Key Points
Last Sunday, Iparticipatedin a heritage walk at Humayuns Tomb,but becauseI was half an hour late, my group members could not accompany me to Isa Khan Tombin the complex.It turned out to be an ordealsince Isa Khan Tomb was not at all wheelchair accessible...
What confronted me were3-4 steps to climb,followed byanother 3-4 stepsto descend,thena flat road, andfinally, another 2-3 steps to reach Isa Khans Tomb.Somekindstrangers immediately jumped into help me..
A boy lifted me in his arms and two girlscarriedmy heavy battery-operated wheelchair.Buta sense of apology and guilt engulfed me because I had to depend on their help to access Isa Khan Tomb.Ieven blamed myselffor visiting Humayuns Tomb..
Although such accessibility barriers for people with disability are common across public places in India, I was still sorely disappointed because I had started to become optimistic after my recent visits to Red Fort, Qutub Minar, and Lodhi Garden..
Unfortunately, disability isoftenan afterthought for people in our society.People only try to understand the challenges of PWDs after seeing us in public places and that too with an attitude of sympathy rather than empathy..
