TRB paper

Abstract

Improving access and mobility of people with disabilities is a necessary element of alleviating poverty in developing countries. This paper provides a selected overview of progress that has been made towards achieving improved access. It is based on an ongoing three-year research program on access needs and approaches in a selection of developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. A generalized framework is suggested for describing the progress made across different countries. Many least developed countries are at the bottom of a continuum of activities, where issues of human rights and access to basic mobility are still paramount. Others, such as countries in Latin America, have made significant progress on access issues in major cities and are faced with challenges of expanding improvements to non-core areas and to less well-regulated modes. The framework is finally used to suggest some critical priorities for countries at various levels of development