STANDARD OF ACCESSIBILITY OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION

Solo’s Standard of Accessibility of Public Transportation, Information and Communication comprises two parts. The first part, concerning public transportation, is based on and enforced at the national level. The second part contains provisions for accessible information and communication, which apply only at the Solo City level.

Solo’s Standard of Accessibility of Public Transportation, Information and Communication of 2006 comprises two parts. The first part, concerning public transportation, is based on and enforced at the national level by the Ministerial Regulation on Technical Guidelines of Facilities and Accessibility in Buildings and Environment of 2006. The second part, concerning information and communication, exists only at Solo City level. The local government department of Transportation, Information, and Communication is responsible for its implementation.

Problems Targeted

Not many cities in the Global South have enforceable accessibility standards concerning their transportation services. The Standard of City of Solo is legally binding and uncommon in that it also includes provisions for accessible information and communication.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

Solo’s Standard of Accessibility of Public Transportation, Information and Communication of 2006 aims to improve accessibility, safety, and the dignity of people with disabilities and the elderly in the City of Solo, by promoting adequate measures that support self-sufficiency and well-being. The national Ministerial Regulation on Technical Guidelines of Facilities and Accessibility in Buildings and Environment was adopted as a fundamental guideline for the Standard. The Standard provides a reference for development activities, which include the technical planning and execution of constructions, thereby creating an accessible built environment. It consists of a series of detailed plans and pictures about how to build accessible facilities. Concerning information and communication, all Solo government officials receive, for example, free training in sign language. In addition, DPOs promote the availability of sign language interpreters in government offices, terminals, railway stations, etc., and governmental offices are providing computers with screen readers. The Standard has been the trigger for the development of the Local Regulation No. 2 of 2008 on Equality of Persons with Disabilities.

Pictures

An accessible bus station in Solo City (© Sunarman Sukamto, CBR Solo)