Slowly, slowly, very slowly the imperative of Universal Design as urban planning is trickling into US thought. Here John Lorinc helps the process along:

What to do with a video like this except to show it and let wheelchair riders draw their own comparisons to getting around on all four:

Here is an invitation to action from Subhash Chandra Vashishth:

Most pedestrian pathways in Delhi are ill-designed from the perspective of their usability by Elderly, Children & the disabled. Curb cuts at intersection are missing and so is the proper alignment of street infrastructure. 

Similar is the situation in other countries in Indian sub-continent and other less developed countries in the world. What do you think is the solution? What are your experiences of using street infrastructure and pedestrian pathways. 

Wherever, policy exist, it is in favour of an accessible pathway, however, there are no monitoring mechanisms to ensure that what is constructed actually benefits the endusers. The standards on built infrastructure are to be enforced by municipal agencies/ panchayats/ Public Works Dept. However they themselves do not enforce this on the private contractors who construct the infrastructure. 

If you think this concerns you, TRANSED-2012 (13th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and disabled persons, 17-21 Sep 2012, India) provides you an international platform to address such issues.We invite your views under "Theme G- Pedestrian mobility & safety for livable communities" to address these concerns. For details visitwww.transed2012.in 

Related articles

• call for Abstracts; 13th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED 2012) (rollingrains.com)
• New York's Walkable Streets Not Safe Enough For Everyone Who Walks (streetsblog.org)

It is not without awareness of the tremendous disaster that has struck Japan that I offer the following story on the "Complete Street." As post -disaster planning eventually occurs the measure of cultural achievement will be the implementation of Universal Design. Fortunately Japan has an experts at their disposal in this regard. Among them is Satoshi Kose of Hamamatsu.

From The Dirt blog:

Related articles

• What is the difference between a landscape designer and a landscape architect? (studioconcept.co.uk)
• Berkeley goes to India (blogs.berkeley.edu)

Context Travel, the walking tour company for intellectually curious travelers, announces its new Mobility Program. The program combines a selection of a la carte accessible tours with customized trip planning and support services. This program was created through a careful consultation with accessible travel experts, docents and former clients with mobility concerns.

Since its inception, Context Travel has aimed to provide transformative experiences for intellectually curious travelers. However, due to the physical nature of some cities, this often excluded access for travelers with mobility concerns and physical disabilities. With the creation of this program, Context establishes itself as an innovator in the field of accessible travel, being the first urban tour company to offer personalized and informed services for travelers with disabilities.

The services and features of the program include:
- a collection of specifically designed itineraries, considering all physical factors (walking surfaces, walking pace and distance, accessibility of sites visited, availability of accessible bathrooms and dining establishments nearby)
- a team of docents who have been trained in leading mobility-friendly itineraries
- a client resource document for each city, which include: wheelchair rental information, accessible taxi and transfer options, accessible travel resources and trip planning sites
- pre and post-booking assistance for creation of a personalized travel itinerary.

To guarantee the benefits and capabilities of this program, Context Travel will be conducting an annual roundtable discussion with its in-house staff and a panel of accessible travel experts.

"Our mobility program has always existed in a nebulous way - we worked with travelers with a variety of mobility concerns but did not have a formal set of systems and services in place," says program coordinator Megan McDonnell. "I see this program as setting a standard for other like-minded travel companies. This program is an ideological partner of our sustainable travel initiatives - this program supports inclusiveness and is a way to give back to a segment of the population that is not well served by the normal standards of the travel industry."

Founded by National Geographic writer Paul Bennett and graphic designer Lani Bevacqua, Context is a network of English-speaking scholars and professionals - including art historians, writers, architects and gastronomes - who organize and lead didactic walking seminars in several world cities, including: Florence, Rome, Venice, Naples, Paris, London, New York, Istanbul, Philadelphia, Madrid, Athens, and Boston. Travel + Leisure has named Context one of the top European tour companies for its innovative approach to travel and the depth of its programs.

