Making Ahmedabad an Inclusive City

From DNA:
A team from 'Samarthyam', a Delhi-based organisation working as a national centre for creating accessible environment, was in the city recently to train 35 architects and interior designers and discuss ways for making existing public and private buildings disabled-friendly.

The three-day training session guided city-based architects, engineers and interior designers on how to conduct 'access audits' of buildings to make them more accessible to persons with disabilities; senior citizens; group of persons with reduced mobility like families with young children; people carrying heavy luggage; pregnant women or people suffering from chronic physical ailments.

The group has obtained permission from AMC in order to revive the by-laws to hold organisations responsible for not implementing the rules and regulations in favour of the disabled. Anjlee Agarwal, executive director of 'Samarthyam', said: "About 65% of the country's population consists of 'people with reduced mobility'. The concept of 'universal design' is something which should be adopted by each architect before designing the building in order to make them serviceable for one and all."

The sessions attended by multi stake holders from Ahmedabad and Vadodara intend to make the entire state disabled-friendly in the coming years.

Full story: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_accessible-ahmedabad-inclusive-city_1324220