2022
The Accessibility Abuja meet up was the Abuja participation in the Worldwide Accessibility Walk (WAW) anchored by @EmekaUlor and @TraciC to commemorate the annual International Day of Persons with Disability. The story shared by Emeka at the Connect Live Abuja resonated with me as a friend of mine had recently visited the Ministry of Education at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja and been in pain the entire night due to accessibility challenges she faced getting around the ministry because the day she visited the elevators were not working and she had to get documents processed on the 7th or 8th floor of the building.
The Accessibility Abuja meetup was scheduled for Tuesday, December 4, 2018, between 12:30 and 15:00 because the Federal Secretariat are government premises which are closed on weekends and because who doesn’t love an exciting lunch break away from the office?
Most of the local guides in attendance were meeting each other for the first time which was very good for interactions. We had lunch at the Food court at the Federal Secretariat car park while we introduced ourselves, shared our experiences as local guides and tips for contributing to the map.
I shared my motivation for organizing the Abuja Accessibility meet up, the list of agencies/businesses in the Federal Secretariat and pointed out what should be looked out for in terms of the accessibility of the places we would be visiting. The lack of accessibility consciousness at the meetup area was immediately apparent from the chunky stairs we had to climb to get to the food courts.
We set out from the food court on foot to cover the businesses and organizations in the nearby area. We checked that the businesses we passed were present on the map, confirmed that the pins were in the right place, added pictures, edited information, suggested edits for wrong information and added missing places while checking for the presence of ramps, handrails and possible obstructions for the differently able. Thankfully we had lovely weather for walking about under the sun! It was a bright and beautiful day without scorching heat!
We observed while walking by the Ministry of Foreign affairs and the Ministry of Youth and Sport that the government buildings all have raised slabs with no ramps! Wheelchair accessibility would only be possible with assistance or permission from the guards at the agencies to drive into the premises or bypass the pedestal entrances and use the gate as the entrance. FYI – For security reasons most government agencies do not allow people to drive into their premises or park close to their premises! Finding a good parking space at the Federal Secretariat area would be an absolute hassle if not for the daily pay car park behind Eagle Square.
We were able to speak to the attendant at the GT Bank ATM terminal at the carpark about accessibility challenges potential customers could face while visiting their ATM. This was an amusing case of good intentions without proper execution as they provided a ramp but raised the entrance into the main ATM hall and partitioned off the ATM outside of the hall on the side with the ramp.
We got a lot of productive time in before people had to start heading back to work! I was able to round off with a visit to the Ministry of Education building to take pictures and gather information for a detailed review. It is alarming that this building has up to 11 floors with just one or two functional elevators that are clearly not too reliable.
The Accessibility Abuja meetup was very interactive and fun! I’m very thankful for the awesome people that showed up and helped make the meetup an interesting experience. Thank you @Zainabzy_ Nosa, Nany, Seun @NkennaA and also those that could not make it but sent their best wishes @HelloSamsonR @U-royFelixA @Sagir @JonesParapaso
It is fantastic how being part of the Local Guide program has made me aware of an issue I would have been otherwise insensitive toward, so I hope to keep doing my part to share this awareness of the need for more inclusive spaces for the differently able! The opportunity to add much-needed accessibility information onto the map and interact with Abuja local guides was a very worthy cause to mark my first time hosting a meetup. I had so much fun I can’t wait to host another meetup!
