When we speak about accessibility we usually think of disabled individuals. This doesn’t entirely correspond to reality and this concept falls short of showing accessibility is also a need for the elderly, people carrying heavy objects, and mothers pushing strollers, etc.

Have you ever thought obstacles are twice as hard to transpose by someone pushing a twin stroller?

We must assume everyone has some kind of special need, something that’s especially hard for us to do.

Speaking of the specific case of accessibility for people with disabilities we must never forget that, contrary to what many think, there’s not few of us: we’re 9,18% of the Portuguese population. And even minorities have rights.

Nowadays there’s a comparison for everything. For instance, if we compare this facts with the representation of political parties, we end up not knowing what a minority is.

There’s no argument against facts! Two thirds of the opposition parties in parliament had less than 9,18% of the votes.

Do these facts make you think?

And what about those parties that which didn’t even manage to have enough votes to be represented in parliament?

That makes you think… what’s a minority?

Is it that in this global world there are micro, medium and big minorities?

The plain truth is that Portugal has the highest rates of work and road accidents in Europe despite the alerts, inspections and road safety campaigns.

And all these figures have their share on the amount of disabled people. Be them people who get to be mobility-impaired forever or just for a period of their lives.

All the above citizens are a population stratum that we cannot ignore when it comes to accessibility.

To this tragic reality of the world we live in we must add the possibility that many people bearing some kind of disability might suffer from other kinds of impairment (visual, hearing, mobility, and many others).

Therefore we must build enough comprehensive accessibility infrastructures, from cell phones, houses, cars, trains, televisions, VCRs, pavements, theatres, libraries, to all buildings and public transportation, phone booths, ATM machines, etc. For all kinds of impairment with no limits or discrimination.

Having the political courage to assume the change of these facts and figures and what they represent is an emergency, so we can engage in working on the infrastructures, both in quality and in quantity.

Evolution in this field will gradually push us up from the last place in the so-called European Community (which is more of a community for some than for others).

It’s not only by setting up the World Exhibition in 1998, the European Cultural Capital in 2001 or the European Football Championship in 2004 that we show our organizational abilities.

We must stop being megalomaniac.

First of all we should put together better health, work and education conditions in order to have a good starting point from which to organize those events. Clean the house before inviting your neighbours!

We must take the leap forward and follow the example of other countries. If the failed commitment of the Portuguese Government was education, in the USA it seems to have been accessibility.

More specifically at the Center for Universal Design, in North Carolina State University, they’re trying to develop a new model:

“The intent of universal design is to simplify life for everyone by making products, communications, and the built environment more usable by as many people as possible at little or no extra cost. Universal design benefits people of all ages and abilities.”

“Universal design means simply designing all products, buildings and exterior spaces to be usable by all people to the greatest extent possible”

And the main idea:

“Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.”

Take your own conclusions.

But in Europe too there has been tremendous progress toward accessibility.

I always had the idea that The Netherlands were a reference country in what accessibility is concerned.

In England, according to the Disability Discrimination Act, the concept of accessibility to television stations comprehends not only the TV shows but also the physical access to its facilities.

In Portuguese television, there’s only sign language in the public television afternoon news, and sometimes subtitles provided via teletext. Let’s hope better days will come with digital television.

When it comes to computers, which are an excellent way for someone living with a disability to work, great progress has been made with the Windows accessibility wizards.

But the greater problem lies with the mouse. The “accessible mice” project was abandoned for not being commercially viable.

Did anybody think it was a need?

I admit I haven’t travelled much, but I’m aware of everything surrounding me through the media and it’s easy to realize Portugal is far behind when it comes to access ramps to zebra crossings. We must stop thinking some things only happen to other people.

For instance, if you watch a TV broadcast of an outdoor cycling event in France, Italy or Spain, you’ll immediately notice the ramps. Even in the most out-of-the-way places.

Thus, we must ask our commitment-prone politicians: what about EDUCATION FOR ACCESSIBILITY?