Problem
Structural barriers for disabled persons
Other Names:
Physical obstacles for people with disabilities Nature:
Many are excluded from active participation in society because of doorways that are too narrow for wheelchairs; steps that cannot be mounted leading to buildings, buses, trains and aircraft; telephones and light switches that cannot be reached; and sanitary facilities that cannot be used. Similarly they can be excluded by communication barriers, for example oral communication which ignores the needs of the hearing impaired and written information which ignores the needs of the visually impaired. Such barriers are the result of ignorance and lack of concern; they exist despite the fact that most of them could be avoided by inexpensive yet careful planning. Although some countries have enacted legislation and launched campaigns of public education to eliminate such obstacles, the problem remains a crucial one.
Broader Problems:
Human disabilityLack of disabled-sensitivity in buildingsLack of facilities for the physically disabled Related Problems:
Structural violenceStructural unemployment Aggravates:
Locomotor disabilitiesRestricting travel imageInadequate recreational facilitiesExclusion of disabled persons from social and cultural life Values:
BarrierDisabilityObstacle Subject(s):
Health Care → HandicappedIndustry → Construction
Societal Problems → Impediments
Society → People
Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Problem Type:
E: Emanations of other problems Date of last update
22.10.2019 – 19:47 CEST