Dubai to introduce disability-friendly public and leisure spaces

The Dubai Municipality has announced that it intends for 20% of each park, theme park and public square to be easily accessible to those in wheelchairs, the blind, or those with other disabilities by the end of 2016.

In a bid to make the entire city disabled-friendly by 2020, the Municipality’s project is expected to start in October and to be completed within two years. It will include all the major theme parks and residential areas in the Emirate.

Dubai Municipality Director-General Hussain Nasser Lootah explained “we have already paid considerable attention to the specifications of buildings and other facilities, such as streets and markets, and now parks are the next category under our focus.

“To create disabled-friendly parks, all exits and entrances will have smooth floors to help the movement of wheelchairs, and there will be special games and rides dedicated to them. Toilets and restaurants will also have to be modified, and all the other types of services will cater to children with or without disabilities.”

The Municipality last month introduced floating wheelchairs for people with special needs, and plans to expand its services to Jumeirah Beach Park.

Within the next few years, more types of equipment are expected to make their way throughout parks, where special equipment, gear and free wheelchairs will be made available to all disabled park-goers.

Lootah added “we are keen to provide all the necessary facilities to people with disabilities, and our inspectors are always on duty to ensure that the rules are not broken, such as having dedicated parking spots.”