“Santo Domingo, the National District, and the urban areas are full of obstacles,” said engineer Alma Ferrera, who is in charge of accessibility at the National Council on Disabilities (Conadis). From the newest infrastructures to the oldest buildings, most were built with little knowledge of accessibility, which includes the elderly, cardiac patients, people with back problems, children, pregnant women and anyone with some sort of disability.
“Upon inspecting public works, it is apparent that despite some good intentions on the part of the engineers and the city council, there are no criteria. The ramps are poorly designed, there are incoherent places, there are no handrails, there is no protection,” she stated. Only the Metro has ramps and elevators and not all of the elevators are working now, she told Diario Libre.
Alexander Benjamin, a lawyer who works at the Conadis legal department, suffers from spina bifida. He used to have some movement in his legs but his condition has worsened and now he uses a wheelchair. He leads a normal life, but it is expensive. “I have to use taxis to get around, because neither buses nor public cars have access,” he says, talking about the ramps on buses and the space that should exist for wheelchair users. He has had to reach an agreement with a friendly taxi driver in order to reduce the expense, although “a large part of my salary goes on taxis.” When Benjamin goes around the streets, he is confronted with the low accessibility culture of Dominican engineers and public disorder on a daily basis.
“People do not understand that the sidewalks are for moving around, not for placing big containers, garbage or whatever they feel like,” he laments and says that he is often forced to use the streets because the sidewalks are blocked.
Rafael Antonio Perez Polanco, a receptionist at the Conadis, is blind. He lost his sight to glaucoma in 1991 when he was studying for a degree in Economics at the UASD. Although he handles himself with great agility, he has hurt himself in the chest and in the head while walking around the city. “A blind person has the technique to avoid obstacles, but there are steps, hanging signs and branches on the sidewalks that cannot be detected by the cane, the tool that allows us to be independent.”