Make city streets obstacle free for the disabled

[Nereus]

The same "me first" attitude as with many other things here.(the report on another thread about plastic use is another example) The same with the ignorant ***cks that ride motorbikes on footpaths!
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Make city streets obstacle free for the disabled

https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opi ... e-disabled

If you've been around Bangkok over the past few months, you may have seen a young woman accompanied by a black Labrador riding the BTS Skytrain or strolling through some department stores. Her story with Luther, her guide dog, has gone viral on social media.

In clips provided by media outlets including the Bangkok Post, the woman, named Kirin Techawongtham, was seen walking with her four-legged friend.

With his help, Ms Kirin should theoretically able to independently access several places just like other visitors. But the places that open their doors to Luther remain limited.

Ms Kirin told the Bangkok Post in January how her life changed when she took a break from her studies to go to Bangkok with Luther.

When studying in the US, Luther's assistance enabled her to live independently. But when she brought him to Thailand during a school break, the dog was hardly welcome.

Several places display "no pets allowed" signs, but Luther is no pet. Her family had to call establishments in advance, informing them their daughter would be accompanied by a guide dog, which are rare in Thailand. Some of the phone calls were without success.

Being denied access to a place because of having a pet dog is one thing, but rejecting a visually-impaired person because of a guide dog is a breach of the person's rights as the canine acts as their eyes.

Upon learning of Ms Kirin's plight, Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang said he directed city officials to look into the laws and regulations concerning access to BMA-run areas for visually-impaired people accompanied by guide dogs, the results of which will be known by Aug 5.

Her story and the governor's reaction has confirmed the reasons why we rarely see people with disabilities (PWD) in public places. Average PWDs can hardly leave home by themselves, let alone access public transport and facilities, including places of education.

According to the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, there were about 1.9 million people with disabilities in Thailand as of 2018.

About 900,000, or half of the total, are of working age, but only 76,675 have jobs.

While the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities says 195,646 visually impaired people are registered, the Association of the Blind estimates that only 20% of them have jobs. Businesses that often employ visually impaired people include traditional massage parlours.

I know Thais see themselves as people who always have namjai, the characteristic of showing kindness and helping others, especially PWDs who are considered to be less fortunate. But I'm sure that PWDs like Ms Kirin want to live an independent life with dignity, without having to receive special treatment as a result of insufficient infrastructure.

The sight of train officials lifting a person on a wheelchair or through a BTS station, or assisting a blind person along a pavement to avoid a road sign or cross the street may pull at the heartstrings of onlookers, but this is a testament to how our city is so unfriendly to these people.

To be fair, Bangkok is learning quickly with the efforts of Ms Kirin's supportive family and media attention. Within just six months after her story first appeared in the media, Ms Kirin's life has become a little easier in Bangkok, while Luther is welcome in a few more places, including on BTS trains.

The Central department store chain was quick to announce earlier this week that its outlets, with their universal design, welcome everyone.

Ms Kirin hasn't requested anything special. She hasn't requested any special access to BTS stations, public parks or government buildings. All she and her family want is the right to live like everyone else.

Let's not make her a special case, but use her story as a reason to help people with disabilities gain equal access.

The governor should be grateful that her presence with a guide dog in public places shows it's possible for a person with disabilities to live like everybody else, if the state provides enough facilities to accommodate them.

Instead of keeping Ms Kirin waiting until Aug 5 to know whether she is able to access parks, hospitals or city buildings, the governor should start thinking about how to immediately improve city infrastructure to allow people with disabilities to access everything more easily.

Perhaps the BMA should start with pavements that can connect them to the outside world.

The city should provide even surfaces with braille signs, as well as functional ramps for people in wheelchairs, and make sure that pathways are free of motorcycles so that people with disabilities can have full access without risking their lives.

Sirinya Wattanasukchai is a Bangkok Post columnist.

[Nereus]

The girl and her dog making gains for the disabled

https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opi ... e-disabled

A Facebook page has gone viral. In just two weeks, the number of its followers has gone from 300 to over 90,000.

So what, you may ask? Viral Facebook or web pages are a dime a dozen. However, people with large followings are normally associated with glamour, fame, scandal or notoriety. But this particular page was started by a blind woman -- and her dog -- with none of those attributes.

In fact, she is one of those disabled people who, under normal circumstances, are virtually invisible. People may give them a fleeting look and move on.

The fact that makes her stand out from other disabled people is that she has a guide dog, who has become a public curiosity and sort of a celebrity himself.

Before I go any further, full disclosure is in order. The blind woman in question is my daughter.

To be clear, I'm not trying to promote my daughter. We don't need or seek celebrity. I'm writing this article to promote her cause, which is to seek equal treatment for the blind and the disabled in general and, equally importantly, to change the public mindset about the disabled.

