Published on April 29, 2024
Accessibility of public institutions still lags behind, survey shows. Deputy Defender prepares recommendations for ministries and authorities
Two surveys of the Public Defender of Rights assessed the accessibility of public buildings in terms of construction law as well as in practice with the help of people with various disabilities. It turned out that construction authorities of municipalities with extended competence approve the vast majority of applications for exemptions from the decree on barrier-free use. This can hinder the accessibility of buildings for people with disabilities. Testers in the field have found that the level of accessibility and the number of barriers in public institutions differ depending on the type of disability. Buildings are most easily accessible for people with physical disabilities, while people with hearing impairments face the greatest barriers.
As part of the research, testers with various disabilities visited six public institutions in regional capitals, and in Prague and Příbram. In each institution, they were tasked with getting to a designated place independently. The testers also evaluated the institution’s website, the entrance to the building including the reception, movement around the building, elevators and toilets.
Testers’ tasks
Post office: get to the counter where you can send a registered letter and ask for a filing slip
Municipality (city hall): get to the office or counter where applications for identity cards are submitted
Hospital: get to an ENT, orthopaedic or eye clinic (depending on the type of disability)
Social security administration: get to the office or counter where you apply for disability pension
Court: get to the courtroom where a public hearing will be held
Labour office: det to the office or counter where application for allowance for a special aid can be submitted
“Each site tested received a score according to the proportion of the criteria met. This allowed us to compare accessibility across the country. For example, we learned that the institutions with the best scores varied depending on the type of disability. Hospitals were the most accessible for people with physical disabilities, while courts scored the highest for people with visual impairments,” said the Deputy Defender, Vít Alexander Schorm, summarising the results of the survey and adding that city halls were the best equipped for visitors with hearing impairments, although overall they met less than a third of the criteria evaluated. The post offices run by the Czech Post attained the lowest score among the institutions assessed.
According to the survey, many institutions are ready for visitors in wheelchairs and are equipped to facilitate their independent movement throughout the building. However, they are not completely barrier-free. A tester in Ústí nad Labem described her difficulties moving around the local city hall: “The biggest obstacle are the stairs in the corridors. It’s always only three or four steps with a ramp attached, but it’s just too steep for me to drive up.”
Testers with hearing impairments found that the vast majority of institutions did not provide any information about the possibility to ask in advance for interpretation into Czech sign language or simultaneous transcription on their websites. It is difficult for people with hearing impairments to find their way around the building and make contact with staff when they arrive. Communication usually took place in writing.
According to the survey results, the institutions assume that people with visual and hearing impairments will visit them accompanied by someone who can help them navigate the building and deal with their matters.
The Deputy Defender is now working with people with disabilities and their advocacy organisations to prepare recommendations on how to address possible systemic deficiencies in barrier-free use of buildings. He will also address such recommendations to the individual institutions tested, as many of the problems described can, in fact, be eliminated immediately.
At the same time, the Defender is trying to push for an accessibility decree that would reflect both the needs of people with disabilities and the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to the maximum extent possible. The Convention strives for a “universal design”, i.e. the products, services and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, regardless of their specific needs.
“Recently, everyone had the opportunity to contribute to improving accessibility. In April, people could comment online on the technical CSN standard concerning accessibility and barrier-free use of buildings,” said the Defender, Stanislav Křeček, referring to the instructions he issued together with the Ministry of Regional Development.