| Date post: | 02-Jan-2016 |
| Category: |
Documents |
| Upload: | emory-baker |
| View: | 215 times |
| Download: | 3 times |
The Economic and Social Benefits of Accessibility: A Decision Support Framework for South Asia
The Economic and Social Benefits of Accessibility: A Decision Support Framework for South AsiaDavid Lewis Ling Suen
13th International Conference on ‘Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons’, New Delhi, India, September 17 – 21, 2012
2
Most accessibility mandates acknowledge accessibility as a human right; BUT
Mandates also acknowledge costs and cost-benefit proportionality as legitimate limitations in their execution
WHY MUST WE IDENTIFY AND MEASURE THE BENEFITS OF ACCESSIBILITY?
WHY MUST WE IDENTIFY AND MEASURE THE BENEFITS OF ACCESSIBILITY?
3
INDIA’S ACCESSIBILITY LIMITATION INDIA’S ACCESSIBILITY LIMITATION
Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995
“Transport providers shall achieve accessibility within the limits of their economic capacity”
4ACCESSIBILITY LIMITATIONS EQUALLY SIGNIFICANT IN OTHER NATIONS
ACCESSIBILITY LIMITATIONS EQUALLY SIGNIFICANT IN OTHER NATIONS
AUSTRALIA Disability Discrimination Act
Accessibility required “unless doing so would impose an “unjustifiable hardship”
CANADA Charter of Rights, Freedoms and Canada Transportation Act
Accessibility required “up to the point of undue hardship
5
ACCESSIBILITY LIMITATIONS EQUALLY SIGNIFICANT IN OTHER NATIONS (CONT’D)
ACCESSIBILITY LIMITATIONS EQUALLY SIGNIFICANT IN OTHER NATIONS (CONT’D)
EUROPEAN UNION
Directive on Equal Treatment in Transportation and Employment
Accessibility required “unless doing so would impose “disproportionate burden”
UNITED STATES Americans with Disabilities Act
Accessibility required “unless accommodation would impose an undue hardship “
6
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
– “Reasonable accommodation" means necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden, where needed in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
“Disproportionate” means that benefits should be proportionate to costs
EVEN THE UNITED NATIONS MANDATE INCLUDES LIMITATIONS
EVEN THE UNITED NATIONS MANDATE INCLUDES LIMITATIONS
7
“A factor relied on to justify the continuity of a discriminatory barrier in almost every case is the cost of reducing or eliminating it to accommodate the needs of the person seeking access. But tribunals must be wary of putting too low a value on [the benefits of] accommodating the disabled”
2007 Canadian Supreme Court Decision
RISK OF NARROW VIEW OF BENEFITSRISK OF NARROW VIEW OF BENEFITS
8
Risk of narrow view of benefits is under-provision of accessibility
– Costs are easy to count– Full benefits harder to identify and measure
Key is to recognize and quantify all benefits, not just the obvious and easy ones
NEED FOR A STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK OF BENEFITSNEED FOR A STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK OF BENEFITS
9
STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK FOR MEASURING BENEFITS OF ACCESSIBILITY IN SOUTH ASIA
STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK FOR MEASURING BENEFITS OF ACCESSIBILITY IN SOUTH ASIA
Greater Workforce Participatio
n
Higher Earnings
Reduced Poverty
Reduction in Child
Mortality
More Children in Primary
School
More Young Adults in Higher
Education
Improved Maternal Health
POVERTY REDUCTION BENEFITS
USE RELATED BENEFITS
People with
Disabilities
People without
Disabilities
Time Savings
PROPOSED ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENT
Improved Safety
Improved Quality of
Time Spent
Increased
Activity
Comfort
Reduced Humiliation
Reduced Stigmatic
harm
Convenience
NON-USE RELATED BENEFITS
Time Savings
Increased
Activity
Improved Safety
Improved Quality of
Time Spent
Comfort
Convenience
Option/ Insurance
Value
Third-Party Employment Benefits
Existence Value
Cross-Sector
Benefits
10STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK FOR MEASURING BENEFITS OF ACCESSIBILITY IN SOUTH ASIA (CONT’D)
STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK FOR MEASURING BENEFITS OF ACCESSIBILITY IN SOUTH ASIA (CONT’D)
USE RELATED BENEFITS
People with Disabilities
People without
Disabilities
Time Saving
s
Improved Safety
Improved Quality of
Time Spent
Increased Activity
Comfort
Reduced Social
Exclusion
Reduced Stigmatic
harm
Convenience
Time Savings
Increased Activity
Improved Safety
Improved Quality of
Time Spent
Comfort
Convenience
PROPOSED ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENT
11
STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK FOR MEASURING BENEFITS OF ACCESSIBILITY IN SOUTH ASIA (CONT’D)
STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK FOR MEASURING BENEFITS OF ACCESSIBILITY IN SOUTH ASIA (CONT’D)
NON-USE RELATED BENEFITS
Option/ Insurance
Value
Third-Party Employment
Benefits
Existence Value
Cross-Sector Benefits
PROPOSED ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENT
12
STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK FOR MEASURING BENEFITS OF ACCESSIBILITY IN SOUTH ASIA (CONT’D)
STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK FOR MEASURING BENEFITS OF ACCESSIBILITY IN SOUTH ASIA (CONT’D)
Greater Workforce Participatio
n
Higher Earning
s
Reduced
Poverty
Reduction in Child Mortality
More Children in Primary
SchoolMore Young
Adults in Higher
EducationImproved Maternal Health
POVERTY REDUCTION BENEFITS
PROPOSED ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENT
13
VALUE OF ACCESSIBILITY WITH AND WITHOUT WIDER BENEFITSVALUE OF ACCESSIBILITY WITH AND WITHOUT WIDER BENEFITS
Benefits from Time Saved, $333.33
Benefits from Time Saved and Greater Comfort, $583.33
Benefits from Time Saved, Greater Comfort, and
Avoided Stigmatic Harm, $708.33
For 100 Uses/Transactions
Benefit of Accessible Ticket Machine
14
Accessibility mandates include limitations based on cost and proportionality of benefits
Limitations create risk of under-investment in accessibility because costs easier to identify than benefits
Challenge is to identify and measure all benefits
The Standardized Benefits Framework is proven in application (Canada, United States)
Key modification for South Asia is focus on poverty reduction and diminished social exclusion
CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONS
