Launch of a site in favour of the disabled

Morocco has just celebrated, on 30 March, the National Day for Persons with Disabilities. Each year, this date constitutes an opportunity to take stock of the situation and living conditions of this segment of society. The lack of accessibility to public spaces is among the main obstacles encountered by disabled people. And this is the case in the city of Fez, where it is particularly difficult, if not impossible, for them to move around and access various spaces and infrastructures. This damning observation is corroborated by a study carried out in 2012 by about twenty young people, thanks to the support of the USAID SANAD project. According to this study, only 5% of spaces in the city of Fez are accessible to people with reduced mobility. Thus, schools, hospitals, public administrations, and means of transport, among others, are all almost inaccessible to disabled people. The Tahaddi Association for General Disability has been working for several years to defend this cause at the level of the city of Fez. In this sense, it has launched the site "fesacessible.ma", an electronic map of Fez that allows for the location of places and spaces that present an access problem for people with disabilities, as well as the locations of accessibility features at the level of all neighbourhoods and boulevards of the city. A first at the national level, this initiative is the result of a partnership with USAID within the framework of the "SANAD" project. For Hassan Karboub, president of the Tahaddi Association for General Disability, the interactive map "fesacessible.ma" has made it possible to sensitise and attract the attention of society to the issue of accessibility for people with reduced mobility. "Since its launch, we have noticed a great interest in the site 'fesacessible.ma' and its awareness-raising actions. But the situation on the ground has not changed much." Abdelhay Rais, an associative actor, president of the Moroccan Association for Road Education in Fez and the Regional Forum for Environmental Initiatives, shares the same opinion, condemning the lack of interest in the issue of accessibility for disabled people in public policies in Morocco. For him, the urban development plans of Moroccan cities must imperatively be adapted to the specific situation of disabled people and equip all infrastructures, public and private spaces, and means of transport with accessibility features that respect the standards in force at the international level. "Most of the new buildings built recently that have tried to introduce this notion of accessibility end up, in fact, putting in place slopes that are either non-standard or too steep for a wheelchair to go up," he explains. It should be noted that despite the promulgation in 2003 of Law 10-03 relating to the accessibility of disabled people, the measures recommended concerning buildings open to the public, collective housing, outdoor spaces, and public transport and communication means are often neglected.

Provider / Source : Le Matin