Accessibility of students with physical disability to public service vehicles in the western part of Kenya

Abstract

Bus termini are an essential component of urban transport facilities which define the beginning or end of the line for the transportation system. In the study area, students with physical disability frequently used bus termini to access educational institutions which were far removed from their residences. Various bus termini were linked by fourteen seater vehicles or buses. During such trips, the students encountered numerous design barriers due to the inappropriate layout of the public service vehicles. This study established that the following design barriers existed in public service vehicles: high entry steps, lack of grab bars at the entrance, narrow doors and narrow spaces between seats. While navigating these design barriers, the students encountered the following attitudinal barriers: inferiority, pity, hero worship, spread effect and backlash. This study concluded that students with physical disability experienced hampered mobility due to the design barriers highlighted above. In addition to this, other users of the vehicles compounded the problem by exhibiting attitudinal barriers. Therefore, this study recommends enforcing standards in the design of public service vehicles which enhance access for all. Further, there is a need for the members of the public to embrace people with disabilities and stop the ongoing attitudinal barriers