Take extra step for PWDs

PEOPLE WITH Disability or PWD. I do not know if this is the politically correct term to refer to the disabled or handicapped sector, but the basic truth is that these are the people we must take great care to consider when designing buildings particularly in public areas. They are the VIPs in our society, along with senior citizens, infants and small children.

Although they may be a minority among the users and patrons of malls, parks, amusement centers, or sports complexes, we cannot disregard their concerns and needs. Perhaps the very fact that their requirements were never met previously had been the reason for their lack of patronage of such areas. They could have been the People We Denied.

Need for better facilities

I used to base my designs on standard accessibility codes, which generally work very well. However, nothing beats actually pushing and steering a loved one in a wheel chair in crowded places like malls, exhibition halls and indoor ballgames to really appreciate the dire need for better facilities.

There are malls that are very friendly to people with disability, such as Ayala Center, Makati and the new Eastwood Mall. It is quite easy for wheel chairs and strollers to navigate from the parking lot into the mall.

In our country, we are blessed with having close-knit families who frequently go around in a group. So more often than not, wheelchairs are manually pushed by a companion, rather than motorized and self-operated. It is not enough then just to put ramps in place; these must be installed correctly, with the proper slope, width and safety features.

The most common problem with doors is that these do not open automatically and if no doorman or guard is around to assist, it will be difficult for the person on a wheelchair to enter. In some toilets for the handicapped, door closers make it difficult to push in a wheelchair while keeping the door open, even if the wheelchair bound person is assisted by someone else.

At the Araneta Center, it is not so easy to get from the mall to the coliseum in a wheel chair. Although there are ramps installed in some places, these are not sufficiently indicated and guards and ushers are not even aware of them and so are unable to direct those concerned.

Blocked ramps

To add to the difficulty, these ramps are blocked by impudent business establishments that appropriate it for their outdoor seating, overgrown plant boxes, or signage. The authorities must require full compliance with the regulations that are in every building code.

In exhibition halls like the World Trade Center, there must be an ongoing policing of the organizers and exhibitors who carelessly put up their displays and booths with hazardous electrical wires crisscrossing the floor, making it difficult and dangerous to maneuver a wheelchair. This situation should have been anticipated and solutions installed before hand.

I hope that the administrators of these facilities review their safety handbooks and consult their architects to rectify the problems. It is bad enough that some people have to be in wheelchairs. The least we can do is to make our surroundings a little easier and safer for them.

Experience is the best teacher. This is why I believe that every architect and architecture student must experience pushing a wheelchair or assisting an elderly person in a public place to better understand their needs. This could convince them that designing merely to meet the standards may not be enough. We must take an extra step for them. They ought to be the People We Defend. –Marcos de Guzman Jr., Philippine Daily Inquirer

For your comments and questions, please e-mail marcosdeguzman@yahoo.com