appreciate the cultural experiences on offer at museums. With Smart Auslan on their device, they can now freely decide when and how they would like to visit museums adopting the technology.

Smart Auslan

“The Smart Auslan project with the National Sports Museum is a breakthrough in exhibition accessibility for Deaf and hearing impaired Australians,” said Sandy Gilliland, ACE Chief Executive Officer. “This partnership is part our ongoing commitment to deliver quality‐of‐life services today that will provide equal access to Deaf Australians. We see this as the first of many museums and galleries that will look to further cultural access for all Australians, by opening their doors wider for the Deaf and hearing impaired communities.”

Each year, approximately 150,000 people visit the National Sports Museum and listen to audio descriptions of iconic exhibitions. Smart Auslan provides Deaf and hearing impaired Australians with the same access to the museum display descriptions in Auslan sign language videos that can be accessed by scanning Quick Response (QR) codes with Android‐powered smartphones.

The museum will have six Android devices located for visitors to use or alternatively the application can be downloaded onto an Android smartphone from the ACE website.

Margaret Birtley, General Manager for the National Sports Museum: “This is such an exciting initiative and we are thrilled to be part of the launch of Smart Auslan in Australia. We are sure this new technology will provide our deaf and hearing impaired visitors with a more engaging experience at the National Sports Museum.”

ACE is a not‐for‐profit organisation which, for 16 years, has been at the forefront of communication solutions for Deaf, hearing impaired and speech impaired Australians. The organisation is constantly looking for new ways to meet the changing communication needs of its communities. Today’s technology and high speed internet makes it possible to design these new access tools that will overcome significant barriers for signing Deaf Australians. ACE is experienced in designing, delivering and promoting new communication solutions for this group. Our vision is Access to Communication for Everyone and we will continue to provide resources and expertise in this sector so our vision can be achieved.

About Australian Communication Exchange (ACE)

Australian Communication Exchange (ACE) is a national not‐for‐profit community organisation. ACE was established to facilitate equity of access to the telecommunications network for people who are Deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment.

For further information about the Smart Auslan project with the National Sports Museum please visitwww.smartauslan.com.au or email info@smartauslan.com.au or phone 1300 133 968.

Background information when reporting about Deaf and hearing impaired Australians

There is a difference between capital “D” Deaf Australians and deaf or hearing impaired. Australians who use Auslan sign language as their first and preferred language identify with themselves as belonging to the Deaf community. Usually, this group have been deaf since birth or early childhood and were taught to sign at an early age. Auslan is recognised as a community language other than English, so for Deaf Australians learning English is akin to learning a second language.

Hearing impaired or hard of hearing people have either lost their hearing later in life or as children but followed an auditory‐oral approach. The children develop English speaking and listening skills with their residual hearing and do not usually use Auslan.

Smart Auslan is accessible to both these groups because the museum information has been translated into both Auslan sign language and English captions.

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Qutub Minar proves Accessibility is Good Business Sense!

After Qutub Minar bacame accessible and more friendly to every one, the footfall has gone up in last two years despite the slow down in the economy! Article is silent on the reasons which are obvious! Who says Accessibility is not a Good Business Sense?

Here is the news report from Mail Today:

Click here to read from source

 Qutub Minar rakes in moolah for Delhi

Pratul Sharma, New Delhi, March 3, 2010

According to figures presented by the culture ministry in the Lok Sabha, revenue earned through ticket sales at the Qutub Minar stood at Rs 10.41 crore, much higher than that collected for the Red Fort (Rs 5.5 crore) and Humayun’s Tomb (Rs 4.8 crore) for 2009.

While the other monuments received fewer footfalls because of a drop in tourist numbers, thus affecting their revenue generation, the Qutub Minar was the only building that collected more revenue than the previous years.

It saw an increase of close to Rs 85 lakh in revenue in 2009, than the year before.

The revenue for the UNESCO-designated other World Heritage Sites – the Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb – dropped during the same period.

The Qutub Minar’s revenue earnings are second only to the Taj Mahal’s – whose revenue share also dipped.

The Taj earned Rs 14.87 crore in 2009, a drop from Rs 17.42 crore during the previous year.

Moreover, it seems Delhi was the preferred tourist destination, over even the Taj Mahal.

No wonder the Qutub Minar, the highest building in the country, raked in the money.

Being a well- preserved building with a collection of smaller monuments within the main complex, it offers more attractions to the visitors.

They are awed by the sheer beauty of its carved stones and the imposing height of the tower.

With the economic slowdown hitting tourism, revenue generation at world heritage monuments fell drastically last year.

The overall figure for revenue earned through entrance tickets at 16 centrally protected monuments during 2009 was just Rs 50 crore, as compared to Rs 66.84 crore in 2008.

The drop in revenue showed the fall in the number of foreign tourists visiting the country.

Sources said foreign tourists contribute more as each ticket for them costs Rs 250 as compared to Rs 10 for tourists from the SAARC nations.

Monuments in the country that saw a marginal increase in revenue through ticket sales last year were the Ellora Caves ( Rs 1.21 crore), the Buddhist monument at Sanchi ( Rs 1.94 crore), the Sun Temple in Konark ( Rs 1.8 crore), the Elephanta Caves ( Rs 80 lakh) and the Champaner- Pavagarh Archaeological Park ( Rs 13 lakh).

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Now another heritage site, Maquinez Palace, Panaji becomes accessible

Dear Friends,

Maquinez Palance, Panaji has become another Heritage site to become accessible, this time with the efforts of Goa Disability Rights Association and the Govt’s pro-active support to provide accessibility.

Congratulations to Mr. Avelino D’Sa, The President of DRAG and his team for their perseverence and achieving this success in making yet another site accessible to all!

Here is the coverage, To read from source click here.

regards

SC Vashishth, Program Coordinator, Svayam

Maquinez palace gets lift for disabled

PANAJI: Chief minister Digambar Kamat on Thursday inaugurated a special lift for specially challenged people at the Maquinez palace, Panaji.

The lift will help specially challenged people to view movies in the two theatres in the Maquinez palace during the upcoming International Film Festival of India.

Talking to the media after inaugurating the lift, Kamat said, “The facility will benefit disabled persons and specially challenged children to gain access to the theatres in the Maquinez palace. Specially challenged persons were demanding the installation of this lift and now they are satisfied. It will give them an opportunity to watch movies here.”

Avelino D’Sa, president of Disability Rights Association of Goa (DRAG), also expressed satisfaction at the installation of the lift. “We have been fighting for this for a long time. It is not only during IFFI that we come here, but we attend functions all through the year. INOX is also being made disabled friendly,” D’Sa said.

D’Sa said other government buildings, streets and buses are still not made disabled friendly and that DRAG was working to bring about changes there. Officials from Graand Prix elevators, who installed the special lift at a cost of Rs 19 lakh, said the lift is aesthetically better than normal lifts and can be installed without making any structural changes to the building. This was especially important in Maquinez palace as it is a heritage building.