Indians with disabilities create street play about inaccessible transportation

From The Times of India:

CHENNAI, India -- Jayachandran drives his bus into the T Nagar bus depot. Immediately, people rush to hop on. "Please don't start the bus, I will need help getting in," says Tariq, who is in a wheelchair. Once inside, he looks around for a seat but is unable to find one.

"This is always a problem during peak hour traffic. But as his school starts at this time, what choice does he have?" asks Anjana, sitting near the bus.

Or rather, the simulated bus.

For all the people in and around the ‘bus' are characters in a play staged by the students of Vidya Sagar, an NGO that works with the disabled.

The street play was part of ‘Inclusion Week' celebrations (November 17 to 21) that sought to integrate the disabled into the mainstream. This skit aimed at sensitising bus commuters to the difficulties faced by disabled travellers.

"Last year, we educated conductors and drivers about the problems the disabled face while using public transport. This year, we are creating awareness among commuters," says Dr Sreemathi Kaver, co-ordinator of the inclusion department of Vidya Sagar.

According to S Jayalakshmi, special educator at Vidya Sagar, the main problem is that the disabled are not given enough time to board the bus and the seating area reserved for them is occupied by regular commuters.

"There are also some who are not perceived as disabled because of their lack of visible physical disabilities. For instance, people with autism or a mental illness deserve the same rights," she says. The situations in the play, where a boy with cerebral palsy and a mother with an autistic child try to board a bus, are real.

"More than 20 children at Vidya Sagar commute by bus and face these situations regularly. It is important that people understand what a disabled person goes through while doing the things that others can do with ease," says Jayalakshmi.

Anjana, who is wheelchair-bound, says, "Some of us don't have the opportunity or money to travel by car or auto. So we should have the facilities to use public transport like everyone else."