Is Morocco accessible to those with a disability?

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 After being in Morocco for 10 days, I have made some observations regarding accessibility for people with disabilities.   It is uncommon to see handicapped stalls in restrooms; elevators and doorways are very narrow, and stairways have no ramps at a wheelchair-accessible incline.  I realized that this country, while very welcoming, tolerant, and kind is not a country that is easily accessible to those who depend on a wheelchair for mobility.   While I have witnessed things like flags being displayed on minarets for times of prayer for those hearing impaired and read about the government's push in 2017, where "an inter-ministerial committee had been established to implement strategies and programs on the rights of persons with disabilities, as outlined in the national action plan 2017-2021." The plan does not focus on basic accessibility but mostly on access to education. "Despite institutional developments with respect to inclusive education, the Council was concerned about continued numerous difficulties and obstacles that persons with disabilities faced when accessing education, namely in school enrolment, assistant services, and reasonable accommodation" (Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities considers initial report of Morocco.2017).  These efforts align with the king's initiative to empower his people to be educated and prosper successfully in their careers.   However, this begs the question, what about everyday accessibility and quality of life?

"Currently, 60 percent of Morocco’s population resides in an urban area that is close to 20 million inhabitants. The demand for urban mobility in these cities has steadily increased, with the estimated number of journeys on public transport more than doubling over the past 40 years. The World Bank’s US$200 million program is supporting the Government of Morocco to improve the transport sector and to build a web of urban transport corridors within larger cities. A US$2.85 million grant from the Government of Japan is providing guidance for the city of Marrakesh in how to incorporate elements of accessibility into their urban transport master plan"(The World Bank, 2019).   The Moroccan government is acknowledging the deficit of accessibility to those challenged with mobility.  They are contacting countries like Japan for help to amend these issues.  Beginning in Marrakesh, "the pilot project [from Japan] made it possible for the city to include capacity building activities on issues related to the physical accessibility of persons with limited mobility, pilot activities to upgrade Marrakesh's urban infrastructure for increased accessibility, and share this knowledge with other city municipalities and the public through an awareness outreach campaign" (The World Bank, 2019).

As I have previously stated in earlier blog posts, Morocco is a very progressive country with big goals; however, it is important to know that while progressive, Morocco is still a developing nation.  


References

Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities considers initial report of Morocco. (2017, Aug 18,). Premium Official News

The World Bank. (2019). Morocco Improving the Physical Accessibility of People of Limited Mobility. Retrieved 06/09/23, from https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/07/25/morocco-improving-the-physical-accessibility-of-people-of-limited-mobility.print

Comments

  1. Morgan LeeJune 9, 2023 at 1:57 PM

    Good post! I hadn't thought about this and after reading what you wrote, I realized that I also haven't seen a lot of accessibility in the places we've been aside from one or two. While Morocco has devoted much of their programs towards improving education, another area that could be improved is in increasing the amount of accessible areas for those with disabilities. Many of the elevators are smaller and currently harder for those who may need larger spaces to navigate. You made several good points and hopefully as Morocco continues to develop, more accessible spaces will become more commonplace.

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