by amba salelkar its a great start when we hear about the chen nai corporation mandating the construction of ramps in government buildings its important that government offices be accessible for persons with disabilities so they can go collect their entitlements complain about discrimination and none of these is possible if they cant even enter buildings meant for these purposes theres that small issue though of persons with disabilities being well persons who do normal things or rather would like to do normal things that people like doing watch movies cultural programmes go shopping visit the beach and eat at a restaurant search engines for booking events online or restaurants refuse to have a disabled friendly option this may be in part for the fact that such admission about buildings would be contrary to the national building code of 2002 though not invoking penal consequences the same issue arises when we look at the accessible sabhas during margazhi season wheelchair access for the elderly isnt the same thing as wheelchair access for persons with disabilities if a place is wheelchairaccessible except for a few steps that need to be covered it makes a huge difference for someone who cannot stand up at all the free wheelchairs that are seen at airports and hotels are a boon for persons who would otherwise have to walk but for persons with locomotor or nervous systemrelated disabilities or spinal cord injuries they make for a nightmarish experience for these persons even transferring to a chair is extremely uncomfortable ramps however are only part of the solution much has been written on design and signage which helps spaces become more accessible for persons with visual and auditory impairments a significant portion of chennais population is excluded from cinemas despite the fact that easy technological solutions could be engaged with to provide for audio description and closed captioning while dining or traveling with a person with a visible disability staff will engage with the seemingly able bodied person and often refer to the person with the disability in the third person much as you would a child tourist destinations often have inaccessible information though the braille descriptions of the paintings in the fort st george art gallery are a lovely addition to the collection measures taken to accommodate persons with disabilities ultimately end up benefitting everyone as long as ramps have manageable inclines everyone likes taking them especially when you have a baby stroller or luggage or youve hurt your knee closed captions help people who cant quite understand a language used in a film staff at hotels who have undergone training on diversity make for an overall more comfortable experience the recent pedestrian footpath project in chennai has brought a smile to many an activists face and my own when i saw my colleague professor v s sunder wheel up to a vegetable vendor on his automated wheelchair and buy greens for home something he hadnt done in a long time whats