Idiriya

IDIRIYA, is a not-for-profit registered humanitarian organisation focusing on disability rights that fully understands disability related access issues that affect a wide range of people in day-to-day life that concerns even their safety and physical, mental, economical and social well being.

IDIRIYA was born from its founder’s passion for creating an environment that is accessible to all with dignity, regardless of the degree of physical ability.

Based in Sri Lanka, IDIRIYA comprises a group of professionals in diverse fields who offer their expertise and follow the principle that good design enables bad design disables.

They have aggressively promoted in Sri Lanka the concept of 'Social Inclusion for All' focusing on built environments - Safety being a paramount feature - that does not marginalise or discriminate against people on the grounds of inevitable diversity in ability and campaigned against arbitrary categorization of people.

Although IDIRIYA do not seek to people with restricted ability, they support and strive to emPower them to lobby individually and collectively for positive change of a dis-Abling society, to benefit their own day-to-day productive lives.

The organisation receives no outside funding and has been kept functioning by voluntary contributions of time and resources, mainly by its members.

History
IDIRIYA was founded in 2005 by disability activist Ajith C. S. Perera.

It was born from Perera’s (i).. Passion for creating an environment that is accessible and user-friendly equally to everyone, enabling choice and with dignity, (ii).. Commitment to make a consciousness-raising eye-opener on accessibility to built environments, technology, goods and services and (iii).. Desire to promote universal design principles.

IDIRIYA have identified two prerequisites for a formidable and sustainable national economy: Viz. (i). Arresting the waste of productive human potential through mobilising the productive value of all people, able-bodied or otherwise, and (ii). Minimising unwanted dependents through empowering people.

They believe that construction of environments for inclusion of all people and optimum use of technology in daily life is cost effective, realistic and the effective way to arrest colossal waste of precious assets, enhances gainful opportunities for an increasing wide range of people and make everyone meaningful equal partners in Sri Lankan National development.

They realise the need for a new and more positive understanding and changing reactions to dis-ability and its related key issues.

This requires opening of minds to the social model of disability that explains how it's the dis-Abling designs of social environment that renders a wide and diverse range of people increasingly dis-Abled.

Vision
IDIRIYA’s vision is: Enabling the people who are severely ‘disadvantaged’ or ‘marginalised’ in day-to-day normal life due to continuing poor building design and thereby establishing a society that does not discriminate against people with limited mobility - an inevitable fact as life unfolds.

Mission
IDIRIYA’s mission is: Creating awareness, Engaging support and Catalysing change actively to promote built environments that can be used equally and safely by all sectors of society, with choice, with dignity and without any hindrance.

The Simultaneous focus here is on two key aspects.

1). To design and conduct educational and awareness programmes   as an on-going process, to stimulate the interest - and thereby induce a positive change in attitudes - to deliver better living environments and thereby to make communities liveable by everyone.

2). To provide the right guidance and proper advice, when required, to those who desire to construct or modify environments or even a mixture of both, so as to be enabling equally for everyone.

Work
Their work, in performing the dual roles of accessibility advisers and accessibility auditors of built environments, is all about making a positive difference to the quality of human lives of able people who are disadvantaged or marginalised by dis-Abling society as they experience, for different reasons, restricted ability, mobility in particular and their safety in day to day life.

Aims
Their aims are not to make profits. All members work in continuing to be: exceptionally responsive towards designing for inclusion of all, regardless of the degree of physical ability, and thereby emPowering everyone through 'increased opportunities' in daily life, to be more productive and gainful, healthier and full-fledged citizens.

Significant contributions
IDIRIYA recognise the fact that disability related internationally accepted design standards and regulations in building construction and design of key building parts by professionals in this vital industry, often run high risks of failure and thereby waste of resources in terms of practical implementation, if not backed by a good understanding of its intricacies and practical experience, as theory without practice is blind. As such, authorities undertaking such tasks of National importance often need expert guidance from those with insight, enough of practical experience and proven competence as to how best to do this Humanitarian work rightly.

To ease the difficulty of finding the right help IDIRIYA has also stepped in here.

Several organisations in Sri Lanka, both large and small, who desire to design and deliver better environments that can be used equally and safely by all sectors of society, regardless of their degree of ability, with dignity and with safety, have already benefited to get what they want here with the right guidance of Idiriya - a good testimony to their sincere commitment and proven competence.

IDIRIYA in 2007 initiated action and paved the way in the establishment and launch of the first Sri Lanka Standard for design in building construction by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution - SLS ISO TR 9527:2006 - taking into consideration diversity in ability of people.

Major achievements
Accessibility to built environments is an indispensable inherent basic human right.

Laws to require public buildings and facilities to be designed and constructed accessible to dis-abled persons were established in Sri Lanka in 1996 and further strengthened by the introduction of accessibility regulations under this law in 2005 and thereafter, receiving unanimous Parliament approval 0n 20 March 2007. However, inept bureaucracy failed to establish a formal mechanism to implement and pursue the legislation and thereby to deliver practical effect, even in respect of new public buildings. Violators roam scot-free, significant setbacks to gainful opportunities of disabled people, increasing numbers hence driven towards poverty affecting even their immediate families, waste of human potential, etc., and thereby reduce our limited resources causing substantial losses to the country.

Even after 15 years this malady continues as the non-disabled decision makers fail to recognise this national disaster.

Seeking redress for physically dis-Abled persons accessing new public buildings, a fundamental rights application [Ref: SCFR: 221/2009] aimed at preventing further colossal losses the country incurs, was filed by IDIRIYA at the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in March 2009.

Ajith C. S. Perera, honorary Secretary-General of IDIRIYA appearing in person, argued the need to have the disability access laws and regulations already enacted some years ago, fully enforced and implemented with respect to new public buildings in Sri Lanka.

The bench headed by the then country's Chief Justice, in delivering their unanimous judgement on 27 April 2011 which further strengthened the order given earlier on 14 October 2009, issued landmark orders having the potential to reverse these adverse trends and reap over 30 rich dividends for the country and its people - disabled and non-disabled alike. This has been recognised in Sri Lanka as a significant achievement towards equalisation of opportunities, 'not simply' but the hard way, by the dis-abled for the dis-abled.