Accessibility

The vast majority of public space of Bangkok or perhaps, the whole country of Thailand, is still extremely inaccessible and uncomfortable, and certainly not safe enough for people’s life. This short video reflects the statement clearly, with no doubt, and also manifests that it is far worse for wheelchair user. This is what happens in real life. With highly unwalkable footpath, the PWDs, including myself, we have no choice but to step down onto the road surface along with fellow vehicles. The urban development and public space design must be built in coincidence with the expansion of public transportations. Indeed, …

The world is changing too fast. The pace of development is swiftly unprecedented. Thus, nobody can afford to remain behind, so does the PWDs. But the reality in Thailand tells a different story. With poor accessibility, PWDs are being let down to the bottom line. They’re not just falling behind, but they’re falling APART! If we don’t do something, consequently the gap between the fit and the unfit (ex. PWDs) might become not bigger, but actually unbridgeable. This is not a wish to live up to an ideal. It’s just an accessibility, not advanced technology or breakthrough innovation, which requires …

The Century is a compact plaza built primarily as a cinema. There are currently two branches of it. I frequently passed by one of its branches at Victory Monument and observed some of its flaws regarding accessibility

Bangkok, a city of global destination, on March 14, 2019, I took my foreign friends a city tour. Before the tour begins, we would like to have some coffee, so we rushed to Terminal 21 shopping mall at A-soke. At the mall’s entrance, which connected to BTS A-soke station, we found a brand-new, and magnificent, coffee shop named CPS Coffee. Its glamour and brilliant design drew our attention to get in. Yet we were unable to do so as it was highly inaccessible. A friend of mine then told that “I came to this shop in the morning, but I …

According to the incapability of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the current owner of the entire BTS, that failed to provide adequate elevators and other accessibility facilities on its BTS 23 stations, a group of people with disabilities, for this reason, had prosecuted the BMA and finally won a lawsuit on November 24, 2014. The court thus issued an order to BMA for them to complete, constructed by law, all the remaining elevators and other supportive accessibility facilities within one-year time. As such, the completion should be fulfilled by the beginning of 2016. Nevertheless, the construction remains unfinished to this day, …

We made a field survey on this site six months ago. We’ve gathered useful information, all possibly available, regarding the Bangkok BTS Green Line South Extension and provided with critical recommendations to the government sectors and civil servants. Despite our huge efforts for the better, today it seems that things get worse, truly worse! AS YOU CAN SEE!, this is a thing you won’t see from the wise man. The Prime Minister once has stated precisely that “We won’t leave a man behind”. The Minister of Transport was also quickly responsive to his policy. But the reality doesn’t reflect what …

On behalf of T4A (Transportation for All), we were invited to join a regional dialogue held by the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR). The topic this year was “2018 AICHR Regional Dialogue on the Mainstreaming of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the ASEAN Community” / Accessibility through Universal Design) AICHR is an intergovernmental commission whose goal shares the same with us: human rights. Some of our leading activists and networks were presented in the event including Mr. Monthian Buntan. The topic was mainly about Universal Design. Once my turn has come, I began with… “We have …

I got this image from my young colleagues who was studying in the UK. It’s a priority park in Bicester Village, a large outlet in Oxford. At first sight, you must recognise immediately that it’s located in a developed country. Deep down you could see that: 1. It’s mostly unoccupied 2. No barrier on each lot 3. No staff authority or security officer Let’s do an anatomy, why this scene can happen: 1. Strict regulations and penalty 2. Justice law enforcement by authority 3. Respected by people In fact an violation and misuse of priority parking by selfish people happens …

Yesterday, we had a chance to show those international reporters both the MRT and BTS stations. I started our conversations with “I am concerned about Thailand’s big picture” and gave a scenario “Mr. Sam who is in a wheelchair and came to Thailand and faced several inconveniences due to the lack of facilities for disabled people. What impressions would he convey back home, about Thailand?” We started our journey from Su-wan-na-phum Thailand International Airport by taking the ARL, then the MRT and finished the journey at A-sok Train Station which is in Bangkok’s Central Business District.

28 May 2018 As a chairman, on behalf of Rail System / Transportation For All (T4A) leading by Mr. Theerayuth, to discuss on accessibility problems and plausible solutions regarding the extension of BTS Green Line (Bearing – Sa-mut Pra-karn). Mr. Jeerasak Sripamma, Deputy Director of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, was the guest of honor who performed as a chairman. The meeting involved other relevant parties as well.