Call for Stories on Accessibility for UNESCAP Publication

UNESCAP is currently working on an accessibility handbook that will be used to raise awareness and for capacity building on accessibility.  We would like to include true stories of the experiences persons with disabilities face in trying to gain access to public services including physical infrastructures, transportation and information, communication and technology.  These stories will be used to illustrate the difficulty many people have with accessing public services and the need for universal design allowing everyone to enjoy the same services.

      We are looking for specific instances where persons with disabilities have faced barriers in gaining access to public services.  For example, we know of one man who was denied access to board a plane because he was blind and traveling alone.  We would like to use these stories to educate policy makers on the reality of the situation of persons with disabilities so that they understand the importance and impact of universally designed systems.

      We ask that you submit your experiences in English and limit your words to one page.  Unfortunately, we will not be able to include all submissions in the manual.  We will inform you if your submission is selected.  We hope to publish the handbook sometime in the next year,2010.  In the handbook, we will acknowledge the people whose submission we include.

      Please send your submissions to Mr. Jonathan Foret at  jv4a@yahoo.com Include your full name and country in your email.  The deadline for submissions is 31 October 2009.