The city's equality watch dog has slammed the government for failure to make public spaces and buildings more accessible to disabled people.

In calling for a high-level central coordinating body to oversee the program, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) found that disabled access on 60 government owned housing estates, shopping malls and other facilities either was absent or only partially implemented.

EOC chairman Lam Woon-kwon said improvements to promote barrier-free access were spotty and piecemeal and should be governed by an overall policy to make the city more accessible to the disabled.

He said efforts should be spearheaded by the chief secretary. Those efforts should also involve timetables for improvements to be implemented.

He also said the city's Buildings Ordinance should be amended to remove exceptions for government owned public buildings and Housing Authority estates. He stopped short, however, of calling for legislation to make the provisions mandatory for future private developments.

"There are no (improvement) timetables for (buildings constructed prior to 1997) and none of the departments have been assigning specific resources or plans, so improvements have been sporadic and left in tatters," he said.

"A lot of improvements are aimed at the lowest possible standard. (We also are) disappointed private owners' will to improve premises is low and management are often found to be lacking in sensitivity, willpower and even the capability to manage such improvements," Lam said, adding "We do need a clear systematic and coordinated approach to improve the situation."

The worst offender cited was a shopping mall attached to the Cheung Ching public housing estate on Tsing Yi which lacked disabled-accessible lifts, parking, common areas, fire alarms for the deaf, along with guide paths and signage for the blind.

Other barriers found in the audit report were handicapped restrooms, which were no more than retrofitted regular washroom stalls, and were left too small as a result. Ramps at some establishments lead directly to street curbs. Some had no hand rails or blocked guide paths. Mail boxes were elevated two steps and out of reach for wheelchair bound people. The EOC also noted a lack of braille signs and buttons on washrooms and elevators.

"Our community is aging, so the need for barrier-free access is not limited just to the disabled but (should include) needs of our aging population," Lam said, calling for the government, city planners and developers to take into account a universal design concept so that the gamot from walkways to buildings all take barrier free-access into account.

Calling on the government to take the initiative and overhaul access points, he also appealed to the private sector to make similar improvements.

"We appeal not only to their social responsibility but also for the longer term vision that recognizes a large segment of their customers are aging," he said, adding there are about 360,000 disabled people and 1.2 million people with long-term illnesses in need of easy access or signage for the disabled.

"We have 1.3 million people who are 60 and above; in 20 years time, that number will jump to 2.6 million," he said.

According to the secretary for the Association of Women with Disabilities Wong Ka-ling, the lack of access for the disabled has forced many wheelchair-bound citizens to research prior to going out, whether their destination has ramps and lowered curbs before they could visit. He added, even if a restaurant has disabled access it does not guarantee disabled people would be able to use washroom facilities there.

China Daily

(HK Edition 06/08/2010 page1)