Experts say 50 per cent of people with disabilities would travel more if suitable facilities were available to them wherever they travelled.
People with disabilities are gradually being recognised as potential customers. Different sectors, like tourism, aviation and transport, are taking steps to improve disability access. There is an economic perspective as the investments will lead to higher footfall.
32-year-old Satish Navle, who is visually impaired, is an adventurous traveller. In the last 15 years, the radio producer has undertaken 55 solo journeys to Kashmir, Kanyakumari, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh among other places.
When I went to Jallianwala Bagh, I saw those bullet marks on the walls and understood what people went through when General Dyer was firing at them. Nothing can be more exciting than visiting the place and experiencing the environment," says Mr Navale.
"Take the case of cricket. One can watch cricket on TV, but why do nearly 60,000 people go to stadiums and watch cricket live. We cannot get this feeling in books," he adds.
There are over a billion people with disabilities worldwide. According to the Lonely Planet, the world's largest travel guide publisher, 50 per cent of people with disabilities would travel more if suitable facilities were available to them wherever they travelled. The accessible travel market is a significant one and caters to people who have access issues, whether they are acquired disabilities through age or accidents or whether they are disabilities from birth.
Martin Heng, Accessible Travel Manager, Lonely Planet said, "We have an aging population, particularly a retiring baby boomer population. And they are retiring with about 40 per cent of them with an acquired disability. This is a huge market opportunity. The reason we should do this is not only that we should and we should cater for those people who have disability but it also makes good business sense. Good access is good business."
Niranjan Khatri, founder of iSambhav, endorses this view. He said, "I believe there is a 75 billion dollar disability market globally, which does not come to India because we do not have the infrastructure. If you have travelled abroad, you will find people with disabilities seamlessly move around on their own without any help because they have traffic lights, where you can control the button and stop the traffic. Inaccessible spaces have been made accessible through a little bit of thought and sensitivity."
An enabling environment benefits nearly 46 per cent of the population, which includes senior citizens, people with disabilities and children. There are some positive changes across different sectors in the country, as they remove barriers and invest in disability awareness training. It is a signal that accessibility's time has come.