In addition to wide entrances and an elevator that permits the entrance of the wheelchair a cultural change, not compassion, is necessary.

The indifference of citizens is the most difficult, strong and painful barrier that a person with mobility problems might face.

Some time ago, a neighbor demanded the doorman of the building where I live not to help me -I am a disabled person that moves in a wheelchair because I cannot move my legs.

Through letter addressed to the board of owners she requested the doorman not to help me to take up or down the wheelchair to/from my car since, according to her, this prevented him from promptly opening the entrance access to the other people in the building.

The board accepted her request and they called and asked me what I planned to do, to which I answered that said action was totally illegal. It was an extremely painful comment that made me well up tears since, in addition to feeling helpless, it is embarrassing to have to ask for help out of necessity and face such a categorical rejection.

Finally, a resident wrote a letter explaining how ridiculous the measure was and mentioning the wise proverb “I’ll scratch your back and you’ll scratch mine.”

Anyway it is worth emphasizing that most residents signed this letter and many with very supportive comments (including the friends of that grumpy neighbor).

The most pleasant and unbelievable reaction came from the doorman himself who said to me “I prefer to lose my job than not helping a handicapped person, whether yourself or someone from my neighborhood.”

It is very important that citizens are supportive but, I want to make myself clear, by a cultural change and not out of compassion. As this unpleasant situation happened to me, the same thing could have also happened or may happen to other people but –unfortunately- people do not make their voices heard.

What happened shows the total lack of conscious and the lack of education and support regarding the harsh facts: there are more than 400,000 people in condition of disability in Bogotá (without taking into consideration the temporary handicapped or the elderly).

The “inability” of many people to understand that we are all similar is ludicrous, the inability to move my legs or being in a wheelchair does not make me any different from anyone else. As part of this cultural change I published the handbook Lets’ build a kind city for disabled people, with all the necessary access measurements so that building contractors cannot argue that they do not have the information at hand. This is part of the support and of wanting to make changes.

In general, people are not aware who their neighbors are, whether they have a neighbor in a wheelchair, whether there is someone who needs a walking stick or a crutch, whether there is anyone one who is blind, whether there are senior citizens or a pregnant lady.

And in addition to their own problems, the people who cannot move alone or independently have great access difficulties to homes or buildings.

Wide entrances are necessary, doors of adequate size and elevators that permit the entrance of a wheelchair and that have the controls at a reachable height for a person who is sitting down (if I go alone I can only reach the fifth floor).

Also access slopes are necessary where there are stairs, but with an adequate slope and not roller coasters that make us fall on our face…