Chennai will be setting a benchmark when the permanent ramp to the Marina is designed, keeping the user and the coastal regulations in mind. But the road ahead is not easy, say experts.
In 2018, Alappuzha beach in Kerala announced that it is disabled-friendly where various organisations with the presence on the beach, including the District Tourism Promotion Council, constructed ramps, accessible restrooms, wheelchairs and also offered sign language in Braille. A few users The Hindu spoke to said the ramp did not lead a wheelchair user directly to the place where the rolls into a gentle waves.
“It is a concrete ramp and the wheelchair users are sometimes lifted so that they can experience the waves,” says Rajeev Palluruthy, general secretary, All Kerala Wheel Chair Rights Federation. “So you cannot call it wheelchair-friendly in the true sense of the term but it was a good starting point,” he says.
Lijo Abraham, secretary, District Tourism Promotion Council, Alappuzha, agrees the ramps do not lead to the sea for the wheelchair users to enjoy the waves but it was a big step towards inclusiveness.
“We placed a lot of emphasis on other aspects that would make beach user’s experience memorable. Accessible washrooms is among them. We started with two wheelchair-friendly toilets and now the third is getting ready, being designed as per international standards,” says Abraham.
Cleanliness is another aspect that is given utmost priority. “We have Kudumbashree units (self-help groups run by women) deployed as ‘destination cleaners’ to ensure upkeep of the ramps, toilets and other amenities in and around the beach,” says Abraham.
On why the ramps were not extended up to the beach, Abraham says initially it was felt that any structure when placed there would break the serenity of the beach.
“In the last three years, I can say these amenities have drawn many differently-abled people to the beach and it is a continuous work where we are trying to adapt to emerging situations,” he says.
Talking about the challenges, he says the ramps cannot accommodate many wheelchair users but this is just the beginning and we hope to make it better.