Group 1: Accessible Transportation for People with Disabilities
As part of our Service and Experience Design workshop, we are writing our learning and findings here for the discussion and open for future collaboration in this field. The focus of this workshop is to Design & Envision a Sustainable Livelihood Platform for People with Disabilities (PwDs). We as a team of 5 members Apoorva Bhalla from (IIIT Bangalore), Nikita Sarkar, Pranjal Jain, Srivalli Kiran, Tejasvi-H.S. from (Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology) working together to identify any gaps or opportunities from the existing services and systems. This workshop is in collaboration with Enable India and IIITB (MSc in Digital Society).
Design Brief:
Our challenge here, is to understand the current life-journey of persons with disability and select one of the stages or doors to find an area of intervention, so as to improve the quality of life for PwD’s. On further exploration of these doors our aim is to unpack and map the service-system around the specific stage chosen, find stakeholders and gaps in the system to find a scope of improvement in the existing service system. We also need to formulate a design vision through service and experience design thinking to enable a sustainable system addressing the gaps of the chosen stage and explore conceptually the role of digital platforms to enable and sustain such system.
The journey map designed by Enable India, gave us an overview of the challenges faced by disabilities on a daily basis. Every door was designed based on different stages one would go through in aspiration for a better livelihood.
We as a team discussed and debated on what door to focus in order to aid to the challenges faced by the disabled. After a lot of going back and forth about different doors and brainstorming. We came to an understanding that, the primary problem faced by the PwD’s is to travel, even to access other door such as employment, connecting with peers etc. needed them to travel from one point to another.
Hence, We choose, ‘Accessible Transportation’ as our focus door. Another key reason why we chose this door is that, as Enable India primarily focuses on Employment Generation, we believe that “accessible transportation” would also add value to their goals and vision.
Research
Our Research consists of both primary and secondary research, where we tried to understand the Transport System in India and then looked into Bangalore as our final context. Our research was further mapped to understand the different modes of transport, types of user, how they access it, whether it can be accessed etc. We focused on grass root level such as understanding accessibility and what it means for the disabled — to be able to travel!
The mappings are as follows :
Understanding Transport Patterns Among PWD Through Contextual Inquiry
Activity — Primary Research in the form of contextual inquiry and mapping them through a user journey map.
Users — PWD mainly physical disability, Cerebral Palsy and Intellectual Disability
Description — The primary research was held at Provision Asia in R.T.Nagar. An informal interview was conducted to understand how PWD individuals commute on everyday basis, what sort of choices they make? What are the parameters they keep in mind before stepping outside the house? What are the other challenges they face apart from the obvious ones? What are the hindrances they face along the journey to reach their final destination?
Interventions -
- Buses stops are not accessible. a) Infrastructure — The footpaths are elevated from the road which doesn’t allow PWD on wheelchairs to access the bus stop
- Buses are not accessible — a) The buses have a section for “physically handicapped” but PWD on wheelchair can’t fit their wheelchair into those portions. b) Bus conductor won’t be able to identify a hearing impaired individual when calling out for him. c) Physical disability individuals can’t get into a bus in a peak hour.
- Bus depots. a) Visual impaired person can’t navigate through to find out routes from given maps.
- Auto — Auto drivers don’t stop to cater to visually impaired or PWD on wheelchair. After many failed attempts they are able to avail an auto.
- Seating — The seating arrangement in buses and auto don’t cater to people with physical disability, no space for their wheelchairs or crutches
Learning — Post the above activity, it came to light that there is an infrastructure gap in the mode of transport and in the which doesn’t make the public transport accessible for PWD at every location. Due to the gaps present, PWD have to assess for themselves on what mode of transportation needs to be chosen which is economical too.
Understanding Current Transport System through mapping :
Activity: Mapping of existing transport system:
From all the data we collected of our primary research and secondary research regarding public transport and private transport system, we began to map out the existing condition of different types of modes of transport, the mapping was based on parameters such as services (boarding & deboarding, signage etc.) and whether it could be accessible by all. This was done considering the existing conditions of the transport system in Bangalore. For better understanding of what is happening in current scenario regarding development of transport system, “Accessible India campaign’ was also looked into.Their key features on creating an inclusive transport service system was mapped alongside too.While doing so, we encountered a few areas of intervention, areas which had scope of intervention of a digital platform for progressing towards an inclusive transport service system.
Finding Intervention Points :
- Ticketing: creating ticketing booths which can be used by all, abled and disabled persons (self-issue of ticket), improving existing ticketing system — making tickets more tactile and informative.
- Signage: Making all boards in bus depot, bus stops and buses — audible, sensory and tactile for better communication. Scope for improving existing display system of route maps of buses, trains and metros in stations in order to make in all inclusive.
