Efforts to make Muscat a friendly city for disabled

MUSCAT: Muscat Municipality is committed to enhancing facilities in public places to ease access to care for people with disabilities.

Muscat Municipality works to ensure that people with disabilities receive equal access to services and promote their integration and inclusion in a broader way.

Efforts have been made to make Muscat a friendly city for the disabled. From putting attention on the usability of spaces or facilities to designing parks, constructions have been designed to ease the lives of people with disabilities. For Muscat Municipality, the keyword is accessibility for persons with special needs.

As part of its moral obligation towards people with disabilities, Muscat Municipality recently participated in the first forum dedicated for persons with disabilities which was opened on Monday under the patronage of Sayyid Saud bin Hilal Al Busaidi, Governor of Muscat.

The municipality has a number of laws and legislations that take into account the needs of persons with disabilities before approving and granting the license for construction of projects and public buildings in Muscat Governorate.

Ramps are one of the key technical requirements during construction of buildings for easier movement and mobility, and should include adequate safety measures with the provision of guidance boards.

Vehicle parking

Muscat Municipality, in coordination with the concerned authorities, allocates parking spaces for vehicles of persons with disabilities in all public and private parking lots.

It ensures that the parking lots are near the entrances and exits of the places they visit, and the special parking space is marked by guide plates.

Also, while designing the sidewalks and pathways, the municipality takes into account that they are free from obstacles, and are non-slippery.

Restrooms

Public toilets also have facilities for people with special needs with the municipality ensuring that they are built in a way to provide them easy access.

Among the key requirements for each building is to have prominent guide boards and signs installed that are easier to read and see. A special sign for people with disabilities is put up where services are available in public and private buildings and public facilities.

The municipality also takes into account the ease for people with disabilities where stairs and elevators are located. They should not hinder movement of people with special needs.

Public facilities

Necessary spaces, corridors and elevators, if needed, are part of technical requirements for mosques, ceremonial halls, hotels, hospitals, halls and public facilities to allow people with disabilities to move easily. In order to enhance the access of persons with disabilities to recreational facilities, Muscat Municipality has provided a set of recreational games in a number of parks and gardens in Muscat.

The design of Muscat Municipality website also takes into account the ease of navigation and accessibility for people with special needs, as it complies with the international standards and fits with the most commonly used internet browsers. Among the features that can be used for ease of navigation are: providing a text reader feature and the possibility of changing the text colour and size for visually impaired.