Gaps in accessibility of public infrastructure for persons with disabilities highlighted

ISLAMABAD: The Coalition for Inclusive Pakistan (CIP) has called upon the federal and provincial governments to enforce their legal commitments to ensure accessible public infrastructure for persons with disabilities.

The CIP has been active for the advancement of political, social and economic participation of disadvantaged segments of population since 2017.

Its formation was facilitated by the Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability-Free and Fair Election Network (TDEA-FAFEN) to help amplify the unheard voices of persons with disabilities, women and transgender persons. The CIP has now expanded to include more than 100 civil society organizations across Pakistan that represent their interest and priorities.

In a policy brief titled “Making Public Infrastructure Accessible for Persons with Disabilities”, CIP highlights widespread gaps in compliance with critical accessibility standards, undermining the rights of over 13 percent of Pakistan’s population living with physical disabilities or functional limitations as reported in the 2023 census.

Pakistan’s legal framework, including the Accessibility Code of Pakistan 2006 and federal and provincial laws on rights of persons with disabilities, mandates accessible physical and digital infrastructure.

However, CIP’s assessment of 316 public buildings – spanning over hospitals, Nadra registration centers, and social welfare offices across 19 districts – revealed that these buildings lacked minimum accessibility standards as outlined in the Accessibility Code along with stark disparities between urban and rural areas. Essential accessibility features like ramps, tactile pathways, and Braille signage were largely absent. The CIP attributes these shortcomings to legal inconsistencies and weak enforcement mechanisms, including a lack of monitoring systems and penalties for non-compliance.

While provincial laws on rights and entitlements of persons with disabilities in Sindh and Punjab require compliance with the Accessibility Code, the laws in Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad Capital Territory have no binding references to the federal Accessibility Code.

To address these challenges, CIP urges governments to harmonize laws by mandating uniform adoption of the Accessibility Code across all provinces, while expanding legal frameworks to incorporate digital accessibility standards such as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

The CIP also emphasizes upon strengthening the oversight mechanism by empowering the disability rights councils constituted under the federal and provincial statues to conduct inspections, impose fines, and seek compliance reports, with collaboration from agencies like the Pakistan Engineering Council and National Highway Authority to embed accessibility into infrastructure projects.

At the local level, CIP stresses the need to raise awareness and build the capacity among municipal corporations and urban development authorities to ensure compliance in public spaces and transport systems.