Innovative practices in the Arab region

Below is a list of good practices for achieving physical accessibility in the Arab region. It is not an exhaustive list, and rather provides examples by public and private actors of pursuing the goal of accessibility.

Sharjah as an “Accessible City for Persons with Mobility Disabilities”

Sharjah Accessibility Office: compliance office at the city level

Sharjah is the third largest city in the United Arab Emirates, and in 2018 it gained the recognition of the World Disability Union as a “Disability Friendly City”.[1] How did the city achieve this recognition? It did so through the creation of a coordination and compliance office dedicated to ensuring the accessibility of public and private institutions. The office is called the Sharjah “Accessible City for the Disabled”, and it is mandated to do the following:[2]

• Submit proposals and recommendations to public and private entities on how to comply with international accessibility standards.
• Respond to any queries by public and private entities.
• Grant awards/recognitions of entities that successfully comply with accessibility standards, local or international.
• Raise awareness on disability inclusion, through collaborating with media entities in the Emirate.
• Coordinate with HR departments of public and private entities to find employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
• Coordinate and collaborate with Sharjah University and the American University of Sharjah to conduct applied research aimed at supporting the United Arab Emirates as a disability-inclusive country.

The United Arab Emirates has also produced a set of guidelines for universal design, including the “Dubai Universal Design Code”,[3] which the country aims to roll out on a national scale, under the framework of the “UAE Universal Design Code”.[4]

Accessible beaches in Tunisia

Civil society initiative for inclusive tourism

Led by the Tunisian Association for Smart Cities, the “Plage Accessible: Personnes à mobilitié réduite”[5] (Accessible beach: Persons with reduced mobility) initiative aims to make beaches accessible to persons with disability in five coastal towns and cities: Bizerte, Monastir, Djerba, Gabes and La Marsa. The initiative aims to retrofit the recreational and swimming facilities in these beaches to make them accessible, including modifying the infrastructure to make sure persons with mobility disabilities are able to use the facilities independently, without external help. The Tunisian Association for Smart Cities prepared the proposal for this initiative after a series of consultations with the relevant civil society organizations and local municipalities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been some delays in launching the initiative, and implementation is scheduled for summer 2022. The initiative’s team is also working to advocate for a new law to stipulate that public facilities including beaches be accessible.

In parallel, other municipalities have already retrofitted their beaches to become accessible to wheelchair users, including the Nabeul beach, which was modified in August 2021,[6] and the Chaffar beach, where an accessible beach corridor was installed in July 2020.[7]

Accessible Jordan

A social enterprise linking government and civil society initiatives

“Accessible Jordan”[8] is a social enterprise that aims to raise awareness on accessibility, improve the accessibility of workplaces, public spaces and recreational facilities and build a database of all accessible places in Jordan.

With various initiatives in the country, such as a project to make Amman’s public buses accessible,[9] or another project to make Amman’s parks accessible to children with disabilities,[10] Accessible Jordan provides a one- stop-shop guide that brings these initiatives together, helping locals and tourists identify accessible sites.

The Accessible Express Bus Project

The Express Bus project was launched in 2019 in Jordan, taking into account accessibility for persons with disabilities. The Express Buses and bus stations were made accessible by using floor indicators for persons with visual impairments, installing light signals equipped with sound systems and ensuring that sidewalks, parking lots and buses are wheelchair friendly. The buses are also equipped with screens identifying the bus route and stop locations through both voice and sign language.[11]

Accessible Qatar

An online platform linking private and public partners

Similar to Accessible Jordan, Accessible Qatar[12] is an online platform that provides a directory of accessible facilities in Qatar. It provides an accessibility rating to help users identify the level of accessibility. It was founded by the company “Sasol” in partnership with the Qatari Ministry of Municipality and Environment, the National Tourism Council, Hamad bin Khalifa University, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Mada-Qatar’s Assistive Technology Center, the Shafallah Center, Qatar’s Social and Cultural Center for the Blind, the Qatari Social and Cultural Center for the Deaf, the Best Buddies Initiative, UNESCO, Qatar’s National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and the Qatar Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Special Needs.

Qatar Metro

Qatar launched its first public Metro system in 2019, and it is fully accessible to persons with disabilities. During the planning and construction phase of the project, the Shafallah Center for Persons with Disabilities was consulted to ensure accessibility. The centre was also consulted in other development projects related to the Qatar 2022 World Cup.[13]

Saudi Arabia's “Universal Accessibility Program”

Encouraging compliance with national accessibility standards

Led by the King Salman Center for Disability Research, Saudi Arabia’s “Universal Accessibility Program” was launched in 2007 and aims to ensure the accessibility of public and private facilities.

To this end, four guidelines[14] were launched:

1. The guideline for the built environment
2. The guide to universal accessibility of road transport
3. The guide to comprehensive accessibility for tourist destinations and accommodation
4. The guide to universal accessibility for marine transportation

Since the launch of the programme, a number of measures and campaigns were taken to encourage compliance with these accessibility guidelines. One example includes a campaign[15] in July 2020 to ensure compliance of stores and retail locations by installing accessible ramps to their facilities. A 60- day grace period was given, and entities that fail to install the ramps would be fined per the municipal code. Another example is a circular[16] issued by the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development/ Chairman of the Authority for the Care of Persons with Disabilities, which mandates universal accessibility standards for all government facilities, with a period of six months to implement it. The circular was issued in coordination with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing and the King Salman Center for Disability Research to prepare simplified guidelines on how to ensure accessibility, in line with the Saudi building code.