EDITORIAL: The disabled in chains

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

The disabled in chains

 

Three years after the BTS was ordered to install elevators at every station, it still hasn’t finished the job

 

Manit “Saba” Inpim of Bangkok, who is confined to a wheelchair and advocates for the rights of the disabled, slammed an elevator panel at the BTS Asok Station this past weekend, hard enough to shatter the glass. He then turned himself in to police and confessed to damaging public property. 

 

Manit didn’t have sudden pangs of guilt – he wanted to make a point. As is so often the case, that lift at the Skytrain station had been locked. His act of civil disobedience was an intentional crime to draw attention to that barred access.

 

Manit is the founder and administrator of a page on Facebook called “Accessibility is Freedom”. He posted an account of the incident there and, as expected, got a lot of attention.

 

He encouraged readers to review his previous posts regarding the BTS elevators, which were installed for the convenience of disabled people and yet rarely seem operational.

 

One post pointed out that BTS staff members often have to be summoned to unlock the lifts, leaving passengers meanwhile waiting in the rain or heat. 

 

Not everyone will see the need for civil disobedience, but surely almost everyone will empathise with the plight of Manit and the millions of other Thais like him.

 

When the Skytrain started rolling in December 1999, only five of its stations had elevators – at Mo Chit, Asok, On Nut, Chong Nonsi and Siam.

 

Only at Siam was the lift readily accessible. The rest were locked. In 2015, the Administrative Court ordered elevators installed at all 23 stations, yet three years later, that order remains unfulfilled.

 

Some stations have elevators always at the ready. Mo Chit and Chong Nonsi stations have access-code scanners on the lift doors. But the fact that the court order hasn’t been fully obeyed in all this time reveals the level of importance the BTS attaches to the issue.

 

Worse still, the BTS is hardly alone in failing to meet the needs of disabled citizens. Other forms of mass transit are just as guilty, as are private and government buildings that lack facilities for people with limited mobility.

 

Fully mobile people might not notice just how few public places have toilet stalls for the disabled, but they should. In fact, society could do much, much more in this regard.

 

Attitudes might need adjusting. This is not merely about basic rights – it’s about ensuring that everyone has the equal opportunity to contribute constructively to society.

 

There remains a mindset in which people of limited mobility are regarded as unemployable.

 

By lifting physical barriers to their mobility, we create conditions for them to pursue any calling, make use of their capabilities and reach their full potential. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, which bears the greatest responsibility for helping disabled citizens, needs to do more.

 

It should take the lead in improving public awareness and attitudes, introducing and enforcing regulations, and offering the private sector incentives to accommodate more people with disabilities. We must guarantee such people the opportunity to find gainful employment – and we must make as many places as possible totally accessible to them.

 

Our policymakers often talk about working towards an inclusive society, about resolving social and political problems stemming from issues of race, religion and sexual orientation. Unfortunately, too often, the door to that inclusive society remains locked to people with disabilities.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30340868

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-14

[Samui Bodoh]

36 minutes ago, webfact said:

Manit “Saba” Inpim of Bangkok, who is confined to a wheelchair and advocates for the rights of the disabled, slammed an elevator panel at the BTS Asok Station this past weekend, hard enough to shatter the glass. He then turned himself in to police and confessed to damaging public property. 

 

Manit “Saba” Inpim

 

You Sir, are truly a lovely man. Good on you and smash away!

 

[Cadbury]

I notice the BTS lift at Mo Chit is operational and gets a bit of a flogging by the A1 shuttle bus passengers coming and going to Don Mueang. 

[colinneil]

Accessibility is freedom, very true, go Manit go, this country needs someone like you.

Accessibility here is a joke.

Around Banphai there are only 2 businesses suitable for wheelchair users, Global house/ big C.

Not 1 shop/ bank/ government building has wheelchair access, a damn disgrace.

[Thian]

Didn't the general use art.44 to speed up the access for disabled people? 

 

How can this take sooo long? The elevator is even built now but they won't open it? Just fire that manager today, nonsense like this has to stop immediatly.

 

Thailand 4.0 and they even don't open the built elevators for disabled people.

[wotsdermatter]

As a person who has to rely on escalators and elevators, I stopped using BTS because of the difficulty of having them available when needed.  It used to be that many people who do not need to use these devices take advantage of them if they are left open.  Some even tried to stop disabled people from entering, including me.  Although Mo Chit does have escalators, at each end of the station there are escalators only going up from the street, one on each side of the road, and the only way down is by stairs, that are usually crowded and therefore difficult to use, or the one elevator, located at one end of the station.  To access that requires finding the person with the key.  The one from the platform only goes down one level and then the passenger has to walk to the other side of the road and look for the key holder to go to the road level.  Gave up and now use taxis to go everywhere as many busses are also inaccessible due to the height they are built from the ground, the high steps required to board, the speed the drivers tend to take off after picking up and/or passengers, and I cannot get onboard.

Edited March 14, 2018 by wotsdermatter
more information added

[Anak Nakal]

Khun Manit 'Saba' Inpim is a brave, good man.

 

Thank you.

[Cadbury]

1 hour ago, Thian said:

Didn't the general use art.44 to speed up the access for disabled people? 

 

How can this take sooo long? The elevator is even built now but they won't open it? Just fire that manager today, nonsense like this has to stop immediatly.

 

Thailand 4.0 and they even don't open the built elevators for disabled people.

He has two Article 44's. The Heavy Duty Deluxe model  A44 which he uses for taking gold mines and assets from foreign companies, delaying elections and an assortment of selfish military political needs. Then there is the Junior Economy model Pinocchio A44 which he uses fixing BTS elevators, beachchairs, pavements, lotteries. twerking and the like. 

[Thaidream]

Kudos to Mr Manit for his bravery to point out the fact that the BTS does not care about disabled people or frankly any of its customers. It cares only about saving money.  It's time for either the Government or Courts to enforce their orders by penalizing the BTS a good amount of money each day that they continue to ignore putting in the proper escalators and lifts for the disabled and the elderly.

No more excuses- it needs to happen- Now!!!