From the AIA blog:

Related articles

• Help Create Clear, Universal "Complete Street" Design Guidelines (dirt.asla.org)
• 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games drive Accessible Tourism as an area of legacy (accessibletourismresearch.blogspot.com)

If you are in New York take advantage of this event:

Shivani Gupta

Director, AccessAbility

In the flurry of preparing Delhi for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, Delhi has been revamped. There is the new BRT Corridor, the low floor buses, huge overhead bridges, accessible pathways and the swanky metro. All of these have accessibility incorporated in them. I should feel fortunate being a wheelchair user that now public transport and the pedestrian environments is accessible to me. But the unfortunate reality is that none of these so called accessible facilities are really accessible to the disabled and hence have not brought the desired mobility. Money is being spent in the name of accessibility but what we have really got are 'teasers'. 'Teasers' being my way of describing facilities that are signposted as being accessible but are not usable by disabled people in reality.

 

Usability is the first and the basic requirement of accessibility and it is here that all these fail. Usability goes beyond blindly putting on ground accessibility standards, it is about how a user will actually interface with the given service/facility/infrastructure etc. it may also vary based on the social context, therefore what may be a working design in a developed country may not be so in a developing country. To increase usability is also the crux of Universal Design.

 

Just yesterday I went out on my wheelchair and thought of crossing to the other side from the overhead foot bridges that have been built all over Delhi. The bridge is about seven meters high with a ramp 89 meters long of 1:12 gradient to get onto the bridge and the same ramp on the opposite side.

 

In India most people will say "arre there is a ramp na to get on and off the bridge and that to of 1:12 gradient, then what more do you want?" What they fail to see is that a wheelchair user will need to wheel two hundred meters, that too up and down a ramp to cross just a 10 meter wide road. So its 10 meters verses 200 meters.

 

Major Design Flaws:

 

• To provide a ramp to negotiate a level difference of more than 3 meters is impractical and not usable by the disabled and here it is more than double that height.
• A ramp to negotiate a level difference of more than 3 meters must have a gradient no more than 1:18 here the gradient is 1:12
• Landings must be provided after every five meters, here landing is provided after 40 meters. 

I am sure even athletes using wheelchairs will find negotiating this ramp difficult!

 

Here I will also like to point out that accessible parking is demanded & provided closest to the entrance to ensure that disabled car drivers and passengers do not need to walk extra, but when it comes to pedestrian environments adding 200 meters to the journey is reasonable. Why this disparity?

 

A resent press release by the Delhi metro said that there 'Delhi Metro provides wheel chair facility to old and physically challenged commuters at all Metro stations. On an average, 149 physically challenged people and 78 blind commuters use the Metro system daily' and 'On an average, it is carrying about 800,000 commuters everyday.' Just taking the figures published by them it is easy to calculate that there are only 0.02% people with disabilities who use this so called 'accessible transport system' to travel.

 

The pavements in Delhi are been refurbished and most with tactile guidance and ramps at the beginning and end. The amazing part is that the guidance breaks whenever there is an obstacle in the path like trees, poles etc., hence ensuring people with blindness bang into them and majority of the ramps are blocked by bollards, through which a wheelchair cannot pass.

 

I wonder when will people with disabilities stop compromising and accepting shoddy solutions to improve access. The UNCRPD talks about 'Persons with disabilities to have access, on an equal basis with others' its time we demanded it.

 

-- 
AccessAbility
D8/8073 Vasant Kunj
New Delhi  110070

(011) 2613 08 62
(0) 93102 45743

http://accessability.co.in

In the United States, designated bike lanes and a growing bike culture have started to garner mainstream attention. And bicyclists now have a giant ally--Google.

At the 10th Annual American Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. last week, Google announced their maps feature will include bike routes for 150 U.S. cities. The feature includes 15,000 miles of off-street bike trails gathered by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that has collected trail info for its website since 2007.

Google made the decision after receiving a petition with more than 50,000 signatures for bike routes to be added to its maps. Google Maps introduced driving directions in 2005, and in 2007 the site added transit routes. Pedestrian navigation followed a year later. Now, it's the bikers' turn.

