PwDs urge better accessibility at Chennai Book Fair
From wheelchair users to persons with blindness, the disabled speaking to DT Next narrate the ordeal of having to navigate a space designed “only for able-bodied individuals”.
Wheelchair users find it difficult to navigate small stalls and muddy pathways at the Book Fair (Photo: Hemanathan)
CHENNAI: Though the 47th Chennai Book Fair has managed to garner the attention of the public and readers in the city, the Persons with Disability (PwDs) lament over the lack of accessibility at the premises.
From wheelchair users to persons with blindness, the disabled speaking to DT Next narrate the ordeal of having to navigate a space designed “only for able-bodied individuals”.
Several PwDs have alleged lack of inclusivity in the infrastructure at the premises and books from PwDs authors. The Chennai Book Fair began on December 27 at the YMCA ground, Nandanam, much earlier than the previous years. The fair has had close to 3 lakh footfall so far. In the mega event conducted by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI), 500 publishers’ works have been displayed and 904 stalls have been set up with both Tamil and English books.
K Raghuraman, a visually impaired assistant professor in the Department of English, Government Arts College, Nandanam, said, “The space is not only physically inaccessible, but also has hurdles in accessing books by a blind person. While I walk into the fair, I am unable to access any information about the stalls or publishers as the list is in a PDF format. The management could have adopted modern mechanisms that are inclusive in nature, and also had the list of books online, so that it will aid in purchase, for both PwDs and able-bodied persons.”
Raghuraman also requested BAPASI to have electronic books in book fairs. “The motive of BAPASI should be to encourage readers, be it in physical or electronic formats. Hence, they cannot be rigid in adopting the changing times.”
Concurring on the lack of accessibility was a wheelchair user, who had recently visited the fair. “Though it’s no shocker that these places are inaccessible, there seems to have been no efforts taken to meet the guidelines of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act,” he pointed out. “The ramps are steep and the stairs are inaccessible, especially wheelchair users.”
As an additional request, the PwDs have also requested to showcase books authored from members of the community rather than isolating them in one stall. Commenting on this, a BAPASI member said, “We’ve taken all the necessary arrangements for everyone, leaving no scope for more. And, we’ve given a stall free of cost for blind persons to showcase their work as well.”