Blind, visually-impaired want better infrastructure

As the International Day of Persons with Disabilities approaches – December 3 –the blind and visually-impaired community is pleading with the government to consider its suggestions for a safer and more accessible TT.

Jennifer Doulat-Araujo is petitioning the government on behalf of the Concern (sic) Members of the Blind and Vision Impaired Community for equal opportunity in a safe environment.

Doulat-Araujo, 64, is totally blind and worked at the TT Blind Welfare Association for 31 years. She has been awarded a Humming Bird silver medal for public service and has written three books on Braille education.

At her home on Pasea Main Road, Tunapuna, Doulat-Araujo expressed her concerns about accessibility and infrastructure for the disabled community. She showed the Newsday the difficulty she personally faces every day, contending with raised manhole covers, uneven pavements, and protruding objects making it very difficult for her and other disabled people in the area.

Doulat-Araujo emphasised that this is not a problem specific to Pasea but to TT on a whole.

Her colleague, Cecille Alves of Lower Bon Air, Arouca, echoed these sentiments.

"I think our infrastructure needs to be improved, even by me here in Lopinot/ Bon Air there are raised and missing manhole covers making it difficult for disabled people to get around."

Doulat-Araujo said she and her son took it upon themselves to photograph unsafe patches of the pavement. The photos and letters were sent to her MP Khadijah Ameen, Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sininan and the Piarco Regional Corporation in April. They have received no response or acknowledgment.

Doulat-Araujo said, "I challenge Minister Rohan Sininan to walk the streets of Pasea blindfolded."

She said the needs of women with visual impairment and disabilities are no different from those without visual disabilities.

Other issues faced by the disabled are that there are not enough Elderly and Differently Abled Mobile Service (ELDAMO) buses, and the service schedule has decreased drastically since the start of the pandemic, making it extremely difficult for disabled people to do their day-to-day essential activities.

Doulat-Araujo also proposed, "All bells on streets should be outfitted to assist not only the sighted but the hearing-impaired and the disabled overall. Bells, signage and knobs should be placed lower to press for all to reach."

She said cars should be equipped to make a sound when moving out of a driveway. Trees and branches should be moved from sidewalks and cut as necessary so that people's eyes aren't injured by branches that stick out.

Pavements should also be built so as to accommodate wheelchairs and the elderly in terms of width and access points, with special attention tomanhole covers, protrusions and uneven or broken surfaces.

She said, "All regional corporations should be outfitted with a sales outlet for special aids and appliances for the disabled. Public officers should be trained to interreact with the disabled."

On education, she said, "All children with disabilities who are integrated in the regular school system must be outfitted with adequate aids, assistants, devices etc."

Doulat-Araujo said blind and visually-impaired people are seeking education, but job opportunities are mainly given to sighted people, suggesting employers should be given a tax break if they hire those with visual impairments.

This year's theme for International Day of Persons with Disabilities is “Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-covid19 world.”