Building Barrier-Free Communities for the Aging Society

Masumi Shiraishi

SummaryThe urban environment is a harsh one for the physically disabled and elderly， who are subjected to numerous inconveniences in daily life.

But being disabled need not imply being handicapped， as the latter is determined in relation to barriers in the social environment. Many disabled and elderly people could actively participate in society if we cleared away the barriers that exist in people's awareness， institutions， and the urban environment. If we can build a supportive physical environment and gain the community's understanding， the number of actually handicapped people would decline drastically. But to do this， the whole society must become involved.

By the beginning of the 21st century， Japan will be an "ultra-aging" society where one in four people will be elderly. As with the physically disabled， these elderly need not be confined at home or in institutions， but instead should be empowered to participate actively in society.

Approximately 25 years have passed since Japan first began to build welfare-oriented communities. The U.S. and Europe， who lead in this area， have had a positive influence by introducing the concept of "normalization" (integration into society)， wherein handicapped individuals are empowered to become autonomous and independent. In Japan， efforts to build barrier-free communities have been led by the central and local governments. Many issues remain to be tackled， such as expanding the scope of access， and unifying regional standards.

One key concern is expanding the scope of barrier-free access to today's highly developed urban transportation networks， a vital element is accessibility of trains， buses， and other modes of public transportation. Presently， however， these remain difficult to use for the disabled and elderly.

In the U.S. and Europe， barrier-free public transportation is regarded as a basic human right， with the goal being to achieve full participation and equality in society for the handicapped. Particularly in the U.S. and Sweden， private operators are required by law to make necessary improvements， and government subsidies have been initiated.

The basic approach to barrier-free public transportation and community facilities consists of five factors: safety， integration， focused improvements on critical points， freedom of access， and proper understanding.

Substantial outlays are required to equip an environment for the handicapped to move about on their own. But the benefits are not small; for instance， ease of movement would motivate the handicapped to become independent， and thereby help reduce the need to provide constant care.

The attitude that barrier-free communities are an expensive burden benefiting only a small minority is already outdated. Considering the future growth in the elderly population， it is a social cost that must be addressed immediately.

Rather than a narrow conception of simply upgrading the physical environment， the idea behind barrier-free community development should be to improve the quality of life for all residents. Eliminating physical barriers enables the elderly and disabled to lead more autonomous lives and participate more fully in society， thus benefiting everybody.