Having to rely on others for the simplicity of trying to get around is frustrating and uncomfortable. Shobhika Kalra, a resident in Dubai, dealt with this issue on an ongoing basis since she first had to use a wheelchair. It’s the reason she started the social initiative called Wings of Angelz.
The initiative started two years ago and the idea is simple: When you’re out and you notice somewhere that isn’t wheelchair accessible, click a picture of it and post it on the Wings of Angelz Facebook page.
Kalra said: “its aim is to build ramps across the world. It all started after me and my sister had gone to a cinema in Delhi. Seeing my discomfort to enter the seating area, my sister went and spoke to the manager about it, to which he replied that there are not many people in wheelchairs. This upset us and it was the reason behind the initiative.”
At the age of 13 years old, Kalra was diagnosed with Friedreich Ataxia, a disorder that attacks the nervous system and eventually progresses to the point that a wheelchair is needed.
According to the Friedreich Ataxia Reasearch Alliance, it effects the coordination in limbs, reduces energy levels leaving a feeling of fatigue and it can lead to heart conditions and diabetes.
It seems only fair that Kalra, among others with such side effects attached to their disability, wouldn’t want to go another couple hundred metres to the nearest ramp to get onto the sidewalk from the pavement or spend an unwelcomed amount of time figuring out how to get into a building.
Kalra has international aspirations for this constant problem for wheelchair users. She began the group in Dubai and is now also taking on causes in Delhi and Bengaluru.
Kalra said: “If you don’t have places for wheelchairs, how will they come out?”
After looking into the issue, a site called Wheelchair Pride stated a statistic to highlight the issue. Research shows that one out of every 100 people are in wheelchairs.
Wheelchair Pride wrote: “But, when you are out in public, how many people do you actually see who use wheelchairs? … Most certainly less than one in 100. Ask yourself why.”
Accessibility is something that many take for granted. That’s why in Ottawa, Canada there is an annual campaign for accessibility to raise awareness and funding. The idea is simple and to the point: use a wheelchair for one whole day to get around doing your daily routine. Participants found that is was more difficult than they had imagined.
She spoke about a friend of hers who is in a wheelchair who was telling about having difficulties going to a nearby grocery store. Kalra said: “[She] couldn’t do so because of the lack of ramps. I hope to help her out soon by getting ramps built near her house.”
Pammu Parvinder Chawla is a Wings of Angelz volunteer. She told Gulf News about her experiences being in a wheelchair in Dubai.
Chawla said: “I’ve had some lovely experiences and some not-so-lovely also. … I was a bit worried at first moving around here because I wanted to remain independent.”
Chawla called up the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) before coming to Dubai where they were very helpful and told her that all buses are wheelchair accessible.
Chawla said: “The problem is the ramps. Sometimes I have to go on the road and it can be a little scary.”
She spoke about the difficulties she has at bus stops. Even though the buses themselves are wheelchair accessible, the stops aren’t. Chawla has also found difficulties crossing street corners on occasion where there isn’t a ramp for her to come down onto the road and come back onto the side walk on the other side.
Chawla said: “Otherwise it has been a great experience. Now I have become apart of the Wings of Angelz group. I found that the Metro was great, that was a great experience.”
Kalra has had the help of RTA on occasion. She said: “The officers [that I worked with were ] Engineer Hussain Al Banna, Director of the Traffic Department, and Engineer Helal Al Sahi, Traffic safety manager. Their help was that they sent an engineer with me to whom I spotted out the places that needed ramps. I have done constant follow-ups with them, which they encouraged.”
Kalra is working with businesses to encourage them to be more wheelchair accessible. She has been able to get a few a businesses so far to create ramps into their stores. Most of her future projects for 2015 are to make businesses more accessible.
Kalra said: “In Dubai there is a lot of contribution from our volunteers, too, who have managed to get ramps in a number of places and we all hope to make the world wheelchair-friendly.”