ACCESS AUDITS

We are all persons with disabilities at some time in our lives. A child, a person with a broken leg, a parent with a pram, pregnant mother, an elderly person, etc. are all disabled in one way or another. Those who remain healthy and able-bodied all their lives are few. As far as the built-up environment is concerned, it is important that it should be barrier-free

And adapted to fulfill the needs of all people equally. As a matter of fact, the needs of the persons with disabilities coincide with the needs of the majority, and all

People are at ease with them. As such, planning for the majority implies planning for people with varying abilities and disabilities.

The technical aim of an access audit is to provide a barrier-free

Environment for the independence, convenience and safety of all people with disabilities and persons with not yet with a disability.

Disability accessibility has been a huge challenge for people with disabilities. This includes customers as well as employees. Therefore, it is important Employers to sensitize their staff on the importance of accessibility to treat their customers with dignity and justice.

The Employers’ Federation of Ceylon conducts access audits in companies to give recommendations for the employers. The Access Audit team of EFC conducted an access audit at the British Council Kandy in April 2019 to make it a disable friendly environment for all persons with disabilities.

 

Picture description for vision impaired persons:

The Access Audit team, Ms. Manique Gunaratne, Mr. Santhush Peiris, Ms. Ayasana Gunasekera and Mr. Chamod Nayanananda.

 

Manique Gunaratne

Member of the Expert Body of the Sub Committee on Persons with Disabilities – Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka

Author: Manique