An evaluation of road rehabilitation in relation to wheelchair users in Kampala city.

Abstract

There has been general concern on how accessible are road networks in regards to the people with reduced mobility. Widespread campaigns advocating for barrier free environment that are inclusive have been held in concern of accessibility for the disabled groups of people. There is an increasing amount of research and discussion worldwide on the subject of identifying and eliminating barriers – in other words, creating barrier-free environments. Much as Uganda has been recognized among African countries that have made solid steps in the disability sensitive world, much of the work is legislative and less can be seen on ground. This report contains elaborated data of how wheelchair users access roads and if rehabilitated roads address their concerns or not. It seeks to determine whether wheelchair users are treated as equal citizens in society regarding physical access to general infrastructure needed to support access to these modes of transport, such as roads and walkways. It seeks to understand the challenges wheel chairs users face, how they access roads and which interventions can be adopted to curb these challenges locally. The research looks at how passive the different utilities such as the pedestrian control button, ramps to the lifestyle requirements of the wheelchair users. The study looks into the need to understand the people with reduced mobility and the fundamental role they play in decision making discussion to make the dream of inclusive environment a reality.