With new mayor Dzhakhangir Artykkhodzhaev, who was appointed in December 2018, the capital of Uzbekistan did not become more comfortable for people with reduced mobility: ramps are not available everywhere, and those that are available are just for the sake of appearance.
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In 2017, the republic adopted the programme to support persons with disabilities. However, it did not lead to the creation of the accessible urban environment in Tashkent. New social and transport infrastructure facilities do not have conditions for wheelchair users and other persons with reduced mobility.
Contrary to Maslow
There is a widespread human needs theory known as the “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs” of the American psychologist Abraham Maslow in psychology. According to it, a person may not have higher-level needs unless they satisfy their basic needs. For persons with disability, these are chiefly physiological needs and safety. Unfortunately, people with reduced mobility have difficulties at the very basic level in Tashkent.
Unsafe urban environment does not allow persons with disabilities live a full social life: study, work, entertain, unlock their potential.
As the majority of Tashkent residents live in multi-storey buildings not equipped with lifts, people with disabilities find it hard to leave their houses – there are no ramps in them.
It is useless to turn to local governments regarding this issue. The authorities pass the buck to the association of private owners, who, in turn, say that the decision on ramp construction should be made by the meeting of owners with their consent.
In fact, they are left to themselves. However, people with disabilities cannot solve this problem on their own because their disability pay is 436,150 sum (41 dollars).
Schools, universities, kindergartens are a real discomfort zone for people with reduced mobility. Here everything complicates the life of PWDs – high curbs, steep staircases without ramps, toilets without handrails for wheelchair users. Moreover, unfriendly attitude of people without special needs makes it clear that people with disabilities have a hard time living in Tashkent and Uzbekistan generally.
One of the parents of a child with cerebral palsy said that other children and their parents look at them as if they are leprous. Partially due to such side glances, people with disabilities find it hard to get socialised in the capital of Uzbekistan – it’s difficult for them to leave their homes. Therefore, the general public thinks seriously that there are few people with disabilities in the city.
By the way, the state only encourages the assurance of their citizens by recognising only 2 per cent of the people of Uzbekistan as persons with disabilities. However, according to the global statistics, up to 15 per cent of all people in the world have various degrees of disability.
It’s more important to comply with the law, rather than to help
It is fair to say that the urban social facilities (pharmacies, policlinics, makhalla boards) are equipped with ramps. But on the face of it, it seems they have been installed just to observe formalities. Many of them do not even have handrails, or are so steep that even a healthy person can hardly use them.
Some ramps are built as a part of the interior and are tiled with slippery marble or glazed tile – children can even slide on them.
The law on social protection of PWDs that binds to equip infrastructure for the people with disabilities does not work in fact.
Any complaints to local governments are met with misunderstanding, “Once there’s a ramp, there are no violations.”
Even the buildings of professional medical expert commission (VTEK), where disability certificates are issued, are not equipped for people with reduced mobility. They are not equipped with parking lots for drivers with disabilities; steep ramps are constructed along high curbs, while toilets are designed for healthy people only.
According to the Association of the Disabled People of Uzbekistan, the questions of formation of the comfortable barrier-free urban environment cannot be solved partially because there are no PWDs among responsible officials. In other words, they just cannot understand all hardships of life of people with reduced mobility.
Urban planning not tailored for special needs
Tashkent residents with disabilities complain that modern junctions and pedestrian crossings are not tailored for their needs. For example, the legislative requirements to install ramps were simply ignored during the construction of new underground stations. Footbridges over large intersections are not designed for people with disabilities.
PWDs find it difficult to travel by bus in the city. Some buses have special spaces for the disabled and mothers with buggies, but given that public transport is usually overcrowded, people with special needs can hardly count on finding a special space for them on a bus.
Curiously enough, modern shopping and recreation centres in the capital of Uzbekistan stand out among other buildings. They are equipped with facilities for PWDs (ramps, parking lots, lifts). Owners of private businesses are more tolerant than the state in this regard.
As for the rest, the city and its residents unfortunately remain the unfriendly environment for the people with disabilities. It is difficult and unsafe to go outside, which means that self-fulfilment and active socialisation of people with reduced mobility are out of the question.