Source:

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/03/ebg031710.html

O convite partiu de um desconhecido. Quando o empresário Weimar Pettengill, 37 anos, ligou para o deficiente visual Adauto Belli chamando-o para uma viagem de bicicleta de Brasília a Paraty, se surpreendeu com a resposta. "Partimos quando? Amanhã? Hoje não dá. Estou ocupado", disse Adauto, 38 anos, adestrador de cães. Na bicicleta de dois lugares (modelo conhecido como 'tandem') a dupla seguiu para Minas Gerais e, de lá, rumo a Paraty, no Rio de Janeiro. Completaram o trajeto em 18 dias, a maior parte feita em estrada de terra.

Adauto, deficiente visual desde o nascimento, tem apenas 35% da visão. "A confiança ali é tudo. Eu pedalo tendo certeza de que, se for bater, ele (Weimar, o ciclista que vai guiando) vai bater no macio, se cair, ele vai tentar fazer com que eu me machuque menos", conta. "Quando a gente está em uma descida no cascalho a 110 km/h, tem que ter muita confiança. Se fosse com uma pessoa que vê perfeitamente, a viagem não teria dado certo", afirma Weimar.

Entre as experiências registradas no trajeto, Adauto lembra das vezes em que sua pouca visão o enganaram. "Você acaba vendo o que quer ver. A gente ia descendo perto de um vale e eu dizia 'Nossa, é um lago muito bonito', e o Weimar começava a rir e dizia 'que nada, isso aí é uma favela!'", conta. 

Foram pouco mais de 1,6 mil km cruzados em 18 dias, de 29 de janeiro a 16 de fevereiro. A aventura rendeu até livro. Na última quinta-feira (21), Weimar Pettengill lançou em Brasília o resultado de suas memórias da viagem, entitulado 'Brasília-Paraty - Somando pernas para dividir impressões' (editora Thesaurus). "Quero agora fazer o áudio-book, pra que o Adauto possa 'ler' e dizer se está tudo certo", brinca o autor. A obra também será lançada em Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo.

Antes de partirem em cima da bicicleta, os dois eram praticamente desconhecidos. Haviam se encontrado cinco vezes, apenas duas delas com a bicicleta para fazer testes. Weimar já planejava pedalar o trajeto da Estrada Real -rota histórica de povoamento e exploração do interior do Brasil, criada no século XVII-, e decidiu incluir uma companhia no desafio. "Lembrei da bicicleta tandem e resolvi ir com um DV (deficiente visual) para compartilhar a experiência", conta o empresário. Ele chegou a Adauto através de amigos do projeto 'DV na trilha', que promove a inclusão social de cegos através de bicicletas duplas em Brasília.

Adauto sempre gostou de praticar esportes, e não pensa na deficiência como um obstáculo. Pelo contrário. "Muitas vezes é até uma vantagem, porque eu tenho que ficar mais concentrado", diz. Ele pratica o ciclismo desde 2007, mas seu esporte mesmo é a corrida. "Depois que eu o arrastei pra esse desafio, ele já arrumou o próximo, agora correndo. Vamos fazer a travessia dos Andes no final do ano", afirma Weimar.

 Fonte:

http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Brasil/0,,MUL1164101-5598,00-DEFICIENTE+VISUAL+VAI+DE+BRASILIA+A+PARATY+DE+BICICLETA.html

With his right hand amputated below his elbow following an accident as a child, Rakesh Gole, a Nepalese, struggled hard growing up with his disability.

Born to a farmer's family of the Tamang tribe in the Nepalese village of Makhwanpur under the Phaparbari district, Rakesh, now 40, grew up working with his father in the field.

As a young man, Rakesh became a respectable farmer in the Tamang community. His disability turned into a force that pushed him into a visionary man. He decided to take up an arduous journey alone on a specially designed motorbike touring the eight Saarc countries in a bid to forge a 'unity among physically challenged persons'.

Using his left hand, Rakesh rode to Bangladesh on his motorcycle, Hero Honda, which is donated by its manufacturer, five days ago. He entered Bangladesh via India through the Banglabandha border. With Nepalese flags on his bike and a slogan inscribed along number plates, he was seen riding towards Dhaka past Bogra.

"My dream is to help physically challenged men, women and children of this region unite against superstition and social prejudices," said Rakesh in broken Hindi, sitting on his bike by the highway.

