As Scott Hamilton says, “The only disability in life is a bad attitude”. The statement is true as disability is a mere perception. What matters in life is to live a healthy life with positive energies and positives thoughts around!!
There are provisions of special attentions provided to attend the special needs offered to these people. Though they have access to limited mobility, they are taken care of to have a safe journey. Jet Airways and Air India are among those flights that provide efficient Disabled Friendly Travel. Indian Railways do have the provision to grant concession ranging from 50% to 75% respectively. Standard ramps are been provided to the travellers to have easy access to entry and exit in the trains and there is an availability of non-slippery walkways from the parking lot to buildings. Indians are innately a friendly lot. Especially towards the specially-abled, locals extend a great deal of courtesy. One comes across so many instances of gratitude and care that’s reserved and doled out to the handicapped including, but not limited to, offering a seat in public transport, making way in long queues, sharing food and other essentials etc. There are special arrangements for Disabled travellers to have a Disabled Friendly Holiday. There are modified and fitted manual foldable ramps so that Disable people can travel safely, comfortably and independently on their wheelchairs. These vans can accommodate three people at a time with additional passengers to attend them.
For now, the below mentioned 3 destinations can be considered welcoming for disabled and special needs tourists in the country.
KERALA
Kerala’s Kochi Fort (Ernakulam), last year in 2016 was declared as the first disabled-friendly heritage site in India. The place provides facilities for people dealing with visual, hearing, mobility or cognitive impairments. The fort has been furnished with specifically designed ramps and non-slippery tiles on the walkways for convenient movement to the disabled, the elderly, and those on wheelchairs.
TAJ MEHAL
The land of the iconic Taj Mahal, Agra is another destination where a decent arrangement for disabled tourists can be seen.There is wheelchair facility available at Taj Mahal, though, it is not sure if you can access the raised platform as there is no facility of a ramp. At Agra Fort, along with wheelchairs, golf carts are made available for disabled tourists, which can ferry them even to Diwan-e-Aam. Fatehpur Sikri is another monument in Agra that has provisions like ramps, Braille sign boards, special toilets and ticket counters, and a defined route and dedicated parking.
QUTUB MINAR
At the Qutub Minar, a wheelchair user can now go right up to the Iron Pillar. The city has also introduced hotels that are disabled-friendly and provide them with the best care and amenities. However, there is still a lot to be done for proper accessible tourism in the city.
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