Involvement with the SPAR Wheelchair Wednesday campaign on August 21 has seen Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) effect a number of changes to make Port Elizabeth airport more wheelchair-friendly.
The initiative, now in its eighth year, was held in August by the Association for Persons with Disabilities Nelson Mandela Bay.
Airfield Services Manager, Selvin Meyer, said they had looked at various ways to improve facilities and enable easy access for wheelchair-bound passengers. “We created further parking bays for people living with disabilities, in the shaded parking area as close to the terminal as we could. This allows those who are assisting them more time to help them out of the car and get them safely into the airport terminal.
“There is one drop-off area for people living with disabilities, adjacent to the stop-and-go section, but we recommend that the shaded parking be used if this parking space is not available.” Meyer added that within the concourses more ablution facilities had been added with clearly marked signs for wheelchair users.
“We have also created ramps in all sections of the airport to ensure easier access for those with mobility problems.”
Acsa has also considered employees or visitors to its office blocks in terms of accessibility, with a wheelchair stair lift installed at the foot of the stairs.
Meyer said this allowed those in wheelchairs to be placed on a platform with a safety barrier around the person enabling them to be electronically moved on a railing up and down the stairs.
“This applies not only to wheelchair users but also to people using crutches who may have difficulty going up the stairs,” he said.
Meyer said they had collaborated with APD for the purchase and installation of evacuation chairs at all the lifts and staircases.
