Accessible Facilities

One of our network folks wandered at a luxury shopping at Phrom Phong, and encountered with this spectacular scene shown in the image. Without thinking he cried out “PWDs in Thailand are so rich!!” However, I’d like to remind you that public consciousness and wealth is a different thing. No matter how rich or poor, we’re all the same as people. The mall, too, must obey the law regardless of customer’s social status. “Accessible and functional.”

Thailand is known for its warm service and kindness that builds great impression for any visitors around the world. And the commuter train service is simply one of them. I’ve been using the commuter train services intensely during the last 6 years. I can firmly assure you its gradual improvement of services in many areas. And I’m not alone. Recently I got a happy story from Aey regarding the service that I can’t wait to share with you.

I’m recently notorious of bad and unequal comparison that might instigate us to feel inferior. There’s no way I’d do that, by intention. So today I make a twist to show a more positive side of ours. The image is clearly demonstrated in itself of what we actually can do. When we want something to be great, it would finally be great.

According to the image, I have just received the latest news from our associate group. I am glad that “at least” we have some positive news. Anyway, I told them not to be happy yet. We have to wait until it’s all done, make a full trial and proceed with the follow up work closely. This topic will be presented to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and the Transport Minister as information of problem solving and protection for the entire system.

The misuse of the accessible parking has been a prevalent, and long-instilled, problem in our society. This is obviously an act that’s against the law and in total disregard for the need. Knowing the limit of one’s rights as a citizen, thus, is crucial than ever. So today I’d like to share with you some quick take-away facts, compressed from pages of law papers. I took it from the section about the legal requirements, in 2005, it said there are 3 groups of people that can legally park on the accessible parking

Since the past many years, Fashion Island has been one of shopping malls that we’ve engaged in a deliberate consultancy. It keeps improving to match its grand goal: ‘a shopping mall for all’. Recently, we joined the meeting once again and one of the managements threw a commitment word to us, “Good is not enough guys. It must be WOW!” The situation was better now after the peak of the Corona Virus, so yesterday was my first field survey and I was shocked by what I’d seen before my eyes.

‘Too inconvenient to go out, so I just stay home.”, said a student during my special lecture for the young generation of PWDs. Yep, this is the long-lasting reality, a cold fact of the unspoken till this day. The “inconvenience” serves as a hindrance which makes PWDs uncomfortable to go out to see the outside world. This “inconvenience” shuts down the windows of opportunities and all possible developments a person could fulfil. No wonder why there are so few, if not none, successful PWDs in the society, and the government still needs to support them continuously. Yes, a one simple …

In a past few years, we have got contact from Thammasat university, also students who contacted me by them self and professors who asking us to give some special lectures, this year Prof. Han-sa who teaches in ‘UD352-Mega City in the Global South’ also have us a called. “I’m appreciated that professor giving us the opportunity to pass-on our knowledge to the students which is very worth it”, I said that I first met the her.

Today, T4A file a complaint to the Senate about the issue of Skywalk and the stairway to the building. Mr Wan-lop Tang-ka-na-nu-rak Chairman of the Commission acknowledged and prepared to continue to help drive the resolution to occur in concrete.

Thai laws and regulations are actually great, yet its enforcement to make it into practice is still highly ‘unsatisfied’. Most buildings, if not all, are built in disregard to the inclusive accessibility ‘for everyone’. They include residential buildings like condo and rental apartment, office buildings, and almost every place in our daily life.