Accessibility in Slum for Persons with Visual and Locomotor Impairment : A study in Cheetah camp of M-Ward, Mumbai

Since decades people with disability are facing number of challenges in terms of inaccessible environment, lack of opportunities, discrimination and inequality. Inaccessible environment not only reduces the level of participation of people with disabilities but also exclude them from the mainstream society. According to World Bank 2007, India has 40 to 80 million population with disabilities and at least one in 12 households has a member with disability. Social and cultural attitudes become the barriers in isolating persons with disabilities from the mainstream society. Thus Environmental and Social accessibility ensures the equal opportunities for people with disability in terms of social, cultural, educational and economical aspects and thereby becomes important factor in mainstreaming people with disability (Dalal, 2006). This dissertation focuses on the physical and social environment of slum and how the environment becomes barriers for People with Locomotor and Visual Impairment in participating their day to day life. Slums are marked by poor infrastructure and if physical environment is poorly built, it can impair, disabled and handicap anyone (Dalal et al 1999)