Dubai to be fully disabled-friendly by 2020

Dubai has rolled out a new plan to make the city disabled friendly across all modes of lifestyle, transport and communications by year 2020.

The plan will also set a precedent for the emirate’s macro strategy to integrate people with disabilities in the workforce, while creating an inclusive environment across the health and education sectors.

Following the initiative set by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council (DEC), as part of his “My community... a city for everyone” plan of 2013, a new study has been implemented to set the benchmark of a ‘Dubai Scale’ that will serve as a code for planning any new building projects, road infrastructure and all public modes of transport.

The Dh10 million study, titled ‘A Friendly Environment for Persons with Disabilities According to Universal Design Principles and Standards’ will set the precedent for the 2020 plan to transform Dubai into a ‘barrier free city’ for people with disabilities.

The Higher Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities launched the project on Wednesday as a joint venture between the General Secretariat of the Executive Council, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai, the Community Development Authority and Dubai Municipality.

Abdullah Al Shaibani, Vice Chairman of The Higher Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Secretary General of the Executive Council of Dubai, made the announcement, adding that the plan will be ready in eight months, and will be set across six phases, which will include four pilot projects by Q1 2017.

He said: “Following the 2013 initiative, and the corresponding 2014 law on protection of the rights of persons with disabilities in Dubai, issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, we are setting in motion a plan to have Dubai disabled friendly by 2020.”

Al Shaibani continued: “To set the ball in motion, we first had to understand which universal standard would serve as the right for Dubai, its people and its infrastructure.

“After acute analysis, we set forth a motion of create a ‘Dubai Scale’, a standard of disability practices that will be an amalgamation of universal standards, which we feel are best suited for the city.”

The strategy also includes a number of themes such as healthcare and rehabilitation, integrated education, employment and equality in terms of employment opportunities and public facilities and services, in addition to sustainable social protection in order to make Dubai a friendly city for everyone, Al Shaibani further explained.

Six phase strategy

The project aims to develop a five-year plan ensuring all buildings, facilities, sidewalks, pedestrian crosswalks, roads, buses and public transportation, would be made suitable for persons with disabilities.

Dr Salem Ali Alshafei, director of polices and programmes, rights of people with disabilities strategy management and governance sector at the DEC explained the six phases that will see this project roll out across eight months.

He said: “Phase one will comprise an assessment study has commenced to look into the efficiency of laws, professional practices, regulations and procedures to identify the gaps and obstacles that must be addressed.”

This phase is expected to be completed by the end of the Q2 of this year.

Phase two will identify the best international and regional practices in this area, as well as considering ways to develop standards that meet the special requirements of Dubai.

Alshafei continued: “The third phase will fill the gaps that have been highlighted in phase one, by updating the laws and regulations and developing a comprehensive guide for standards of Dubai according to the Universal Design standards and principles for buildings, facilities and transportation services, in addition to improving the relevant engineering procedures and practices.”

This phase is expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter of this year.

Developing a strategy for transforming existing Dubai to adhere to the new law will be part of phase four, while will ensure that all new establishments (including buildings, facilities and means of transportation) in Dubai are in line with the adopted environment standards.

The development of the five-year strategy will be completed by the end of the third quarter of this year.

The fifth phase of this project will involve launching a training programme to ensure the implementation of qualified environment standards and will also include the private sector.

In the sixth and final phase, four pilot projects will be implemented in selected sites in Dubai to identify gaps and errors in the designs of these sites, and then identify all the required repairs and improvements to transform them into disability friendly sites.

These pilot projects will be used in the process of training local employees. This phase is expected to be completed by the end of the year and could be implemented by Q1 2017, according to Alshafei.

Roads, transport and buildings to adapt

RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director, Mattar Al Tayer, stated: “The project will ensure sidewalks, pedestrian crosswalks, roads, buses, trains, marine and air transportation, are suitable for persons with disabilities by 2020, with a view to making Dubai one of the best disability friendly cities in the world.”

One of the issues highlighted has been the lack of a seamless integration from public transport modes, be it accessibility from Dubai Metro to the Dubai Tram of the bus stations. Such overhaul of its infrastructure is on the plan.

Meanwhile, Engineer Hussain Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality, added that owners of buildings will have to adopt designs and code that will be accessible by persons with disabilities.

As the plan gets underway, Majid Al Usaimi, member of the Higher Committee for People with Disabilities further added that everyone will have a voice that will be heard.

He said: “We will also be launching a support system that will allow people with disabilities to report issues that may crop up, use a special mobile app to register grievances or suggestions.

“A special hotline is also in the works for people to call in with ideas and suggestions.”

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