Something that has been brought to my attention quite recently is the issue of accessible buildings in and around Cape Town. When I talk about accessible buildings, I mean those structures that have been designed or at least adapted in such a manner that physically disabled persons do not need the assistance of other persons to get entry to and/or move around freely in. (What about accessibility for other types of disabilities? I hear you cry. Fear not - that is a whole other post in the making!)
I recently visited Durban, as a presenter at the Disabled People's International 8th World Assembly, where it was jokingly mentioned that Durban is in future to be known as 'The City of Ramps'. This got me thinking. How does Cape Town compare? Sure, we have our mountain, our awesome botanical gardens and our even more awesome beaches, but can disabled persons actually see any of these things without major hassle? Let's have a look at some of the major tourist-y activities in Cape Town, shall we?
1. Shopping:
Aahhh, where can I spend my well-earned dollars, pounds, euros in peace? Preferably not in a Cape Town shopping mall. The major shopping malls in Cape Town and surrounds seem to think that as long as there are a couple disabled parking bays somewhere in the vicinity of an entrance and an elevator or two, disabled persons should have no problems getting around the particular shopping complex.
I beg to differ. One of the abovementioned malls is currently undergoing an extensive revamp process. It is difficult enough for non-disabled persons to move around unassisted. I can only imagine how off-putting it must be for a person in a wheelchair, and how the daunting nature of the task would lead to a whole bevy of disabled persons choosing to shop online. In addition, in another well-known northern suburbs mall, only ONE set of (two) elevators have been installed. Often one of these does not wake up properly in the morning, which leaves the remaining elevator to be the workhorse. On the days that neither of them work, the entire upper level is off-limits for the wheelchair cruisers among us.
Kudos must go to the Canal Walk mall though - I've been told that this center is quite easy to navigate on one's own if in a wheelchair. Bravo, Century City!
2. Beaches:
If all you intend to do is see the ocean from a minimum of 150 yards away, no problem. If, however, you are in a wheelchair on a day out on your own, big problem. None of our beaches have anything near resembling a ramp or decent paved walkway leading to the water. This, despite one our beaches consistently being awarded blue flag status by the beach people-in-the-know. Moral of the story? Stick to the pool at your hotel. It is such a pity that so many disabled persons may not know the joy of being at the water's edge smelling the salt and feeling the spray of our Two Oceans.
3. Public transport:
Sigh. The motto of the London Overground system may be 'Mind the Gap' but in Cape TOwn's only tran operator, Metrorail, should consider adopting the saying 'Mind the Chasm'. The trains are never, and I do mean never, flush with the platforms, and I am willing to bet good money that a wheelchair user would have to rely on the kindness of heart of a fellow train traveller to help them on to the train at any of the stations in the Cape Province. Non-disabled folk have been known to take the step into the train with a running leap. Once in the train, the aisles are simply too narrow to accommodate any form of wheelchair, so one would be compelled to place oneself in the dodgy next-to-door area.
The buses are not much better. While a number of buses in Durban have flat entry areas, and an extending ramp to allow relatively smooth access for wheelchair users, I have never seen a similar bus in Cape Town. I suspect such a bus would have to be chartered specifically - an expensive exercise, to be sure.
As for our infamous taxi services, I have one word that describes how to make the best use of these transporting pioneers: don't.
In a nutshell, and on a more serious note, there is much work to be done before physically disabled persons are able to enjoy the beautiful City of Cape Town equally to the non-disabled among us. I believe that a few small measures could be implemented with immediate effect which could allow for easier disabled access in many of our tourism hotspots. It is apparent that the concept of universal design is not yet one which is understood by our town planners, architects and structural engineers, for who knows what reason. The excuse of having limited funds will not be accepted for much longer.The concept of universal design should also be given widespread exposure, and, I feel, should be taught to all draftsmen and architects in the undergraduate studies.
Only once the views, opinions and indeed expertise of disabled persons on the issue of accessibility and universal design is taken into consideration in modifying and adding to our City can we consider our ourselves disability friendly.
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