I participated in the project as an urban planning student from the Faculty of Architecture. Before this, I hadn’t dealt much with the topic of accessibility and inclusion of people with mobility impairments; during my studies, we only encountered it once.
Although I hadn’t given much thought to accessibility for people with mobility impairments before, I already knew from casual observation of my surroundings that their access was certainly more limited than mine. During the project, I learned about many rules for designing accessible spaces. However, while surveying public buildings, I did not encounter a single one that was fully adapted. On the contrary, I came across quite a few that were completely unsuitable for people with mobility impairments. I was especially surprised by those that had been built quite recently.
Such a high degree of inaccessibility strikes me as both surprising and unfair. While conducting surveys, I was often disappointed by the quality of design and maintenance, as well as by the conscious exclusion of people with mobility impairments in the planning of new buildings, public spaces, and public transport.
Thanks to the new knowledge I gained, I now notice numerous shortcomings and many opportunities for improvement in my everyday environment. Abroad, I have seen many good practices, especially in public transport, and I hope similar solutions will be implemented here as well.
Žan Ložar