Thiruvananthapuram: When the Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Trivandrum, recently started its accessibility audit project at Saphalyam complex, owned by TRIDA, the observations made in the report surprised even the activists working for the rights of people with disabilities. No one expected this old building to be rated 'mostly accessible'. And it wasn't just the plight of people with disabilities that they had in mind.
"Kerala's is an aging population. Everyone, at a certain point in their life cycle, would need to depend on accessibility facilities. As an educational institution, we had to take the lead to educate and empower our people. Moreover Kerala needs to be at the forefront of such activities," says Priyanjali Prabhakara, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture. The main market area was found accessible for a wheelchair-enabled person. Every level is connected with lifts. Though situated to the back, there is even a ramp leading to the ground floor.
The report has identified areas that need to be corrected to make it completely accessible. "The complex was mostly accessible, expect for some parts due to presence of stairs, say between a lobby and a corridor. Moreover it needed signage so that a person new to the complex would be able to find where the ramp or elevator is," says Priyanjali. Central government rules stipulate that the main entry should be accessible and be near the disability parking area, she says. These were marked as suggestions and presented to TRIDA.
Their first study focused on making it accessible for people with physical disability, but they plan to conduct a detailed study covering all disabilities. They have completed audits of Vocational Rehabilitation Centre and Central Railway Station, Thampanoor. The report related to the railway station will be submitted next week. The project was started with the support of Pallium India, an organisation that provides palliative care.
