Beyond Sympathy: How Access4All Is Fixing Accessibility Through Infrastructure

Disability does not diminish your worth. If anything, it strengthens your resolve to make a difference.

When I met with an accident at the age of 23, I suffered a C5 spinal cord injury and was left a quadriplegic. I became a wheelchair user overnight. What I realised soon after was this; sympathy is kind, but it is not enough. Compassion without infrastructure does not create independence. That realisation led to the birth of Access4All.

Along with fellow wheelchair user Arvind Prabhoo, I began asking a simple question: Why are people with disabilities expected to adjust to systems that were never designed for them? We see mobility-impaired individuals every day, yet we rarely build frameworks that include them meaningfully. Inclusion is often discussed in emotional terms, but seldom implemented structurally.

Access4All was created to shift that conversation from sympathy to systems. While we see a lot of disabled people around us, we don’t do enough to create a framework that is suitable for them. As the name suggests, Access4All seeks to make travel and transportation accommodating for people with disabilities. We strongly believe that by making transportation easier, we can help people with disabilities feel confident and self-reliant. In the long term, this will help a lot in their self-image and how they perceive themselves.

Access4All has acquired vans that are wheelchair-accessible and feature ramps to make entry and exit easier, making it a first-of-its-kind service provider in Mumbai. We also plan to start services in cities such as Delhi, Pune, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Our collaborations with Mumbai airport and hotels across the city to make it easier for wheelchair users and people with disabilities to travel. The insides of our modified vans have been equipped with air conditioners, LCD screens, DVD players, and cellphone charging ports to meet the comfort of our users.

Our transportation services are only a part of what we seek to do for our fellow disability and mobility aid users. We have undertaken assessments and evaluations of various locations across the country, including tourist sites, Universities, and office buildings. This was one of the parts of our Beyond Barrier – Incredible India tour. Beyond the Barrier was not merely a symbolic journey; it was an audit of reality. It revealed structural gaps that continue to limit economic participation, social mobility, and independence. We believe India is a diverse country, and this diversity should include people with mobility limitations. We also extend our reach to assist senior citizens who are often restricted at home due to age or poor health. Arvind and I observed structural deficiencies in certain areas, and we have taken it upon ourselves to engage with the relevant regulatory bodies to improve their accessibility.

Our philosophy is to make people more aware of conditions related to spinal cord injury, quadriplegia, wheelchair usage, etc. We hope to sensitise everyone about the challenges mobility-aid users face while travelling. Like everyone else we should be capable of travelling independently. Further the society should include us, rather than feeling sorry for us. With this, we hope to garner representation for the cause of making transportation and public spaces safe, convenient, and comfortable for people already struggling because of mobility limitations.

Our premise to provide such services has a much deeper reason. We believe firmly that independence for people with disabilities will also lead to greater economic participation. Imagine the strength of such a society where public transportation becomes convenient, office spaces become accessible, and disabilities no longer mean dependence, financial or otherwise.

One of my apprehensions after my accident was about my ability to do things on my own. So, this is a service through which other wheelchair users can be self-reliant, where they can move around the city conveniently.

We at Access4All are taking small steps. It is a foundation that envisioned a future for people like me where they can get over their past and look forward to their future. I would like to reiterate the fact that a majority of spaces across the country like offices, malls, popular tourist spots restaurants are NOT designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities. Therefore, proactive measures need to be implemented. The need is to emphasise and demand infrastructure that meets quality standards, which are safe, and convenient for mobility aid users. Here, we identify such places and provide recommendations to make them more accessible to people with disabilities.

The feeling of compassion comes naturally when we see a mobility aid user trying to navigate on the roads, but it is not enough. The society needs to be aware and mindful of those with disabilities. We need to make them feel included and encourage them to live the lives they desire. Our philosophy is to empower people with disabilities so that they can feel independent and gain courage. By going beyond providing mobility services we are building infrastructural frameworks. Our voices need to be heard and influence the policymakers. The ability of travelling and moving around is universal. This includes people with injuries, wheelchair users, and senior citizens among others.

Dignity is universal. Independence is universal. Opportunity is universal.