Father of two children, a boy aged 12 and a girl aged 16, Rakesh showed dozens of certificates from different organisations wishing him good luck for his endeavour.

"I really like the way Bangladeshis welcomed me all along the road. It is a great inspiration for all of us," he said, adding that he would be heading for Sri Lanka from here within a month.

Rakesh's physical disability has made him extra careful while riding his bike with his left hand. He rides slowly on his way and takes frequent breaks to talk to people and disseminate the message he has brought with him from the people of Nepal.

"We need unity to overcome any problems on our way to the end of the journey of our life," he said.

Source:

http://www.thedailystar.net

Disability News Asia has picked up a story originally published in Malayasia:

Gareth Isham of Brisbane-based Tempo Tricycles International is a manufacturer of rehabilitation, industrial, vending and recreational cycles.

"Cycling, as a form of recreational exercise, is a pleasant way for people with disabilities to get some aerobic activity, build up muscle strength and stamina," said Gareth.

Gareth initially started off with a regular bike shop but began making bikes for people with disabilities when he received requests for custom-made bikes from parents of disabled children.

"Many parents wanted the bikes for their children either for therapy, or to enable them to join in cycling activities with their family and friends. There was nowhere they could go to get such bikes, so we started to make bikes for people with disabilities. Now, 35 years later, we've reached a point where we can almost get everybody with a disability riding, from mildly autistic children to those with cerebral palsy."

Full story:
http://www.disabilitynewsasia.com/html/newsj09.html

El Ayuntamiento de Lozoya (Madrid), a través de la Agencia de Desarrollo Local, y la empresa Allcaraván colaboran para que las rutas de senderismo de la Sierra Madrileña puedan ser disfrutadas por todas las personas.

Se ha creado la Asociación "Senderismo para todos ", para poner en marcha esta brillante iniciativa que empieza a dar sus primeros pasos con la impartición de cursos para monitores / pilotos de de Joëlette ( sillas adaptadas para todo terreno) , gracias al apoyo del PAMAM (Patronato Madrileño de Áreas de Montaña) y de la Dirección General de Turismo de la Comunidad de Madrid. Para esta primera fase del proyecto se ha contado con la participación de dos de los mejores especialistas de España en esta materia. Ellos han sido los encargados de dirigir los primeros cursos de capacitación a más de treinta de alumnos voluntarios que serán futuros monitores y expertos en el manejo de las "Jöelletes". Con este nombre es como se conoce el accesorio que se utiliza para permitir que una persona con problemas de movilidad pueda disfrutar plenamente del contacto con la naturaleza y participar en las rutas de senderismo que vayan siendo propuestas para este fin.

La Jöellete fue diseñada por Joël Claudel, de ahí su nombre. Se trata de una silla de brazo puesta sobre una rueda que permite a las personas con problemas de movilidad transitar por casi todos los tipos de senderos. Es una especie de silla todo terreno que se desplaza con asistencia y dirección de los guías.

Para poder disfrutar de las primeras excursiones se disponen en este momento de cuatro "Jöelletes". Un número aún limitado, que se prevé aumentar (hasta a 10 en los próximos meses) para poder atender perfectamente la demanda de las personas con discapacidad y sus familiares. En esa misma proporción se irán ampliando el número de guías expertos encargados de dirigir los recorridos con total seguridad.

Juan Miguel Tirado, agente de desarrollo local, y Jesus Herrero, Presidente de "Senderismo para todos" han participado activamente en la coordinación y supervisión las clases que se han venido impartiendo durante los últimos días del mes de abril. Tirado tiene la convicción de que esta iniciativa es de gran interés para la localidad y, por extensión, para el resto del valle y de la Sierra de Madrid. "Hoy en día, no podemos permitir que personas con algún tipo de problema físico o de cualquier otra índole no tengan la oportunidad de poder disfrutar de tan bello paisaje. Entendemos que no es una tarea fácil, pero es necesario afrontar el reto. En España hay pocos lugares en los que estas personas puedan participar junto a sus familiares y amigos de una agradable jornada al aire libre y disfrutando de algo tan placentero como es la práctica del senderismo. Por nuestra parte, estamos dispuestos a realizar todos los esfuerzos para que este trabajo d é los frutos esperados, pero es necesario también aunar fuerzas y buscar más recursos para conseguir nuestro propósito: "Senderismo para todos".

