Students with disabilities sometimes have a tough time in front of the
school,
as they need to wait for kind drivers to allow them to cross the road.
Pratchaya Kerdthong
If you think crossing the street in Pattaya is risky,
imagine how dangerous it is for the disabled.
In a city where drivers ignore pedestrian crossing
signals and speed limits are a bad punch line, just getting to a market
500 meters away can be a life-threatening adventure for the blind or
those in wheelchairs.
Udomchok Churat, director of the Pattaya Redemptorist
School, said students are often at the mercy of sighted or non-disabled
volunteers to help them reach local shops on Soi Yume, a half-kilometer
away.
In fact, Udomchok said, students are only permitted
off school grounds for an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays; and during
daylight hours only on weekends. Even then, he said, one student already
has been hit by a speeding motorbike this year.
“Students need to experience the world for
themselves, but it is a challenge,” he said. In the case of the Soi Yume
Market, there is no parking for shoppers, leading to people parking
illegally on the street, narrow lanes and traffic jams.
“The area doesn’t have a sidewalk for elderly people,
children and people with disabilities,” Udomchok continued. “We wish
everyone would realize that reckless driving can lead to accidents with
other people or vehicles.”
He said if the city is serious about investing in
facilities for the disabled, it will solve the traffic problem. On the
other hand, Udomchok said, “If all people care about is buying the
latest high-tech toys, the disabled will continue to suffer and their
human right to independent travel trampled upon.”
