4th December 2024 New Delhi, Delhi, India On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), the National Awards for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, saw the launch of a nationwide accessibility audit campaign.
This significant initiative, led by the Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) in collaboration with the Association of People with Disability (APD), was marked by the signing of an MoU between the two organizations. Alongside celebrating outstanding contributions to the empowerment of persons with disabilities, the campaign emerged as a key highlight of the event.
The campaign will be powered by APD’s YesToAccess app, India’s first-of-its-kind AI-powered tool designed for accessibility audits. The app allows anyone-persons with or without disabilities-to assess the accessibility of public spaces. By simply taking a photograph of a structure using their phone’s camera, users can analyze features such as ramps, railings, accessible toilets, tactile pathways, and clear signage. The app generates real-time accessibility scores, which are made publicly available on an interactive map, helping to identify and promote barrier-free spaces across India.
Shri. Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, DEPwD, highlighted the significance of the campaign, stating, “The nationwide accessibility audit campaign is a key step under the Accessible India Campaign to ensure that public spaces become more inclusive and accessible for all citizens. By leveraging technology and empowering persons with disabilities to lead these audits, we are creating a foundation for a more equitable society.”
Unlike traditional accessibility audits that rely heavily on expert teams, the YesToAccess app makes the process inclusive and scalable by encouraging participation from citizens, school children, volunteers, and organizations. The app’s AI capabilities simplify audits while ensuring accurate data collection.
Mr. Jacob Kurian, Honorary Secretary & Trustee, APD, emphasized the importance of the app, saying, “YesToAccess is a cutting edge use of AI and cameravision to solve an intractable societal problem. It is a catalyst for community action to create a public good for use by the disabled. As an accessibility solution, it enables untrained but socially conscious individuals and communities to come together to map and improve accessibility in public spaces. This campaign is about removing the barriers that prevent the disabled from participating in society as full and equal citizens of our great nation.”
This initiative aligns with the goals of the Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan), which aims to remove physical, digital, and mobility barriers for persons with disabilities across the country. By leveraging AI, community engagement, and transparent data sharing, the nationwide accessibility audit campaign takes a significant step toward making India a truly barrier-free nation.