Easily accessible transportation and travel are alien concepts for numerous people with disabilities, especially for those with mobility impairments, but not for them exclusively, by any means. One very basic mode of transportation is the wheelchair itself. Reality, in many developing countries, is that even this most basic necessity is denied to people with disabilities due to exorbitant costs, lack of availability, and little or no repair services. Lack of such a basic item sees some people with disabilities leading a very restricted life, confining them to their homes and making them totally dependent on family members for even the most basic activities. Public transportation, such as buses, trains, subways and airplanes, is all too often not equipped to deal with people who use wheelchairs, or who may need some extra time in boarding.
Cost is also a very real factor in any type of transportation.
People with disabilities are often the poorest of the poor, whether they live in a developed or developing country. Because of this, many of us are unable to use existing means of transportation. DPI's member nations have both a right and a responsibility to work to establish broadly accessible and affordable methods of transportation. It is not enough for developed nations to merely recycle previously used wheelchairs to people in developing nations. Recycling is a start, but with it must go tools and training so that repairs and building can be done locally.