CONTENTS1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 BACKGROUND 2 1.2 RESEARCH QUESTION 5 1.3 OBJECTIVE OF STUDY 5 1.4 SCOPE OF STUDY 5 1.5 RESEARCH DESIGN 6 1.6 THESIS STRUCTURE 8 2. UNDERSTANDING ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES AND PRACTICES WORLWIDE 10 2.1 BACKGROUND ON APPROACH TO DISABILITY 11 2.2 PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES (PWD) PROFILE IN INDIA 17 2.2.1 Definition of Disability 17 2.2.2 Disable Population in India 18 2.2.3 Disable Population of Various States in India 19 2.2.4 Urban and Rural Share of Population 20 2.2.5 Work Participation Rate 20 2.2.6 General Education of Persons with Disability 21 2.3 ORGANIZATION OF THE DISABILITY SECTOR IN INDIA 22 2.4 BARRIERS TO ACCESSIBILITY 23 2.5 PRACTICES WORLWIDE- A REVIEW 29 2.5.1 Legislative approach to access issues 30 2.5.2 Organizational approach to access issues 39 2.5.3 Technical approach to access issues 50 2.6 CONCLUSION- A FRAMEWORK 57 3. CASE OF AHMEDABAD 59 3.1 DISABLE POPULATION ESTIMATE 60 3.2 SAMPLE SIZE 65 3.3 METHODOLOGY ADOPTED 66 3.4 TRAVEL CHARACTERISTICS 68 3.4.1 Trip Purpose 68 3.4.2 Mode Choice 69 3.4.3 Average Trip Length 71 3.4.4. Monthly Expenditure on Travel 72 3.5 MOBILITY ISSUES AND KIND OF ASSISTANCE REQUIRED WHILE TRAVELLIN 72 3.6 HIERARCHY OF COUNTERMEASURES FOR BARRIERS TO ACCESSIBILITY 78 3.7 EVALUATING LEVEL OF ACCESSIBILITY 79 3.7.1 Spatial Pattern of Passenger Movement 81 3.7.3 Summary of Level of Accessibility 104 3.8 CONCLUSION 105 4. IMPLEMENTATION & IMPROVEMENT CHALLENGES 106 4.1 REASONS FOR LACK OF IMPLEMENTATION OF PWD ACT 107 4.2. REVIEW OF PROVISIONS FOR ACCESSIBILITY IN ACTS AND POLICIES 108 4.3 INTERVENTIONS FOR MORE ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORT SYSTEM: INDICATIVE PRIORITY 111 4.4 OPTIONS FOR ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENT 127 4.5 MODIFIED ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE 127 4.6 ROLE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT OPERATORS (PTO) 130 4.7 ROLE OF GOVERNMENT 131 5. CONCLUSION & WAY FORWARD 134 REFERENCES 139