On 3rd December, the International Day of People with Disabilities was commemorated by the Orihuela council with readings of two manifestos carried out in Orihuela City Council and in Orihuela Costa. Both highlighted that accessibility is one of the pending issues in the municipality, and although steps have been taken and progress has been made in recent years, there is still much to do.
However, Cambiemos says that it is essential that the commitment is translated into specific and quantifiable actions. It is unacceptable that, in the year 2023, heartbreaking situations still regularly exist for people with disabilities in our municipality persist, directly violating their human rights, especially that of human dignity.
When a person with reduced mobility cannot park in a disabled space due to improper occupation by vehicles without the regulatory card, an obvious problem arises. Likewise, the impossibility of using pavements due to the risk of wheelchairs tipping over because of damaged or poorly designed footpaths, or the absence of slipways that prevent access to the pavements, is unacceptable.
The lack of accessibility in premises or restaurants, whether due to the absence of ramps or their excessive slope, forcing the disabled to enter through storage areas or kitchens, constitutes another affront to equality and safety.
For all this, Cambiemos Orihuela proposes to urge the government to reactivate and schedule the activity of the Accessibility Table. They are also asking for the creation of a budget item in future municipal budgets as well as the improvement and establishment of vertical signs in each and every one of the parking spaces enabled for people with reduced mobility.