Last week, the Bangkok Post published a video about Kirin Techawongtham, or Sai, and her dog Luther. I had no part in the online editor's decision. As a matter of fact, her story had already appeared in more than a dozen media outlets by then and more requests for interviews continue to pour in.

Since Sai lost her sight at the age of 13 due to a brain tumour, we have learned first-hand the world the disabled live in -- where things we take for granted become chores and minor obstacles mountains to climb.

Two years ago, Sai obtained a guide dog from a US foundation called Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Since then Luther has been her constant companion, not only to guide her but also to give her emotional support.

When Sai brought Luther to Thailand last December, we found that most public places have closed their doors on them. Many people are not aware that a law on disabilities states plainly that guide dogs are a tool for the blind and are allowed anywhere publicly accessible.

Most establishments, such as shopping centres, restaurants, and hospitality businesses, simply ignore the law's existence.

Guide dogs are not well known enough to give establishment operators the confidence that they are different from pet dogs. They refuse to be swayed by assurances that guide dogs have gone through rigorous training not to disrupt human activities or cause damage.

Even taxi drivers are similarly discriminatory. When we arrived in Thailand after participating in Sai's graduation ceremony at her college in the US, we emerged from Suvarnabhumi airport at about 1am.

After a 30-hour trip, we were dead tired and just wanted to go home. But no taxi drivers would take us.

The experience of being rebuffed so very often has led Sai and her mother to create a Facebook page to demand public acceptance of guide dogs as an essential tool for the blind. They named the page Pom Chue Luther (my name is Luther) or @guidedogluther.

In the back of our mind, the aim is not just to get Luther admitted into public places but to amplify the lack of public empathy regarding the difficulties faced daily by the disabled.

We started slowly, going out to meet concerned people such as Prof Wiriya Namsiripongpun, the first blind person to have a guide dog in Thailand, and officials dealing with disability.

So, too, has the page's fan base built up slowly. It took almost a week to gain 100 followers, and almost a month to reach 200. A week after the duo appeared on the stage at the Thailand Social Expo organised by the Social Development and Human Security Ministry, the number climbed to 300.

Then their story started to reach news media after which the number of followers started to shoot up and now stands at nearly 100,000. This number, of course, is multiplied manifold by the number of shares each post has received.

We were baffled by the exponential increase in followers but also delighted. It means our message is making an impact.

The message that Sai emphasises in every interview is that the disabled do not need sympathy. What they need is the right environment, opportunities and tools to help them realise their full potential and be independent.

Therefore, the public and officialdom need to adopt the right mindset when dealing with the disabled and issues of disability.

Both Luther, who exudes calm, confidence and loyalty, and Sai, who is articulate and presentable, make for an effective team of unofficial spokespersons for the disabled in general and the blind in particular.

The most significant impact of the duo's campaign is refocusing public attention on the issue of disability and giving visibility to the disabled community.

Eventually, we hope, Thai society will not look at disability and the disabled in the same way again.

Wasant Techawongtham is former news editor, Bangkok Post.

[Big Boy]

Why only for the disabled? This should apply to the entire population. Obstacles seem to be the order of the day, all over Thailand. Businesses thinking they've bought the pavement outside their shop. If they don't occupy the pavement, be sure a noodle will soon occupy the space. Many businesses these days seem to be encroaching into the road as well, and then cars parked, sometimes double parked. That poor dog must have had his owner walking blindly (literally) down the middle of the road at times. Was he trained to deal with Thai obstacles? Unlikely - he must have been pretty confused.

I am neither disabled nor blind, but I fear walking in some places.

[Nereus]

Why only for the disabled?

Well, you have to start somewhere! The point is more about Thai society's complete lack of concern for anything that does not affect them directly. Another perfect example is perfectly fit idiots parking in disabled zones, but I better not start on that as there is no swear filter on here!

[migrant]

Another perfect example is perfectly fit idiots parking in disabled zones, but I better not start on that as there is no swear filter on here!

Agree, in Bang Saphan Tesco not only does anyone park there, when they rent part of the parking lot to display cars, or clothes, guess what part? Right over the handicapped spots!

[handdrummer]

Makro, Hue Hin, has increased the number of disabled parking spaces and have personnel to insure only the handicapped park there.

[Nereus]

Makro, Hue Hin, has increased the number of disabled parking spaces and have personnel to insure only the handicapped park there.

I haven't been there for a while, but yes, that is another place where all and sundry back their pick up trucks into the disabled bays, sometimes blocking the way past behind them.

[handdrummer]

Makro, Hue Hin, has increased the number of disabled parking spaces and have personnel to insure only the handicapped park there.

I haven't been there for a while, but yes, that is another place where all and sundry back their pick up trucks into the disabled bays, sometimes blocking the way past behind them.

Not since the new spaces were set aside. They have barriers and a guard has to mo them in order to park there. And you thought it was still the 20th C in Hua Hin. (He sings)"Everything's up to date in Hua Hin, they've gone about as far as they can go."