THE Comprehensive Access Project (CAP), designed by King Salman Center for Disability Research and approved by the Council of Ministers, is one of the most important strategic projects extending vital services to 10 percent of the Saudi population, namely the elderly and disabled. CAP provides these segments of people with appropriate corridors for safe access to their destinations, giving peace of mind to the rest of the population. This important national objective was achieved with the support and supervision of Prince Sultan Bin Salman, chairman of the Board of Trustees of King Salman Center for Disability Research, who is also chairman of the Board of Disabled Children's Association. A committee chaired by the prince oversees the implementation of the program and adopts necessary steps on the ground.
A mechanism was created to activate the program within the government and private sectors with the aim of integrating the disabled people into mainstream society and remove all obstacles before them in leading a normal life while exercising all their rights and fulfilling their ambitions along with fellow citizens.
The program stems from the national role of King Salman Center to activate the relevant provisions of the system of care for the disabled in the Kingdom as per regulations stipulating that public transport must be offered for the safe movement of people with disability.
The program serves all segments of Saudi society, including infrastructure, information, technical, behavioral and legal aspects. It was accompanied by a comprehensive study focusing on assessing and measuring the situation in the Kingdom and its conformity with the best accepted international standards and practices, including buildings, tourism and its products and infrastructure.
Based on this study, the center published four universal accessibility guidelines: the first is comprehensive access to urban environment, the second is for universal access to land transport, the third is for access to touristic destinations and accommodation sectors, and the last for access to maritime transport.
The guideline on universal accessibility in the urban environment and means of land transport was aimed at planners, architects, engineers, decorators, decision makers and those interested in the private and public sectors in the Kingdom in applying the principles and requirements for comprehensive access in the urban environment to the new construction projects and the preparation of existing buildings and facilities to accommodate all social segments including the elderly and people with disabilities.
The guideline on universal access to tourism has targeted tourism providers to ensure that tourism is accessible to all. The program covers hotels, residential units, resorts, parks, youth hostels, residential complexes, tourist destinations from museums, exhibition and convention centers, sports and commercial centers, retail centers, sea destinations and boating facilities.
King Salman Center for Disability Research signed more than 35 agreements and memorandums of cooperation with a number of governmental and private institutions to implement the comprehensive access program in the cities of the Kingdom. Riyadh was declared the first friendly city for the disabled in the Kingdom on May 16, 2010, under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, founder of the center and then emir of the province.
The Comprehensive Access Program was implemented with the support of the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Endowments, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, King Saud University, Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University, Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Municipality of Riyadh, the Supreme Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, King Khalid International Airport and a number of international institutions. – SPA