Learning Outcomes :
Supporting infrastructure is also plays an equally important role for easy transportation and not just the mode of transport. Infrastructure like platform accessibility, boarding and deboarding of the transport, tactile pathways etc add to the overall experience of using the service system too.
Understanding different transportation technologies and services through cluster mapping
Cluster Mapping
Description: Mapped and explored the different elements of the para transit map, like its features, user groups, case study of para-transit in India, where Auto rickshaws are being used as para-transit system and exploring its advantages and disadvantages. Once we found put down features of each topic, we began to draw connections between them. This was followed by another cluster mapping of Technologies aiding disabled people for their daily commute. Here, we found new apps, products and service systems already existing. Further, each technology was broken down into its features, supporters, user groups, gaps, and connected all of them to each other for better understanding of present technologies their interrelation and gaps.
Interventions:
- Transportation facilities provided by private service systems for disabled people are not cost friendly, instead public transportation facilities for boarding and debarring should be made user friendly for disabled people.
- Signage and information system to access public transport should be designed inclusive for disabled people which make their accessibility hassle free.
Learning Outcomes : This cluster mapping helped us explore and develop a detail understanding of particular system in which we are able to find out what are the present condition, gaps and challenges in transportation technologies for persons with disability.This enlightened us that all these transportation services are not cost effective and case specific for particular disability, due which these are not being explored by PwD’s.
India Accessible Campaign
Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) is a nation-wide Campaign launched by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment to provide universal accessibility to persons with disabilities.
The campaign aims at providing equal opportunity to persons with disabilities to participate in all the aspects of life and live independently. The Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan focuses on developing accessible physical environment, transportation system and Information & communication ecosystem.
Built Environment Accessibility
The Accessible India Campaign aims to provide an accessible physical environment to everyone. To achieve this, measures needs to be undertaken to eliminate obstacles and barriers to indoor and outdoor facilities including schools, medical facilities, and workplaces. The built environment not only covers buildings, but also steps and ramps, corridors, footpaths, curb cuts, parking, entry gate, emergency exits, toilets and obstacles that block the flow of pedestrian traffic.
Transportation System Accessibility
Transportation is a vital component for independent living. The term transportation covers a number of areas including air travel, buses, taxis, and trains. Inaccessible transportation system restricts mobility, denies freedom of movement and active participation, for much of the population who may need accessible transportation. The Accessible India Campaign focuses on providing persons with disabilities an equal right to travel and use public and private transportation infrastructure with dignity and independence.
Information and Communication Eco-System Accessibility
Access to information creates opportunities for everyone in society. Access to information refers to all information. This can range from actions such as being able to read price tags, to physically enter a hall, to participate in an event, to read a pamphlet with healthcare information, to understand a train timetable, or to view web pages. The Accessible India Campaign aims to take measures to curb all societal barriers of infrastructure, and inaccessible formats that stand in the way of obtaining and utilising information in daily life. (Source: India Accessible Campaign 2015)
Finding Intervention Points :
1.Audit Guidelines:
The focus of the Campaign is towards government buildings and not towards private buildings. Big trains stations and bus stops are covered under audit guidelines but what about other stations and bus stops.
2.Mobile App Redesign:
This is the crowd sourcing platform, to report about any inaccessible buildings to the government. But the system fails as the Admin has the authority to reject or accept the request of the user. The user does not get report on his or her request completion, for example, has any action has been taken or not.
Accessibility is our (disabled person’s) basic right. Are these (access to schools, healthcare, transportation) special needs? Not at all. Are these different needs? Not at all. Are these ‘divine’ needs? CERTAINLY NOT. These are basic Human Needs.”
— Dr. Satendra Singh (Disability Rights Activist)
Understanding the relationships between Areas of Intervention through interconnected circle map
Activity: Interconnected circle map:
Description: To find out relation for above diverse information in different steps we used interconnected circle map as a tool. Here we pointed all our findings in different steps along the circle and connected them for finding out relation between policies, act for build environment, transportation facilities in public and private services, Information system for different transportation facilities, and government role in making inclusive transportation.
Learning Outcomes: It enabled a synthesizing of the key flows in the system, and provided key areas for our further intervention.
Conclusion and self evaluation of the process followed so far:
After much research and documentation of data, we have now progressed in establishing a certain level of understanding of the current scenario related to accessible transportation. While mapping and discussing about our findings among us in the group, we stumbled upon and observed quite a few areas of intervention.
We are primarily focusing on weaving our area of intervention into the existing system with ease, without altering the current scenario to a great extent. During our research, We also observed how there is not only lack of supporting physical infrastructure but also lack of information systems like display-boards, announcement speakers, non accessible information and ticketing booths as well. We are directed towards introducing digital services to tackle this particular situation which would further aid and enhance the traveling experience of PwD’s.
