RIYADH: The Royal Commission for Riyadh City has launched an Accessibility Program for People with Disabilities, which aims to provide an urban environment to allow people with disabilities — residents and visitors to the city — the ability to access, move around and practice various activities easily.
Ibrahim bin Muhammad Al-Sultan, the CEO of the RCRC, thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also chairman of the board of directors at RCRC, and added: “The program is an extension of the support and interest of the wise leadership in caring for and empowering people with disabilities, and their integration as active members in society.”
He stressed that the program would contribute to improving the quality of life for residents and visitors, and that Riyadh would aim to become one of the leading cities in the field of universal access for people with disabilities.
He added that universal access was a basic human right, as Article 27 of the Basic Law of Governance said: “The state guarantees the rights of citizens and their families, including cases of illness, disability and old age.” Article 26 says: “The state protects human rights in accordance with Islamic law,” which prevents discrimination on any basis, including disability.
The program includes implementation of an access code in both Arabic and English, and contains the necessary tools to meet the requirements of all types of disabilities, with the aim of ensuring that the needs of people with disabilities are met in existing and future projects.
The code is scheduled to be applied gradually to buildings in the public and private sectors, starting from the first quarter of 2025.
The issuance of building completion permits and professional licenses issued by the Riyadh Municipality will be linked to the implementation of the comprehensive access code.
The move forms part of the efforts of the RCRC to improve the quality of life in the city and facilitate the daily lives of people with disabilities, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, promoting Riyadh as one of the world’s leading cities in terms of universal access.
The launch of the program also comes within the Kingdom’s efforts to support groups of people with disabilities, which included the establishment of the Authority for the Care of Persons with Disabilities.
For more details, people can visit the RCRC website at www.rcrc.gov.sa.
