The Salvador Association, promoter of the petition, identifies the lack of accessibility as the main factor of social exclusion for people with disabilities, affecting more than one million Portuguese, including people with motor disabilities, the elderly, people with baby strollers, or those with permanent or temporary reduced mobility.
In the petition, sent today to the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, some accessibility impediments are pointed out, such as bus stops or scooter parking areas that prevent pedestrian passage, and access ramps with more than 6% inclination.
Among the bad examples listed are Portuguese cobblestone pavements or public spaces without maintenance, with holes and obstacles in circulation, non-adapted bathrooms without support bars and circulation space, or counters that are not lowered.
According to the petition text, there are already accessibility laws in Portugal, but they are not fully implemented and respected. Moreover, there is no enforcement, either due to lack of resources or lack of prioritization in the area, which contributes to the lack of accessibility continuing to be one of the main factors of exclusion in the country.
The signatories demand the creation of enforcement and monitoring mechanisms for accessibility policies that guarantee a full life for any citizen. They suggest a change in the enforcement entities, an increase in investments in enforcement programs, and the creation of more transparent and participatory monitoring mechanisms.
The founder of the Salvador Association, Salvador Mendes de Almeida, in a released statement, says he observes many gaps in the implementation and enforcement of accessibility policies, resulting in barriers for thousands of citizens throughout the country, in addition to new constructions that do not comply with legislation.
He therefore demands adequate resources, sufficient authority, and the necessary technical knowledge to effectively play their role in promoting and ensuring accessibility in all sectors of society.
New association headquarters has capacity for 125 disabled users
