The National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) has spoken out about the absence of accessible features on highway walkovers.
In an interview with St. Lucia Times, Merphilus James, President of the NCPD, highlighted the urgent need for designs that accommodate people with disabilities.
James recalled that a few years ago, the NCPD had discussed including ramps and other accessible features in the walkovers.
However, he said a Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) representative cited space constraints as the reason for not incorporating those features.
Nevertheless, James said the NCPD did not accept the excuse.
“It is not acceptable, certainly not,” he said. “When infrastructure like that is being done, it must adhere to universal design principles, which cater to not just persons with disabilities, but to the elderly, to mothers with children in strollers, to people who have a temporary impairment due to a stroke or accident – all these persons should be able to easily utilise this.”
According to James, NCPD members have had to use costly and uncomfortable alternatives to navigate around and get to their destinations.
He pointed to the infrastructure of neighboring islands like Antigua and Barbuda and Trinidad and Tobago, which have successfully incorporated inclusive features.
“If not elevators, ramps are built into them, with the correct gradient. And even if they take some various turns, they make creative use of the space, which allows wheelchair users to utilize them- and that is the kind of design that we encourage, where everyone gets an equal chance of moving around and integrating into society. But this design limits a lot of our members,” the NCPD President told St. Lucia Times.
James would like a reassessment of the current walkover designs or an investment in more inclusive infrastructure in Saint Lucia.
He hopes future projects will better accommodate all community members and ensure equal access.
