A hero’s story always begins with a tragedy that would prod him or her to pursue selfless goals to correct inequalities in the status quo.In the case of Adela Avila-Kono, recipient of the 2008 Apolinario Mabini Outstanding Woman with Disability Award, it all started in school. Adela is a tetraplegic. She was two and half years old when she contracted polio, a condition that left her legs almost totally useless. The disease forced her into a life of leg braces, crutches and wheelchairs. Despite this, Adela said she never felt different at home in Cebu City and she pursued her studies just like her siblings. But school life brought her many frustrations. Without the aid of her yaya or classmates, Adela found it difficult to go up from one floor to another in a building with no ramps. It was even tougher using restrooms because the floors were often wet and dangerous for one using crutches. Adela recalled the many times she slipped and fell and even urinated on the floor when there was no one to help her stand up. But it was these experiences that drove Adela to persevere and finish school so she would not stick out like a sore thumb among her accomplished siblings and relatives. These same experiences, she said, would later give purpose to her life. In 1987, Adela went to the United States with her mother and saw the amenities available to people with disabilities (PWDs) like ramps and handle bars in toilets. She said it was her first encounter with “accessibility”, barrier-free or “non-handicapping environments” in its real sense. Adela later urged groups like the Organization of Rehabilitation Agencies (ORA) and the Regional Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (RCWDP)-7 to pursue accessibility monitoring and implementation of their major programs in Cebu. In 1989, she was chosen to participate in JICA's (Japan International Cooperation Agency) “Leadership Training Course for Disabled Persons” in Japan by the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons, now the National Council for Disability Affairs. Today, she is the Adviser of the Accessibility Monitoring Committee under the RCWDP-7. She said the committee examines buildings to determine if they are disabled-friendly. Today as an acessibility specialist, Adela gives advice on the “International Standards of Accessibility” to architects and civil engineers. Batasang Pambansa 344 or the Accessibility Law stipulates that public and private buildings, streets and highways, public transport vehicles and public utilities should be available and convenient for PWDs. The irony, however, is that the Accessibility Law has become inaccessible, Adela said.
She said there are still architects and owners who resist following the law, thinking that it would be expensive. “It is expensive, but not if the building is planned well (from the start)... They have not internalized the issue... Our cause is more on an appeal basis, there are no ordinances yet,” Adela said. Adela said accessibility in structures is not only for the disabled but also for the elderly, the pregnant women and the children. Adela and her supporters usually do without funding and dig into their pockets to finance their activities. For her efforts, Adela was given the award by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at Malacañang Palace last Aug. 6. While there are no monetary rewards for her work, Adela said the “little joys” are enough return, like infecting “normal” people to be more senstive to issues of accessibility. Adela said she sees the award as a way of allowing her to advance the cause of a barrier-free society. | 
