Public places have turned a blind eye to the needs of the visually -impaired customers.
By Rhythima Agrawal
2020Public places do not have braille or voice instructions inside the lifts. This makes it difficult for the visually-impaired person because they have to depend on someone to assist them. Nagavini N. , a student of Enable India said, that many times the attendant is not present inside the lifts, it is difficult for us to identify the floor.
Every public institution which has a lift installed in its premises has to follow the provisions under Chapter VIII of Persons with Disabilities Act 1995. The act suggests that the government and the local authority within the limits of their economical capacity have to provide Braille symbols and auditory signals inside the lifts.
Ashwini Angadi, a secretary at Angadi Trust opoints out that the major problem is accessibility.“The students cannot access the lifts on their own and need assistance from someone. If the instructions are given in Braille, it would be beneficial for them,” She said. said.
Shankar, an Executive Engineer, BBMP said, “All the new lifts have been provided with Braille symbols but the existing lifts do not have such facility. I will inform the company to install the Braille symbols in lifts.
The lift installation companies have a contradictory viewpoint.
Muralidhar.R, a sales manager from Otis Elevator Company, said, “It depends on the tender. If the installation of Braille symbols is mentioned in the tender, we follow it.”
Angha, an admin of Digitech Elevators, said, “No, we have not been instructed by the government organizations to install Braille symbols inside the lifts.”
Experts suggest that the solutions can be manifold.
Jagdish Kumar , a trainer at National Association for the Blind, said, “The
responsible authorities should make it compulsory that all the lifts are
equipped with Braille buttons.”
Dr. Victor Paul, the head of Sociology and
Social Work of Christ College, said, “Firstly, the lift manufacturers
should be aware of the provisions of the act. Secondly, social media platforms should be used for
creating awareness about the provisions. The pros and cons should be discussed
along with the provisions so that people are not indifferent to the needs of
the specially-abled. “