Los primeros cursos realizados sobre el manejo y el uso de las "Jöelletes" han estado dirigidos por dos grandes expertos de estos dispositivos: Blaise Boulin y David Hernádez, ambos llevan toda su carrera profesional trabajando dentro y fuera de España como guías de montaña especializados en personas con discapacidad. Actualmente es en las Islas Canarias y sur de Francia donde vienen desarrollando esta especialidad.

La mayoría de los participantes inscritos (mayoritariamente locales y de la Mancomunidad del valle del Lozoya y la Sierra norte) han trabajado anteriormente y tienen demostrada experiencia como guías de montaña y monitores de tiempo libre y en muchos casos también con personas con algún problema de movilidad. No obstante, en todos los casos, son personas altamente sensibilizadas con esta problemática y con un alto sentido de la solidaridad y la responsabilidad. No cabe la menor duda que sin su colaboración como futuros guías especializados para personas con discapacidad, esta alternativa de ocio no seria posible.

Por su parte, Jesús Herrero, buen conocedor de estos parajes, Diplomado en Gestión de Espacios Naturales director de Allcaraván, Parques Naturales y Presidente de " Senderismo para todos" asociación que coordinará el desarrollo del, proyecto, apunta: "es indispensable que las personas encargadas de guiar a los futuros senderistas tengan un alto sentido de la responsabilidad y conocimientos exhaustivos de la problemática planteada, por supuesto, que también ser buenos amantes de la naturaleza y expertos en actividades de naturaleza. Estas pautas se han contemplado con mucho rigor a la hora de seleccionar a los monitores, además de que también se ha considerado como muy positivo que la mayoría fueran vecinos de Lozoya o del mismo valle y alrededores.

Flanqueado al  noroeste por los Montes Carpetanos, al sur por Cuerda Larga y al este por la Sierra de la Morcuera , el alto valle del Lozoya es uno de los lugares más visitados por los madrileños. Sus pueblos, su artesanía y, sobre todo, sus senderos, que surcan lo más profundo de estos pagos, confieren un atractivo irresistible a cualquier viajero.

Se trata de una de las zonas de mayor valor natural de la Comunidad de Madrid, donde alberga el Parque Natural de Peñalara, en el que es posible disfrutar de sus numerosas sendas en cualquier época del año, así como, innumerables recorridos en los pueblos el valle, el yacimiento arqueológico de Pinilla.

Durante el recorrido por sus pueblos y paisajes, el viajero encontrará muchos restos de una tradición ganadera que ha marcado profundamente la zona. Y también tendrá la oportunidad de degustar excelentes carnes en sus numerosos restaurantes. Pero, sobre todo, podrá adentrarse en sus numerosas veredas y caminos que siguen sorprendiendo a los más andarines.

Como llegar:
Lozoya, se encuentra en la M-604. Para llegar desde Madrid existen dos alternativas:
Por la N-I (Carretera de Burgos) hasta Lozoyuela (Km 69) y tomar la M-604 en dirección Lozoya.
Por la N-VI subiendo el Puerto de Navacerrada y tomando dirección Puerto de Cotos y pasar Rascafría.
 

Más informacíón
Asociacion Senderismo para todos
C/ Paseo de la Castellana 11
www.senderismoparatodos.es
Info@senderismoparatodos.es

Agente de desarrollo local de Lozoya
Juan Miguel Tirado
Tel.: (+34) 91 869 30 29
Plaza Mayor, 1
28742 Lozoya, Madrid
aedl@lozoya.es

Allcaravan
Calle Séptima, 150
28742 Lozoya, Madrid
Tel.: (+34) 91 869 30 07
allcaravan@allcaravan.es

Rutas de Senderismo

http://www.revistaiberica.com/turismo_hoy/018_senderismo_accesible_para_discapacitados_lozoya.htm