Promoting Urban
Accessibility in Ethiopia
Ms. Yetnebersh Nigussie Molla
Ethiopian Center for Disability and
Development (ECDD)
Ethiopia
Promoting Urban Accessibility
• Under “Promoting Accessibility in Ethiopia” project supported by Light for the
World Austria, ECDD undertook accessibility surveys of over 1,500 establishments
in Ethiopia to collect information on the accessibility of facilities and services for
persons with disabilities living in the secondary towns of Ethiopia. Such towns
include Adama, Arba Minch, Hawassa and Debre Zeit in southern Ethiopia, Axum,
Bahir Dar, Gondar, Lalibela and Mekele in northern Ethiopia, Dire Dawa and Harar
in eastern Ethiopia, and Jimma in western Ethiopia.
• It is the first Guide to provide accessibility information on buildings and services
in Ethiopia
•Since these towns are tourist destinations, the collected accessibility information
will be of interest to visitors and tourists with disabilities as well as to local
residents with disabilities.
•ECDD also organized a public accessibility information seminars in each secondary
town on the importance of accessibility and for architects, urban planners, builders
and other interested students, faculty and individuals. There is now a commitment
from the responsible government bureaus to ensure new building designs fulfil
accessibility standards.
Promoting Urban Accessibility (cont.)
• ECDD provided technical information on accessibility
standards to government, non-governmental
organizations, universities and the private sector
through a series of accessibility information seminars.
•Due to the survey exercise for the Guide and the
information seminars, some government offices,
business and building owners expressed a desire for
technical information on how to make their buildings and
services more accessible to persons with disabilities.
ECDD personnel provided such information, but at the
specific request of several organizations, also conducted
“Accessibility Audits” of their premises and services.
WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED/IMPACT
• The ECDD surveyors of this project are now ECDD’s accessibility
ambassadors in the target towns. Though the surveying is
completed, they continued to support building owners improve the
accessibility situation of their buildings. In the long run, the
surveyors may start to generate income for themselves by providing
technical support on accessibility to individuals and institutions
seeking for their service.
•Key responsible government personnel from municipalities and town
administration bureaus, responsible for approving architectural
designs, accountable for monitoring and supervising all construction
works in their respective towns and people in charge of giving
permits to all newly constructed buildings have begun enforcing the
accessibility requirements, as clearly stipulated in the Ethiopian
building directive.
WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED/IMPACT-Cont.
• Because of ECDD’s information seminars and
technical advices and support, different businesses
and government offices are now undertaking
accessibility modifications of their buildings,
allocating their own budget to the task.
•5 public inclusive primary and secondary schools
allocated their own budget, sharing the cost of building
modification with ECDD, to make their premises
accessible to children and staff with disabilities.