March 15, 2019
Key to enabling independent living and mobility for people with disabilities
is building robust support systems. Accessible public transport, which is a
major part of this, remains a major gap in Indian cities, Chennai being no
exception.
Recognizing this, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), one of
India’s largest multinational companies, has donated two wheelchair-friendly
vehicles to the NGO Vidya Sagar, which reaches out to people
with disabilities.
This is part of a project called Get Going started by Vidya
Sagar to enable people with varying disabilities and needs to actually be up
and about, and feel empowered to travel when they need to, without having to
worry about how they will get there and who will take them.
The transport will make travel for disabled people easier and will be
available to people with intellectual as well as physical disabilities. Each
vehicle comes fitted with hydraulic lifts that can accommodate up to three
wheelchairs with four additional seats. The vehicle is designed in such a way
that it can accommodate more seats if the number of wheelchairs is less.
L&T’s has a longstanding collaboration with Vidya Sagar dating back to
nearly 20 years. “The association started through infrastructure support of
the school at Kottupuram campus”, said S N Subrahmanyan, CEO –
Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro. Today, L&T is involved
in sponsoring the education of 40 students in Vidya Sagar’s middle school. Of
this, 10 have sensory needs associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder, while
nine other students have severe cognitive and physical disabilities.
Vidya Sagar works with persons with disabilities and their families and
offers a range of services that support all age groups across their lifespan.
This includes people with varying special needs. While their focus has been
on people with developmental disabilities, their core strength lies in
building capacities, where people think none exist.
We live in an interdependent world requiring supports for different aspects
of our lives, as do people with disabilities whose needs for supports may
be different from what is available in the mainstream. Transport is one
such area. It is almost impossible for wheelchair users to use public
transport and although the Metro has been made wheelchairs accessible, last
mile accessibility remains a huge issue. Such people are therefore stuck at
home unable to take up a job or pursue any activity outside their homes.
Through this project that we have named ‘Get Going’ we aim to address this
issue. – Poonam Natarajan, Founder, Vidya Sagar
The upside of the project, Natarajan asserts, is that it is replicable and
scalable. ‘Get Going’, the accessible transport, will hit the roads today at
10 AM. The venue is 1 Ranjith Road, Kotturpuram.
The USP of this service is that its safe, accessible and supported and every
effort is being taken to ensure that all three goals are met, with the
drivers of these vehicles being given specialized training to be able to
understand and meet the range of support needs.
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/21669
