Ensuring accessibility in Delhi’s parks

Delhi’s parks are the green jewels of the Indian capital, beloved by its residents. Now they should become more inclusive and accessible for persons with disabilities through an innovative training programme co-organized by the United Nations.

Earlier this month the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) joined forces with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD) and the Centre for Accessibility in Built Environment (CABE) Foundation to hold a two-day course for 80 park officials from across the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

The officials learned how to design and retrofit parks to make them more inclusive, especially for users with disabilities as well as older persons, women and children, and discuss how to operationalize these inclusive approaches in the parts of Delhi

On the second day of the training, the participants visited Shahidi Park in the city centre and conducted an accessibility survey. They were divided into groups, with each group having at least one wheelchair user and one person simulating vision impairment to explore the park’s infrastructure and facilities.

Mikiko Tanaka, Director and Head of the ESCAP Subregional Office for South and South-West Asia shared, “ESCAP mandates on disability inclusion affirm the importance of developing inclusive public spaces that are fully accessible for persons with disabilities – and of utilizing a universal design approach in achieving this objective. In this context, we stand ready to support park authorities in the design and retrofitting of selected public parks in Delhi.”

The course was the first in a series of training sessions on designing inclusive green spaces across South and South-West Asia –based on a compendium on the topic developed by ESCAP.