Shillong, Sep 22: Accessibility is not charity but a right guaranteed under the Constitution and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, and it is a precondition for fundamental rights to life, education and justice, Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court Justice Revati Mohite Dere said on Tuesday.
Addressing a sensitisation programme on accessibility of public buildings under RPwD Act, 2016, organised by the High Court in collaboration with Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy and Mission Accessibility at the High Court Auditorium, Justice Dere said the Act was enacted to protect dignity, prevent discrimination and ensure equality, yet persons with disabilities continue to face hardships due to gaps in implementation.
Attributing it to lack of awareness and sensitivity, she said persons with disabilities seek independence, dignity and self-respect, not sympathy. “Instead of encouraging them to be independent and self-reliant, we tend to create barriers and obstacles by ignoring their rights and needs,” she said.
She stressed training engineers, architects and officials involved in planning and construction so that universal design and accessibility are built in from the start, and urged officials to see accessibility as opportunity to create inclusive infrastructure, not just legal obligation.
Schools, colleges, offices and public institutions must allow persons with disabilities, including children, to move freely and independently, she said. “People with disabilities succeed when all institutions, public or private, choose to be inclusive,” she said, calling for efforts to move them from dependency to independence.
“A door is not accessible if it needs another person to open it,” she said, adding accessibility must cover roads, workplaces, restrooms and daily use facilities and human dignity must remain central while approving projects.
Commissioner & Secretary Social Welfare Pravin Bakshi said accessibility is a legal mandate and must be integrated into building rules, planning permission and maintenance, informing that access audits were done in 15 district courts and 6 district prisons.
The programme was attended by Justices Hamarsan Singh Thangkhiew, Biswadeep Bhattacharjee and Wanlura Diengdoh, officials from Social Welfare, Police and other departments.
Expert sessions on implementation of RPwD Act and constitutional provisions on equality and dignity were conducted.
