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Views of people with physical disabilities on accessibility of public toilets in Bindura urban.

Abstract
The study was set to assess the extent of compliance of Bindura local authority with legal instruments on accessibility and inclusion of People with disabilities (PWD) in the provision of sanitary infrastructures within Bindura urban. This study was motivated by the United Nations (UN) 22 standard rules on the equalization of opportunities for people with disabilities which included accessibility to buildings and other community infrastructures, (United Nations, 2006; USIS, 1998). Most nations world over, including Zimbabwe have domesticated these UN policies. In Zimbabwe, we have; The Disabled Persons Act (1992; 2006) and Ministry of Education P36 (1996). The Disabled Persons Act (1992; 2006) for instance makes it an offense for denial of access to infrastructure for PWD, (17:01; b).The current Zimbabwean constitution mandates government to ensure that buildings and amenities to which the public has access are accessible to persons with disabilities (section 22. 4; 27, 2013). In Bindura Urban, both Government and Non-Governmental Organisations have been involved in the provision of public sanitary facilities. In spite of the Government policies on sanitary facilities that meet the needs of PWD, it was observed that some toilets in Bindura Urban did not meet these requirements. We were not aware of studies that had been carried out to assess how widespread the level of non-compliance was in Bindura Urban. Hence the following questions backed our study; What monitoring strategies does B use to ensure inclusivity in the public sanitary infrastructure development plans? Does the Bindura Municipality have any by-laws governing inclusion of PWDs? Are Bindura urban school toilets inclusive of pupils with disabilities? What are the views of adults with disabilities regarding accessibility of public toilet facilities? Mixed methodology in the form of concurrent embedded strategy was used for this study. Data was collected in the form of descriptive survey method.

 

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Type
Journal Article
Author
Chigunwe G
Mpofu T P Z