Good Design Enables, Bad Design Disables: Ensuring Transport Projects in Developing Countries Are Accessible for Persons with Disabilities

Investments in transport infrastructure need to be designed and implemented considering the needs of people with disabilities. Unless accessibility is provided, these people will be unable to participate in, and contribute to, their communities. The challenge is particularly acute in many developing countries where accessibility issues are inadequately considered, if at all. To address this challenge in the Pacific Island Countries, a study was undertaken to assess barriers to mobility in the aviation, land transport, and maritime sectors. Persons with disabilities travelled to six countries where, with the support of local authorities and disabled persons’ organizations, they identified a range of barriers affecting mobility. These ranged from the absence of lifts for boarding aircraft, to inappropriate footpaths on roads. On the basis of this work a set of ‘Accessibility Screening Tools’ were developed covering each sector. These form a prioritized check list which identify the key accessibility issues that need to be addressed, as well as assigning a score which identifies how well each issue is addressed. These guide designers and governments in preparing and assessing designs, from roads to terminals. The application of the tools, coupled with appropriate design standards, will help ensure that projects have barrier free access thereby maximizing the accessibility for persons with disabilities.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AP000 Public Transportation Group.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Bennett, Christopher R
  • Babinard, Julie
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 96th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2017-1-8 to 2017-1-12
• Date: 2017

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 13p
• Monograph Title: TRB 96th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Air transportation; Barrier free design; Design standards; Developing countries; Ground transportation; Infrastructure; Mobility; Persons with disabilities; Ranking (Statistics); Water transportation
• Geographic Terms: Pacific Islands
• Subject Areas: Design; Society; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01630087
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 17-00639
• Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 27 2017 9:30AM