New Law Adopted Setting Aside Seating in Public Places for Disabled
CAMPO GRANDE, Brazil – Shopping malls, galleries, restaurants, cafes and bars in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul must now reserve 5% of their seating for persons with physical disabilities, the elderly and pregnant women, reports O Globo online.
The new law, signed into law by Governor Andre Puccinelli, was published in the state's Official Gazette on Tuesday. The document states that seating set aside for those with physical limitations shall be identified by warnings distinguishing the seats from those for the general public.
Establishments will have 90 days to adapt to the measures. After that period, those who violate the law will be suject to fines up to U.S. $5,000.
The law was proposed by Marcio Fernandes of the Workers Party and soon might not be Brazil's only law to establish reasonable accommodations for the disabled, elderly and pregnant. A similar law is in legislative committee in the neighboring state of Parana also reserving 5% of seats.
But for Fabio Aguayo, director of the National Confederation of Tourism (CNTUR) and president of the Brazilian Association of Bars and Nightclubs (ABRABE), the measures are not feasible.
”They put the same laws in place for large and small establishments. Reserving a table in a bar or restaurant can be very difficult,” he complained.
According to him, in both Mato Grosso do Sul and Parana, there was no dialog with establishment owners.
Public transportation in one city in another state in southern Brazil, Curitiba, in Santa Catarina, is 100% wheelchair accessible. And the downtown area of Porto Alegre, capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul is also wheelchair friendly.
Read also: More Articles from Brazil Dispatch
Brazilian online news source for this article: O Globo
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