Browsing by Author "Wondaferew, Kalkidan"

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    Accessibility Assessment and improvement of Recreational Parks in Addis Ababa for People with Disabilites:The Case of Mobility and Visually Impaired People
    (Addis ababa University, 2021-08) Wondaferew, Kalkidan; Abdulfetah, Aziza (pdf)
    People with disabilities have the right to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life. They have the right to access the physical environment and other public facilities and services open to the public on an equal basis with others. Nevertheless, due to unfavorable conditions of different natures, people with disabilities who live in Addis Ababa have a limited opportunity to access public facilities and services as equal as others. One of the public facilities that manifest this problem is the limited access to urban parks. Due to design skills or poor management issues, most of the facilities and elements in the parks are whether damaged, obstructed, or miss placed and cause disabled people to have limited access. Hence, this research paper focuses on assessing the accessibility extent of the recreational parks in Addis Ababa for people with mobility and visual impairment and also recommending possible access improvements. To achieve the main objective of the research, the accessibility level of the recreational parks, factors that affect the accessibility level of the recreational parks, and improvement practices to increase the accessibility level of recreational parks are studied. Currently, there are 19 functional parks in Addis Ababa, out of which nine recreational parks from nine sub cities, are selected to be assessed in this research using stratified and purposive sampling methods. The size of the parks and the capacity to accommodate a larger population are the techniques used as sampling and site selection methods. A survey research method with mixed qualitative and quantitative methodologies is employed. Primary data is collected from a Field observation using an accessibility compliance evaluation checklist and from a formal interview with a selected parks management representatives. Although people with disabilities cannot be found in the selected parks during the data collection period, to take their views into account, primary data has also collected from the people with disabilities using questioners. Accordingly, one hundred eighteen mobility and visually impaired people have participated in the questionnaire from the permanent members of the Ethiopian National Association of the Physically Handicapped (ENAPH) and Ethiopian National Association of the Blind (ENAB) using a clustered sampling method. From the data collected and analyzed the results show that, as measured against the international accessibility standard, the recreational parks studied have a very low accessibility level for people with disabilities. The low level of accessibility is associated with physical barriers imposed in most recreational parks. Uneven surface flooring and obstructed entrance spaces, narrow, rough, and slippery circulation pathways, Steps without an adjacent ramp, lack of curb ramps in grade changes, and absence of textural marking strip and handrails on stairs, and grade change are some of these physical barriers. Besides the physical barriers, the lack of accessibility consideration for people with disabilities when the parks are designed, inadequacy and lack of implementation of the accessibility standards and design guidelines put in the park development manuals, and lack of regular maintenance and professionally skilled officials to follow up the maintenance procedures are some of the factors that affect the accessibility of the parks. vii Thus, to improve the accessibility level of the recreational parks for people with disabilities, this study recognizes the need for improvement from simple maintenance to modifying and redesigning the inaccessible features of all the park components and infrastructures. The study also recommended responsible bodies such as architects, planners, park administrators, and management staff to play a vital role in increasing the accessibility level of the parks. Finally, a design proposal is developed in a selected case area to demonstrate the recommended access improvements.