Sidelined At Events 2009: Spare Disabled

Sidelined at events

Spare a thought for disabled guests at open houses.
LAST week I went to what I reckon will be my last festive gathering for a long while. It was a Chinese New Year open house. Lots of people turned up. I was delighted to see dozens of disabled people there. The organisers had done a marvellous job in extending invitations to the handicapped who are often sidelined by the able-bodied community. Most of the disabled who were invited from charity homes were taken care of. There was someone to look into their food and drinks, to make sure no one went away hungry. Some came with their friends, also in wheelchairs or using crutches. They had somehow expected the organisers to anticipate guests with special needs like them turning up, and to have some sort of contingency plan. I later discovered that the organisers had &ndash albeit with good intentions &ndash only concentrated on the disabled guests whom they had invited from the various organisations. They did not take into account other disabled people turning up, even though theirs was a public event and pamphlets had been distributed to hundreds of people. When organisers plan public gatherings, it is imperative that they set up a special committee to look into the needs of the disabled and the elderly. Their welcome team should start at the carpark and work their way through every detail.
Accessible toilets should be a chief concern. If these cannot be provided, the guests should be informed in advance. After the event is over, every effort should be made to ensure that that particular venue is disabled-friendly for use later.

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