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Aiming for an accessible future: Navhind Times features Ms. Sminu Jindal

Aiming for an accessible future
Svayam  is amongst the most active accessibility rights organisation in India working in various spheres of society to ensure dignity for people with reduced mobility. Founder of Svayam, Sminu Jindal on her recent trip to Goa spoke to NT BUZZ about how accessibility is not just about disability

NT,  January 11, 2017 in Buzz
SHERAS FERNANDES| NT BUZZ

Question 1:  You are now one of India’s leading business leaders, promoting equal accessibility rights movement in India. Tell us something about your journey.

Answer: I was a young child when I met with an accident and the world changed for me which kept me wondering how people lived life. As I grew older I realised that there are many who will benefit with accessible infrastructure. Accessibility enables one with smoother ways to move from one place to another. The idea is to do it safely for all women, children and elderly people to benefit with better ways and routes. People don’t understand how accessibility can affect people who are on the wheelchair. The whole idea is nature has made challenges around us and people are there to help us to overcome them. Human beings should ensure that infrastructure is accessible to live a normal life.

Question 2: Can you throw some light on the current scenario of the lives of people with reduced mobility in India and Goa in particular?

Answer: According to what I have observed in the past few years I have realised that people with reduced mobility in Goa don’t like to go out of their houses, whether it is their choice or the situation. Since Goan culture is about susegad it could be out of choice that people chill. Quoting census 2011, out of 1.5 million people in Goa almost 1 lakh people are directly impacted by accessibility at any given time (including the ones who are temporarily disabled due to accidents and falls).

Question 3: According to you how can accessibility for those with reduced mobility benefit both tourism and economy, especially in a state like Goa?

Answer: We as Indians miss out on a huge amount of opportunities. In terms of economic gain we have not thought if what will happen if we have accessible restaurant. It is to think a little beyond and make it a little bit different.

Question 4: The general debate is that ‘Accessibility is not just about disability’ can you please explain this statement?

Answer: Move around Goa and you will see how accessible or inaccessible Goa is. Do we have accessible ways for a baby in a pram or an old man with a walker?  We must have civic sense and be sensitised about the issue of people with reduced mobility. If accessibility is brought into implementation, somewhere down the line when we become older we too will be at an advantage, as we will not have to rely on anyone. Accessibility is not a disability topic it is a developmental topic as it benefits everyone in the society.

Question 5: What are your plans in improving the accessibility scenario in India? Do you have any specific plans for Goa?

Answer: I believe that Goa is a law abiding state and it is a state that wholeheartedly welcomes people from different walks of life. If a few things are kept in mind it will benefit the society as a whole. Three main things are the, size of a ramp, size of the door which should be at least three feet wide and an accessible bathroom – there are clear cut designs available and Svayam website offers them for free. If these three things are kept in mind, from a 100 per cent difficulty, life becomes only 20 per cent difficult for people and particularly for people with reduced mobility. The rest 20 per cent difficulty is transport. If transport is made accessible people with reduced mobility have their ‘me’ time and do not have to rely on anyone. Buses, pathways and proper curb cuts are essentials that will further reduce the difficulties for a person with reduced mobility. There are few things which are complicated but if you understand them you can make roads accessible.

Question 6:  Did you encounter any incident in life that made you believe that equal accessibility is not just important, but should also be a right for everyone?

Answer: I encounter so many incidents in different aspects of my day to day life. When I stay in a hotel there is only one accessible room which is not always what one desires. When we talk about a chilled way of life how can we live when someone else around us is in pain. For me sometimes the stairs of a church or temple is like Mount Everest. When God has given a problem why can’t other people help one another to find a solution. Give people the means of livelihood through accessibility. You should give somebody a gift that he remembers for life and accessibility can make a good gift.

Question 7: How has Svayam helped in breaking barriers and making necessities like education and healthcare accessible for people irrespective of their age and physical ability?

Answer: In a country like India people must understand the problems of those with reduced mobility and the need for accessibility for the benefit of the society. So my constant struggle is to talk to people and higher authorities like the education, health or tourism minister to make them aware on the need for accessibility. We are doing it at a central level (Delhi). Whenever I travel, I make it a point that I speak to people about accessibility; I have a greater hope of accessibility coming to Goa soon.

Source: Navhindtimes

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Journey without barriers – a unique initiative for inclusive travel in India

Dear Colleagues,

After “Himalaya on Wheels”, it is “Journeys Without Barriers (JWB)  a travel agency now that targets tourists with disabilities and the elderly that may need any assistance in making a travel programme to Kashmir, Chennai, Pune, Goa and several other places in India. It supplements independence movement by providing trained companions for the travel. They are also planning to launch adventure sports too in Chennai, where the differently-abled and senior citizens will experience stand-up paddling and rappelling.

….Great going Vidhya! we are sure your work with disabled people in Ladhakh for over one and a half decade will be very useful in bringing this new venture to its logical success. We need several such initiatives in India to make inclusive travel a reality and we wish this all good luck.

Here is the feature in The Hindu:

Trail blazers

Anusha Parthasarathy

March 26, 2012

OFFBEAT Journeys Without Barriers does just that — make travel easy for the differently-abled.

Travel can be a rough proposition for the differently-abled, and Journeys Without Barriers (JWB) strives to smoothen it out. Three passionate women — Gouthami, Shivani Gupta and Vidhya Kalyani RamaSubban — are behind this start-up.

When approached by individuals, groups, NGOs or interested communities for travel to a destination in India, JWB makes that specific place accessible to the differently-abled and senior citizens.

A change for the better

“Before we chalk out an itinerary, we visit the place, and check how accessible they are. We look at the washrooms (if they need ramps) and the ticket counters (if they must be lowered) at popular tourist spots, and work at making them accessible. The accommodation can be anything, including a homestay, guesthouse or hotel. Since Ladakh has many hotels, we decided not to build one ourselves, but to tie up with a few. When they are renovating or adding an extra room to their premises, we work with them to make it suitable for the customers. Basically, we help these people run this as a business enterprise,” she says.

“Sometimes we ourselves identify groups for such travel. Projects will soon be launched in Chennai (in Kovalam) and Delhi,” says Vidhya. It all started with ‘Himalaya on Wheels’, which they launched in 2011, with the help of PAGIR (People’s Action Group for Inclusion and Rights) in Ladakh. “I’ve been working in Ladakh for many years, and when we started ‘Himalaya on Wheels’, we thought, if people could travel to Ladakh, why not other places. That’s how JWB happened. In fact, a lot of people have been asking us to take it to places such as Goa or Pune.We’re planning on launching adventure sports too in Chennai, where the differently-abled and senior citizens will experience stand-up paddling and rappelling. Having said that, our packages are open to all kinds of travellers.”

When travelling with JWB, one needn’t worry about being alone, as it trains people to take care of the differently-abled. “Normally, Indians don’t travel alone and always bring people along to assist them, but for those who want to be independent, we have trained helpers,” says Vidhya. “We’re also a part of ‘Travel Another India’, which engages in responsible tourism. We work with local communities and help empower them.”

JWB hopes to make tourism friendly to the visually- and the hearing-impaired too. “In Chennai, for example, we have Vedanthangal on our list, and we will tie up with sign language interpreters who will tell them about the birds. We’re looking at having our pamphlets in Braille and in MP3 format.”

“We take people around usual tourist spots such as the lake and monasteries in Ladakh, and also do things such as a walk in the snow leopard area, spending a day with a Ladhaki family, learning to cook local cuisine and even a camel ride in North Ladakh,” says Vidhya.

For details, visit JWB at www.travelanotherindia.com/

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