New public buildings should comply with accessibility regulations for disabled

by Tracy Kumarapeli

Access to public buildings for the disabled is a fundamental right that has been violated. Due to the manner in which some buildings have been constructed, approximately five million disabled people in Sri Lanka have been affected.

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka addressed this issue at a media conference last week with the aim of creating awareness on the problems that differently-able people face on a daily basis.

The Supreme Court, on April 27 2011, in response to submissions by Dr. Ajith C. Perera, mandated that all buildings should be designed and constructed in accordance with the design requirements set out.

Justice Priyantha Perera said that no person should be discriminated due to their disabilities and compliance with the order set out by the Supreme Court are mandatory. Failure to adhere to the court ruling will result in severe repercussions.


"The HRCSL has received complaints regarding the safety and the mode of access to newly constructed buildings", he noted. The Supreme Court judgment has been sent to every government department and to private companies in order to make them aware about the severity of the issue and to urge them to take necessary steps to ensure that they are not in violation of the law.

Dr. Perera, a voluntary disability activist and CEO of the ‘Idiriya’ Foundation, expressed his disappointment about the fact that even a number of 5-star hotels in Sri Lanka are in violation of the regulations and that overlooking the need for everyone to access public places, reduces the quality of life and the dignity of the disabled community.

This restriction affects not just the disabled. It also affects the pregnant and the elderly as well. Most of the railings on staircases are either broken or are non-existent, causing great discomfort to most people. "Most people do not want to be overly dependent on anyone. A wheelchair bound person should be able to carry out his or her day to day activities such as going to the bank and using the ATM machine," Perera added.


He said that people are being stripped of their dignity, because they have to be dependent on someone all the time, which shouldn’t be the case. This 25% of the population is emotionally, socially, physically and mentally stressed, providing them almost no hope in life.

However, if every building owner were to comply with the said regulations, unwanted dependency can be drastically minimized and maximum human potential can be achieved. Even poverty can be alleviated in the long run. It is an unavoidable truth that no one can continue with the same abilities for their entire life. People succumb to disease as well as age. Therefore immediate steps have to be taken to make sure that everyone gets an equal opportunity, no matter what, he noted.

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