News

Volume 3 Issue 6 - March 15, 2005

Planning for disabled-friendly services

DNIS News Network - N.C.P.E.D.P. submits M.o.U. to Standing Committees on Urban Development and Sports.

National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (N.C.P.E.D.P.) has submitted Memorandums of Understanding (M.o.U.) to the Standing Committee on Urban Development and the Standing Committee for Sports, to facilitate disabled-friendly housing and sports facilities.

The Memorandum presented for the working of Delhi Development Authority (D.D.A.) covered various facts and suggestions to ensure disabled-friendly housing in the country’s capital city. According to figures, nearly one-third of the population in Delhi is in need of disabled-friendly housing. Addressing accessibility issues, the memorandum recommended that the D.D.A. draw up a clear-cut policy statement vis-à-vis disability to reduce discrimination against disabled people, ensure of 3% disabled people, reserve 5% of its allotment of land/homes to disabled people, provide special parking facilities and constitute a Disability Expert Group, among others.

The Memorandum presented to the Standing Committee for Sports recommended that India’s vision, policy, strategy and action plan for promoting sports in the country should include disability; all existing sports infrastructure in the country like stadiums, sports colleges, sports complexes, swimming pools, clubs, etc, should be made disabled-friendly for participants and audience; Physical Education curriculum should be modified to include disability; a proportionate percentage (5% or so) of resources of the Sports Department, Sports Authority of India and other sports federations should be allocated to disability sports; a National Disability Sports Federation should be established in the country; and several other amendments to the existing status of sports facilities in the country.