Accessible Environment for Persons with Disability project team

As part of the Dubai Government endeavours to transform Dubai into a fully disability-friendly city by 2020, the joint team overseeing the project of Accessible Environment for Persons with Disability, have explored comprehensive design standards with government entities in Dubai.

During the visits, the team made visual presentations explaining details of the project, highlighted the gaps identified through tests of samples taken at site, and explained the training plan for the concerned individuals.

Yousef Al Rida, CEO of RTA’s Corporate Administrative Support Services Sector, Head of the joint team overseeing the Transformation of Dubai into a Disability-friendly City Project, has said that the team has made several visits to government entities in Dubai which included Roads and Transport Authority, Community Development Authority, Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dubai Municipality, and Tarakhees at the Free Zones.

They discussed the project plan, gaps identified and the standards of the comprehensive design of future services and buildings befitting the disabled persons. Discussions also covered the conditions to be adhered to in this regard in order to comply with the strategy of making Dubai a disabled-friendly city.

Visits included a presentation about the training of engineers nominated by those government entities to acquaint them with the standards of the comprehensive design and step up their capabilities to implement these standards in future. Two project workshops were held highlighting the method of designing public facilities and transit means customised to serve the disabled persons, he added.

Dr. Hussain Al Maseeh social care expert at Community Development Authority and Member of the Team, said, that the project is progressing according to the time schedule set. "It requires educating the concerned bodies with this transition in place, and grooming personnel capable of tackling new challenges of merging and enabling the disabled persons," he said.