India for all: an accessible environment for living and traveling

In the past few years, the Government of India has been involved in active work on the development of an accessible environment for residents of the country (which is more than 1.2 billion people) and foreign tourists (more than 10.4 million arrivals in 2017). Globe4all has already talked about the appearance of an adapted taxi in the state of Goa, about the decision of the Indian hotel for blind travelers, about the work on equipping monuments and sights for the needs of people with limited mobility, the opening of the first accessible beach and other similar initiatives. However, the past year in India was marked by the launch of several more promising projects to create a barrier-free environment.

Accessible Elections

In 2018, the Election Commission of India launched a special campaign to increase the accessibility of the election process. Among the measures taken were the development of a special voter identity card in Braille — the Electors Photo Identity Card and adapted voter photo cards for visually impaired and blind people; Free Transport Facility for PwDs and their assistants, Sign Language window in all the audio visual training and advertisement content, Accessible Communication Awareness Materials and Appointment of Disability Coordinators at AC, District and State Level.

Cinema for all

PVR Cinemas - the largest cinema chain in India, last December launched an accessibility program for handicapped, visually and hearing-impaired viewers. The aim of the program is to promote inclusive entertainment for all. Within the framework of the project, PVR will equip 50 cinemas in 30 cities of the country with special equipment for viewers with disabilities. For example, for wheelchair users and their accompanying in the auditoriums, special places are provided, ramps and lifts are installed. These seats have been marked on the PVR Website and App along with companion seats to ease the booking process.   To complete the movie watching experience for visually impaired, PVR has partnered with Brajma Intelligent Systems Pvt. Ltd., to offer audio descriptionwith the help of XL cinema App that is available in android and iOS platforms. It easily synchronizes with the audio track in the cinema and plays the audio described track through the headphones of a mobile phone. For people with hearing impairment, PVR has programmed the first show after 6:00 pm to be played with subtitles for films, which are released with subtitles/captions.  

#RampMyCity

16 restaurants in the city of Bangalore supported the campaign of a local social entrepreneur to create an accessible environment for people with wheelchairs. To the call of Prateek Khandelwal #RampMyCity, they literally responded by equipping the catering facilities with ramps. It is noteworthy that all this happened in 10 months. Many hotels in the city also joined the campaign. The best part is that all the popular parks and monuments in Bangalore are also accessible to people with disabilities - including the imposing summer palace of Sultan Tipu, which enjoys the special attention of tourists.

Lucknow Zoo

The zoo in Lucknow city was opened in 1921. It covers an area of 29 hectares, being home to more than 1000 animals, representatives of 100 different species. About 1.2 million visitors come here every year to get acquainted with the unique flora and fauna. In 2018, the Lucknow zoo became the first zoo in India, adapted for blind and visually impaired visitors. Here were installed special information boards in Braille so that children and adults could get acquainted with the inhabitants of the zoo. The first boards told about tigers and lions, as well as the history of the zoo.

Accessible state of Kerala

From 2018, the authorities of Kerala are working on the development of accessible tourism in the region - in three years, almost all popular places will be adapted for travelers with special needs. In the list of works - more than 120 attractions. Currently, an accessible environment is developed in the cities of Alleppey, Kochi, Wayanad and Munnar. Kochi is one of the most famous tourist destinations, many places of interest are equipped for people with disabilities, including Fort Kochi and Cherai Beach.