Issues & Problems

It’s been so long that I quite convincing myself to get inside a places with difficult access, just because I feel quite annoyed by being helped. I just didn’t want to bother other people and be lifted like an object. So I always ended up giving a pass and just waited outside.

An incoming call from an unknown number striking my phone on the table nearby. “Hello, is that Mr. Saba?”, asked a caller. “Yes, it’s me. Whom am I speaking with?”, I responded back to an unknown number. “Well, I came across to watch your video about a stairlift. I think it’s really good and I’d like to ask more for your opinions…” The caller stated his want and unveiled that he’s a manager at the Stock Exchange of Thailand Building. The place was currently trying to upgrade accessible facilities and also looking for suitable stairlift options.

A few days back, I was doing a field survey at ground level under the MRT Tha-phra station. There, it was a major intersection with wide road and busy traffic. The crosswalk colour was obvious, but not every crossing connected with footpath ramp. Yet the worse is still to come as traffic system provided ‘Left turn on red’, and rarely one would stop for pedestrians to cross safely. This complex intersection was also right under the (elevated) train station so it looked a bit dim, especially at night. In addition, after the station completion, there was a brand-new skywalk, replacing …

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 parking and accessible facilities in Thailand has defined in the law since 14 years ago. In the picture my car (BMW 3539) was parked on the right at Central Bang-na department store and there were many car parking in the accessible parking space and can’t be verified and we were seeing this happening all around in our country. Two years later, I published my first video clip and working on this issue and have been working on up until now. Now, we can be said in Thailand ‘mostly all public places’ have been fixing all their accessible facilities very …

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

I was invited to give a talk at an exhibition regarding accessibility. I wanted to tell everyone the truth about the incident on last year that why I smashed the BTS elevator. At first, this incident was aggressive and violent which everyone should avoid doing so. But since it already happened, we better find out the reasons. The Constitution of Thailand has stated clearly that “Human dignity, rights, liberties and equality of the people shall be protected. The Thai people, irrespective of their origins, sexes or religions, shall enjoy equal protection under this Constitution.” Well written. But in reality, PWDs …

Heard clearly and loudly during #SabaLive on the footpath at Sukhumvit 101. During the live at 12:00 minutes, there was a foreigner jumping to tell the cold truth about the footpath (Link: https://www.facebook.com/AccessibilityIsFreedom/videos/431291530987334/?t=690)) “This is fucking stupid!!” As a host, I totally felt embarrassed. Disappeared when construction is misbehaved. The existing one is also far from good standard. The work process of the civil servants is extremely slow. Poor coordination among the related departments. What do these indicators tell us? Do you feel embarrassed? Do you hurt? Do you feel you can’t breathe properly? Please remind yourself to keep an …

Recently, we’ve heard a statement from City of Bangkok said that they’ve their standard. They reminds me getting back since I’ve been to Japan. Let’s see the construction safety standard comparing between two countries. What you see and what you think please share with us / thanks.