Millennium Highway and West Coast Road Reconstruction Project managers have sought the input of a key demographic—persons with disabilities—to guide the inclusion of accessible amenities in infrastructure projects and the road network in Saint Lucia.
President of the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities, Merphilus James, said the push for inclusion in public spaces will address barriers that impede safety and accessibility for people with disabilities.
“As persons with disabilities we bring our lived experiences; and where infrastructure is concerned, for many years we have suffered due to the lack of accessible infrastructure. Sidewalks and bus shelters limit wheelchair users from waiting on public transport, from disembarking public transport, and from just crossing from one point to the next. So we are extremely happy that within this major infrastructural project there is an emphasis to ensure that no vulnerable person and no persons with disabilities are denied their right to access and to move around—especially in public,” James said.
Programme Manager for Infrastructure Partnerships with the Caribbean Development Bank, Sharon Griffith, explained how the CDB is using the dialogue to guide changes to improve accessibility.
“For the CDB this is significant because we have the opportunity to involve persons with disabilities in an assessment of the Millennium Highway at West Coast Road, which is a very key project within the UK-CYF portfolio of projects. During this process we are integrating some of the recommendations that have been made and incorporating feed back into the design where possible, as accessibility, mobility, and inclusion are extremely important to Caribbean development,” Griffith said.
Accessibility features will be incorporated at specific points along the 44-kilometer stretch of road from the La Toc roundabout to the Soufriere bridge.