As a concerned citizen, occasional collection tin tipper and not even a paid up member, the recently held Arka Foundation fund-raising marathon on Palm Sunday broadcast on TV to support its work for disabled people and their families through its Respite Centre and the other services it offers, brought to mind developments far to the north of our islands which should provide us with food for thought.

The European Union and Scandinavian country of Sweden aims to be a society accessible to everyone. The annual St Julian Prize, which was just awarded by the City of Stockholm, is its way of rewarding accessibility. Several other Swedish municipalities award prizes for accessibility.

The action plan adopted in Sweden themed “From Patient to Citizen – a national action plan for disability policy” has accessibility goals that have to be achieved by the end of this year.

For people with disabilities, accessibility can mean a lot of different things, such as:

● bevelled pavement kerbs

● lifts where there are stairs

● clear signs

● good lighting

● listening equipment that boosts the sound

● plants that don’t cause an allergic reaction

Accessibility is also about being able to absorb information. Information texts need to be available in different formats, in recorded form and as Braille. There are international guidelines specifying what makes a website accessible. They relate to technology but also to language, layout and structure.

What do people with disabilities have to say about accessibility in Sweden today? Three of them with different capabilities had their own say!

Victoria Webster became Sweden’s first specialist in emergency medical care. This attracted considerable media attention, since she has a Cerebral Palsy.

Swedish comedian and musician Jesper Odelberg said, “I want people to stop seeing the wheelchair and instead see the person sitting in it – only then can we be treated as equals.” 

While entrepreneur Veronica Hedenmark, who uses an electric wheelchair, commented, “I’d like to travel and fly without having to think about the practical arrangements – but the practical part severely restricts my movements

Could one hope that such foreign initiatives will commence to be emulated locally the sooner the better? Might it be that the small number of disabled in employment will be supplemented by disabled entrepreneurs and self-employed?

G. Bonett

MARSALFORN