Disabled families' allowance increased

Irangika RANGE

The number of disabled families who received a special monthly allowance of Rs 3,000 under the Mahinda Chinthanaya programme has been increased.

The total cost of the increase has been estimated as Rs 405 million.

Social Services Minister Felix Perera said the number of disabled families had increased from 2,200 to 11,280 this year.

The minster was addressing a workshop held under the theme Access For All, organised by the Navajeevana Foundation and the Disability Organization Joint Front (DOJF) in association with Samarthyam, National Centre for Accessible Environments and Mitra Jyoti at the Foundation Institute in Colombo recently.

"Accessibility is a human rights issue which requires understanding and strong action. Every human being including persons with disability and reduced mobility have the right for equal access to sites, services and facilities including information and communication," the minister said.

The workshop would pave the way to understand the access needs of persons with disabilities and those at the risk of disability.

It will help promote the implementation of a universal design in public buildings, roads and street infrastructure, transport systems and public spaces such as tourists spots, parks and gardens, beaches, etc.

Hence, this workshop also aim at improving the sites and making them more user friendly for everyone, including children, women, elderly persons and persons with disabilities. "There is much to be done to develop fully accessible public transport systems, sheltered bus halts, buses, rail stations and pedestrian infrastructure," he said.

The workshop will be followed by the formation of an Access Co-ordination Cell with a motto to make Sri Lanka Universally accessible and inclusive to all .

He said that disabled people may also lack access to information about community services and progra-mmes.

Therefore, it must be ensured that people with disabilities in Sri Lanka have equal access to the technologies that can enrich their lives, and covers a range of e-accessibility issues including websites, telecommunication services, handsets, ATMs, government services, access to technologies and digital content.

The purpose of the two-day workshop is to raise awareness and sensitize policy makers, service providers, planners, architects and engineers, the tourism industry, hoteliers, academic institutions (schools, colleges, universities) and designers for creating a better future for the disabled people.