The Economic and Social Benefits of Accessibility: A Decision Support Framework for South Asia David Lewis Ling Suen 13 th International Conference on ‘Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons’, New Delhi, India, September 17 – 21, 2012

2  Most accessibility mandates acknowledge accessibility as a human right; BUT  Mandates also acknowledge costs and cost-benefit proportionality as legitimate limitations in their execution WHY MUST WE IDENTIFY AND MEASURE THE BENEFITS OF ACCESSIBILITY?

3 INDIA’S ACCESSIBILITY LIMITATION Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 “Transport providers shall achieve accessibility withinthe limits of their economic capacity”

4 ACCESSIBILITY LIMITATIONS EQUALLY SIGNIFICANT IN OTHER NATIONS AUSTRALIADisability Discrimination Act Accessibility required “unless doing so would impose an “unjustifiable hardship” CANADACharter of Rights, Freedoms and Canada Transportation Act Accessibility required “up to the point of undue hardship

5 ACCESSIBILITY LIMITATIONS EQUALLY SIGNIFICANT IN OTHER NATIONS (CONT’D) EUROPEAN UNION Directive on Equal Treatment in Transportation and Employment Accessibility required “unless doing so would impose “disproportionate burden” UNITED STATESAmericans with Disabilities Act Accessibility required “unless accommodation would impose an undue hardship “

6  United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities –“Reasonable accommodation" means necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden, where needed in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.  “Disproportionate” means that benefits should be proportionate to costs EVEN THE UNITED NATIONS MANDATE INCLUDES LIMITATIONS

7 “A factor relied on to justify the continuity of a discriminatory barrier in almost every case is the cost of reducing or eliminating it to accommodate the needs of the person seeking access. But tribunals must be wary of putting too low a value on [the benefits of] accommodating the disabled” 2007 Canadian Supreme Court Decision RISK OF NARROW VIEW OF BENEFITS

8  Risk of narrow view of benefits is under- provision of accessibility –Costs are easy to count –Full benefits harder to identify and measure  Key is to recognize and quantify all benefits, not just the obvious and easy ones NEED FOR A STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK OF BENEFITS

9 STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK FOR MEASURING BENEFITS OF ACCESSIBILITY IN SOUTH ASIA Greater Workforce Participation Higher Earnings Reduced Poverty Reduction in Child Mortality More Children in Primary School More Young Adults in Higher Education Improved Maternal Health POVERTY REDUCTION BENEFITS USE RELATED BENEFITS People with Disabilities People without Disabilities Time Savings PROPOSED ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENT Improved Safety Improved Quality of Time Spent Increased Activity Comfort Reduced Humiliation Reduced Stigmatic harm Convenience NON-USE RELATED BENEFITS Time Savings Increased Activity Improved Safety Improved Quality of Time Spent Comfort Convenience Option/ Insurance Value Third-Party Employment Benefits Existence Value Cross-Sector Benefits

10 STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK FOR MEASURING BENEFITS OF ACCESSIBILITY IN SOUTH ASIA (CONT’D) USE RELATED BENEFITS People with Disabilities People without Disabilities Time Savings Improved Safety Improved Quality of Time Spent Increased Activity Comfort Reduced Social Exclusion Reduced Stigmatic harm Convenience Time Savings Increased Activity Improved Safety Improved Quality of Time Spent Comfort Convenience PROPOSED ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENT

11 STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK FOR MEASURING BENEFITS OF ACCESSIBILITY IN SOUTH ASIA (CONT’D) NON-USE RELATED BENEFITS Option/ Insurance Value Third-Party Employment Benefits Existence Value Cross-Sector Benefits PROPOSED ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENT

12 STANDARDIZED FRAMEWORK FOR MEASURING BENEFITS OF ACCESSIBILITY IN SOUTH ASIA (CONT’D) Greater Workforce Participation Higher Earnings Reduced Poverty Reduction in Child Mortality More Children in Primary School More Young Adults in Higher Education Improved Maternal Health POVERTY REDUCTION BENEFITS PROPOSED ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENT

13 VALUE OF ACCESSIBILITY WITH AND WITHOUT WIDER BENEFITS

14  Accessibility mandates include limitations based on cost and proportionality of benefits  Limitations create risk of under-investment in accessibility because costs easier to identify than benefits  Challenge is to identify and measure all benefits  The Standardized Benefits Framework is proven in application (Canada, United States)  Key modification for South Asia is focus on poverty reduction and diminished social exclusion CONCLUSIONS

15  David Lewis  Ling Suen CONTACTS