They were like any circle of friends you’d see on the promenade at Elliot’s beach — chatting, texting and generally taking in the air. Only, on that third January evening, the group of wheelchair-users (Ummul, Shankar, Sethu, Hitesh, Karthick, JD, Gnana Bharathi and Natarajan) were on a mission. They were doing an access audit of the beach. Their main concern: how would they cross the sand hurdle to the sea? “We (Ummul Khair and Smitha Sadasivan) work with the Disability Legislation Unit of Vidya Sagar apart from being members of Disability Rights Alliance,” said Smitha, one of the friends. The thrust of their work, she said, was lobbying the government to formulate and implement appropriate policies and procedures for total integration of persons with disabilities (PwDs).
They also arranged free legal aid. Added Shankar, “Disability Rights Alliance (DRA) comprises groups of PwDs and their representative organisations whose objective is to ensure that society respects, protects and fulfils the rights and fundamental freedoms of all PwDs as other citizens of the country.”
In line with its aim of making public and private places accessible for all, including PwDs, DRA has been working with the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on making pavements, the bus transport system, Metro Rail, MRTS, public toilets, parks, film-screenings and communication and tech-tools accessible, they said.
They have collaborated with the TN State Election Commission for an accessible electoral process and TNHB for accessible housing. “DRA members are involved in access audits as the first step in the process of all such accessibility initiatives.”
Their beach visit has an interesting background. It started with Bhavna’s Connect special events happening at Elliot’s Beach last year.
A young entrepreneur, Aditya of Explore Differently, took up beach access as part of his tourism efforts for PwDs.
“On December 3, DRA’s collaborative efforts with the Greater Chennai Corporation ended in a beach-access event on the Marina, thanks to the tremendous support from DC Works and his team.”
In follow-ups, DRA spoke to the Corporation on procuring accessible beach-pathway material, building a structure within the limits of CRZ rules. Elliot’s beach was the first to be considered.
Here, the Corporation wanted to identify the pathway point, accessible toilet provisioning and also a disability-audit of existing facilities.
A Corporation official accompanied them on the audit, they said. A report with photographs is handed over. And “we’re posting it on a WhatsApp forum where GCC officials are members. We will persist with our attempts at implementation.”
Of the three entry points they figured would be suitable — near the police-booth, near the gym and the straight line to the governor’s guest house — the gym entry seemed to have got the majority of votes. They preferred the pathway to the gym to be on the left-side of the police booth “where the construction required is minimal. It affords a great view of the beach and is away from the rows of vendors.” A mobile toilet there would complete the facility.
Additionally, they would like the gym to be accessible, and extended upto the jogging path. The governor’s guest house could serve as a resting and parking area for the disabled. The memorial too should be a part of the pathway for wheelchair-users.
Architect and urban-planner Tara Murali, who once designed a wheelchair-friendly pathway to the water, has a word of caution.
“All structures must give importance to conserving the ecological quality of the beach,” she said, listing suggestions for beach accessibility: While constructing for physically-challenged persons, choose location suitable for getting down from vehicle to get into the wheelchair. This should pose the least problem. Avoid hard landscaping. Any structure erected (boardwalk) on the beach must afford easy removal and the whole revertible to original conditions. Who knows, alternatives like improved wheelchairs and sand-buggies may be available in the future. Cost and longevity of structure will determine the material for construction. Raise height of boardwalk to prevent sand collection on top. See how to integrate support from other beach-users (extend facility to senior-citizens and kids) and improve livelihood (sand-buggy drivers? Maintenance crew?) opportunities.
“An accessible beach does not benefit wheelchair-users or PwDs alone,” points out Shankar. “It helps elderly people with physical limitations, pregnant women and those with health conditions. It means inclusion and appreciating diversity.”
