36-year-old Sunitha Thrippanikkara, a well-known foot
and mouth artist from Kerala has won a name for herself, in India and
abroad. She has been using a wheelchair from the time she was affected with
polio as a child.
Sunita prides herself on leading an independent life, yet every time she has
to go outdoors, she has to plan well ahead. Reason? The lack of accessible
toilets in public places. Many disabled people in India face this issue,
especially women.
Many women with disabilities say they drink limited amount of water when they
step outdoors. This can be hard in the summer season. Often they opt for
adult diapers.
Travelling to places, especially long train journeys, are something that I
want to avoid. In the coach for disabled people, only one person is allowed
along with the disabled person. I need at least two people to help me. If I
use the other coach, then there are no accessible toilets. So, if it is a
long train journey, then I have to suffer a lot. I refrain from drinking
water or even going to toilets during journeys to the extent I can. –
Sunitha Thrippanikkara, Artist
Many studies show that the lack of accessible toilets is a primary reason for
disabled girls dropping out of schools and colleges. They are pushed indoors
and excluded and when it comes to disabled women living in slums, the
problems faced are far worse.
The Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan program clearly outlines rules
and regulations that must be implemented in public toilets. This includes
proving a wheelchair ramp, wide doors for a disabled person to move their
wheelchairs, accessible water supply for people with all kinds of
disabilities and so on. But these remain on paper.
This is case even in states that claim to be more accessible than others.
Anjurani Joy, lives in Kerala. She is a wheelchair user and
says that despite Kerala’s progressive record on accessibility, public
toilets remain a nightmare.
“Lack of accessible toilets gets worse when you go out for a long day,”
says Joy. “Most of them do not even have wheelchair ramps. How can someone
depend on such washrooms when they go outdoors?”
Talk of inclusion is all very well but when it comes to implementation, India
has miles to go.
ALSO READ: Accessible toilets remain a distant dream for India’s disabled
community
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/20630
