Thread #wheelchair access in Pakistan:
I became paralysed from the neck down following a car accident in 2002 on the Lahore-Islamabad motorway. My sister, who was in the car with me, lost her life on that fateful day.
The subsequent professional nursing care that I received was severely inadequate. Sandbags and neck collars to stabilise the neck were unavailable at hospitals.
Lack of proper paramedic care left me with little chance of any substantial recovery.
Unable to talk after a badly done operation, my main way of communication was by blinking. To get the attention of sleeping nurses, I would often bite on my ventilator tube to stop the oxygen supply and set off the alarm.
Subsequent rehab treatment in #Aylesbury, England provided me with a ray of hope, with excellent nursing care and accessibility of wheelchair users to all socioeconomic backgrounds helping in my rehabilitation.
I came back to #Pakistan with a renewed sense of hope, and tried to not let circumstances dictate my life.
I was routinely inconvenienced in going to school, clinics, weddings, movies, restaurants, stores, banks etc. due to the lack of ramps and lifts for those in a wheelchair.
Much to my surprise, I discovered that the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) had mandatory tailor-made provisions for differently-abled persons in public buildings.
Regulation 6.2.3 of the LDA Building and Zoning Regulations 2007 states that +
In all commercial buildings, public buildings and apartments a ramp of minimum 6-feet width and having maximum gradient of 1:6 should be provided. In case of non-provisions of lifts, each floor should be accessible through this ramp. A toilet for disabled must also be provided.
Needless to say, this provision has not been implemented by the LDA, nor has it been adopted by commercial/public buildings and apartments.
Most places do not have ramps for wheelchair users.
The last ray of hope, for better or worse, is the LDA developing a conscience and acting on its own volition. We, the wheelchair users, are at the LDA’s mercy.
Access for us is not just about putting in ramps, but without ramps, we have no gateway to a meaningful life.

Sana Khurshid has done her LL.B and LL.M. from the University of London. She is the Spine Ambassador for the Spinal Centre at Ghurki Trust Hospital.
@Dawn_News
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