Representation Letter

Dear

We have been trying to bring to the notice of all, the issues of inaccessible public buildings and places for a long time now! The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act was passed by the Indian Parliament in 1995. The Act mandates non-discrimination in transportation and in the built environment. Even after more than five years since the passage of the Act, nothing much has changed for the 70 million disabled citizens living in the country. It seems that the people of ….state name of city/town you are working in…… have been indifferent and insensitive to our repeated appeals. Five years is a long time for any agency to implement the law! (A copy of The Disability Act, 1995, is enclosed.)….state name of your organization…… therefore, is conducting Disability Audits of select public buildings in Delhi to see how accessible they are for persons with disabilities. The objective of conducting these Disability Audits is to identify the extent of the problem regarding access to public building in the capital city of India for persons with different disabilities to create awareness on the issue. ….state name of your organization…… and its objectives…….

If you look closely, you will realize that education, training, employment, rehabilitation services, recreation, and even medical treatment is beyond the reach of the disabled people living in the city. The seemingly simple acts of reaching the office, boarding the bus, going to the shop to buy a shirt, going to a cinema hall to see a movie, filing a complaint at the police station, dialing the phone to know the timings of a train, taking your body weight on the machine, going to the post office or bank, entering a school or college, can all be very taxing and even humiliating experiences for people with various types of disabilities. The nature of challenges may vary for persons with physical, visual or hearing impairments, but the problem is the same- inaccessibility, insensitivity, discrimination - leading to what else but isolation!

The Disability Audit Team of ….state name of your organization…… would like you to look into this crucial issue and take the necessary action to make the ….. state name of the building/institution being evaluated by your organization ….. Completely accessible for persons with different types of disabilities. The Design Manual for Barrier Free Environment and the CPWD Guidelines are also enclosed for your perusal.

With kind regards

Yours sincerely,