Building an inclusive future

By Shezna Shums

Every society is made up of people with limitations in physical, sensorial and intellectual ability to varying degrees.

Today the chances are very high that each and every one of us, for different reasons, is certain to spend some of our time living with restricted ability to see, to move or to maintain a proper balance to walk. It could be, often suddenly, for a short time or a long time or even a life time.

Rapid aging and alarming rise of road accidents, man-made and natural disasters, debilitating medical conditions and ailments (often invisible) are the main causes. They make more and more people use sticks, frames, white canes, artificial limbs and crutches to walk and wheelchairs to move.

There are also more pregnant mothers, elders with small children or carrying heavy luggage who are thus physically or visually impaired.

It’s a wide range of people, all with diverse ability to move freely. Right now more than an estimated 25 percent of Sri Lanka’s population experience such a situation. It’s inevitable and normal.

However they are often made silently to fight an uphill battle for safety, access and accommodation in day-to-day life in man-made public buildings, facilities and places.

As nature is no respecter for positions or possessions, anyone of us, at any moment, could be placed in this unwanted and sad plight.

This is a grave social problem of much national importance from many sides. But it is easily preventable at new constructions at hardy any added cost.

The quality of living you then enjoy will greatly depend upon how safe, accessible and user friendly to you the living environment constructed around happens to be.

Idiriya is a registered not-for-profit humanitarian service organisation comprising a group of professionals in diverse fields. Their vision is all about social Inclusion for all and inherent human rights, focusing on making a positive difference to the quality of life of people living in communities in Sri Lanka who are severely “disadvantaged” in day-to-day life due to poor building design.

Their mission is actively to promote inclusive design at building environments where goods, facilities and services can be accessed safely by all persons, whether fully able-bodied or experiencing a drop in ability or mobility in order to empower them in daily life.

Idiriya’s work encompasses creating proper awareness about environments that enable everyone as a low cost investment, the enormous range of benefits they bring as dividends equally to a wide range of people and also the country, engaging support and catalysing change.

It focuses on designing and conducting educational programme to stimulate the interest-and thereby induce a positive change in attitudes-to construct better living environments that can be used equally and safely without hindrance by all sectors of society, with dignity.

Designing for inclusion

At a time when designing for inclusion is paramount, Idiriya has also stepped in to help organisations large and small, when required to provide the right guidance and proper advice through an accessibility audit services, to build or modify environments that comply with laws.

The aims of Idiriya are not to make profits, in fact, all its members work in an honorary capacity.

The organisation has no outside funding from any source and has been kept functioning actively, with commitment and integrity, by voluntary contributions of time and resources mainly by its members.

Hence Idiriya welcomes the support of the business community and others benevolent with empathy to help their mission.

Legal changes

On Wednesday Idiriya held a function to commemorate the fact that they got Supreme Court approval under SC (FR) 221/2009 dated 27 April 2011 with regard to accessibility at public buildings.

Dr. Ajith C. S. Perera Chief Executive and Secretary General of Idiriya was the driving force behind this historic move.

Under the law now all parts of new public buildings and places, especially toilet and wash facilities, as defined in the accessibility regulations, hereafter shall be designed and constructed in accordance with design requirements specified in these regulations.

Compliance is mandatory with this Court order to design buildings, approve plans, certify completed buildings and issue a Certificate of Conformity.

No person or body of persons shall furnish any false statement in this regard.

All authorities empowered to do so, with owners and co-owners are equally responsible partners for enforcing this order. They shall refrain from doing so for all constructions which violate this order. These include architects, builders, commissioners of Local Government Officers of the UDA and BOI, Heads of Ministries, Provincial Ministries and Institutions. Failure to comply here is a serious punishable offence attracting punitive repercussions. The Supreme Court further recognises that people have different levels of ability to move freely, and that many especially the growing number of seniors, disabled persons and pregnant mothers are restricted in their movement.

The Court also recognises that by virtue of the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act No 28 of 1996 no person should be discriminated against on the ground of disability and their mobility restricted in a manner which preludes or impedes them from enjoying equally their inherent right to access, safety and accommodation in day-to-day life at public buildings, public places and facilities provided there.

Speaking at the function was Professor Rohini Seneviratne Department of Community Medicine head who stated that access as a means of ‘entering’ is equally applicable to normal people as to those with diverse abilities. For example pregnant women, children and the elders suffer consequences of building construction which do not take into account this spectrum of diversity related to life cycle.

The height, depth and number of steps at entrance to a building or a floor are a case in point. People with afflictions which make it impossible to climb steps would be deprived of access. All buildings such as public places need to have an enabling and inclusive environment with provision of steps and ramps which are constructed giving due considerations to norms and standards laid down in the regulations governing the construction of houses and public buildings.

Adequacy of lightning, consistency, evenness and gradation of floors too are factors that may place people at risk of life and limb, jeopardizing their safety.

Social challenges

These require attention now, given the epidemiological, demographical and economic transition facing Sri Lanka, which too will result in increasing numbers with different abilities related to non communicable diseases and ageing.

“Let us not forget that Sri Lanka has the fastest ageing population in South East Asia and 2025 will witness one in four Sri Lankans being 60 years of age or above. Thus it is imperative that all stakeholders take up the issue of the built environment seriously and now,” she emphasised.

Professor Harsha Munasinghe is the Head Department of Architecture University of Moratuwa Sri Lanka he is a Chartered Architect and an urban designer.

He highlighted that 85 to 90 percent of the building put up in the country are not designed by architects.

In his speech he says that architects responsibility in shaping the built environment starts with the development of the design brief. Their vision is always shaping the most conformable living space. They have a significant social responsibility and a moral obligation as the creator of the built environment.

“We believe that the inclusive built environment would become a reality if we all consider the importance of the task at hand and act with social responsibly and moral obligation just like we have noted the significance of energy efficiency, recycling and eliminating pollutants.”

He emphasised on the need to develop Equality Impact Assessment of all their decision making similar to Environmental Impact Assessment. It is necessary to understand strengths of the current legislation and strengthen it, and it is more important to educate architects and allied professionals to understand their responsibility and obligations, but it is more important to shape out built environments to be socially-culturally diversified, so that investments will give the best returns.

 Pix by Upul Abayasekera

How accessibility can make a difference

It accommodates you with dignity, for the function or task for which the building/ place and its facilities were designed and meant for

It provides safer hassle free opportunities in day-to-day life

It makes your day-to-day life easier, more comfortable and pleasant

It improves your health and wellbeing, physically and mentally

It minimises the chances of becoming an unwanted dependant

It empowers the growing number of seniors and pregnant mothers

It builds self confidence and self reliance in bringing inclusion and togetherness for you with society

Money invested to promote and support social inclusion is in effect the way forward for Sri Lanka to become truly developed