With the recent revised guidelines for Universal Accessibility drawing criticism from certain quarters, architects, accessibility auditors and disability activists discuss how India can prioritise inclusion by factoring in differences
A boy on a wheelchair is seen at an event organised to celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities, at the Elliot’s beach in Chennai last December. Pic/Getty Images
In 2013, when Parul Kumtha, principal architect at Nature Nurture Architects and Planners, was roped in by Arvind Prabhoo, founder of Access 4 All Foundation, to make Nasik more accessible, it came as a dream project for the Mumbai professional. The objective of the N.A.S.I.K. Project (Negotiating Accessible Spaces for Inclusion in a Keystone Project) was to provide universally designed, barrier-free and accessible spaces to everyone, regardless of age, ability and circumstance. “The question was, where do we begin?” says Kumtha. They decided to first target locations that saw heavy footfall, with the hope that this would have an osmotic effect, and spread little by little to the rest of the city. Inclusive design is based on the principle that designing for the widest range of people creates better designs and benefits everyone. Like most citizen-centric projects, this one too hit roadblocks. “As far as implementation goes, while some places like the Government Girls School could carry them out, many of the suggested interventions were possibly shelved due to various reasons,” remembers Kumtha.
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