Recently, I had the opportunity of delivering a lecture on the universal easy access project at the Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA).
The event was held under the auspices of King Salman Center for Disability Research.
I explained the concepts and history of this wonderful program. In addition, I also explained the definition of the term “disability.”
Not very long ago, our society used to see the disabled as a person who cannot do anything because of his/her handicap and not because suitable conditions were not available to such people. This diagnosis is called the medical model. There is another model known as the social model, which says that the disabled cannot service himself because the community and the environment are not prepared to make his or her life comfortable. The concept of universal easy access was introduced as a compromise between the two theories or models. It says that the disabled and people with special needs can serve themselves without help from others and can serve their country as well provided that special arrangements were made for them in the environment in which they live.
The main idea behind the universal access program is that it is comprehensive in dealing with the community and its components. It has surpassed the overall traditional perspective in seeing disability from physical and mental angles to say that all men have special needs without classifying them as disabled.
In fact, the feedback from the audience was remarkable to the extent that engineers present on the occasion expressed their willingness to form a working group so as to take into consideration the universal access concepts in their current and future plans.
Despite such positive responses at such events, the situation on the ground is quite different. This is because there is no executive supervision to enforce this concept.
In order to make this program a success story, there is a great need to remove hurdles in the effective implementation of this concept. We have to walk the extra mile to ensure its implementation by force.
However, it would be nice to see business, construction and service sectors implementing this program voluntarily.
We understand that these sectors view the implementation of such a program a burden on their budgets simply because entrepreneurs do not understand the concepts and the spirit of the universal easy access and size of disability in the Kingdom. This is the reason that makes these sectors hesitant and lacking motivation.
Nevertheless, I believe that this project will be eventually implemented because it is among the top priorities of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman.
