Are Indian Airports Slowly Incorporating Braille Signages or is it Yet a Slow Transition?

“Inclusion is not kindness, it’s strength. When all rise, we rise,” was the message written in Braille right below its English sentence on an envelope meant to be circulated to the travellers passing by Mumbai International Airport. A video of the same also went viral, as it was meant for Disability Day. The core message behind it? To make the world as inclusive for People with Disabilities (PwDs) as it is for others without disabilities.

While this might merely be a promotional strategy for companies — in this case, the Adani Group that runs the airport — the work at the Mumbai airport with respect to Braille signage seems to be progressing at a good pace. “The Braille signage has been put up in the lifts,” an employee working with the Adani Lounge at Mumbai airport says, preferring to be anonymous, adding that human assistance is also offered if required.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) released the formal Accessibility Standards and Guidelines for Civil Aviation, 2022, which included provisions mandating Braille signage and other accessibility features. These were later finalised in July 2023 under the Accessible India Campaign. As part of the guidelines, Braille in lifts was made mandatory to ensure inclusivity in air travel, keeping it in alignment with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

After a gap of two years, some Indian travellers have now started spotting Braille signage at airports. A frequent traveller and flyer, Neha, states that she has noticed Braille signage at Mumbai airport, while Prateek Thakker, who frequently travels through Mumbai and Bengaluru airports, also mentions the same. “From lift buttons to washroom signage, I have spotted them quite a few times at these airports,” he says.

Similarly, down south at Chennai Airport, travel influencer Richita Nichani from the city also shares her experience from the last month while speaking to Local Samosa. “During my shoot at Chennai Airport, I noticed something truly meaningful: Braille features across the terminal, especially in elevators and accessible signage,” she says.

“The airport team themselves showed me how thoughtfully it’s been implemented for visually impaired travellers… I was happy with the inclusivity and easy access to all!” Nichani says, however, adding that it is a new phenomenon and she remembers people struggling before.

Up in the north, Namrata Adhikary spotted elevators equipped with Braille at Delhi Airport. Additionally, she says, “I have heard that there are Braille menus at Bengaluru airport, but I haven’t seen them.”

Still at the surface

Talking about Bengaluru airport, however, city-based traveller Chittra M highlights certain concerns. “I faintly remember looking at signage and thinking to myself about how a visually impaired person would know that this is where the signage is. So, what is the point of Braille here?”

Even as inclusivity slowly takes shape, many problems remain — from poor or non-execution of the mandate to fewer initiatives in that direction.

As per the directions, airports were required to have Braille signs, tactile paths, and inclusive guidelines, many of which remain negligible at Indian airports. Moreover, except for metro city airports such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai, there are limited inclusions in other cities. Of the more than 20 travellers from various cities Local Samosa spoke to, the majority said they did not spot any Braille signage at airports.

Some even shared how such setups are still negligible or easy to miss. “It’s possible they (Braille signage) are present in certain areas, but nothing has stood out distinctly enough for me. I haven’t specifically observed or paid close attention to Braille signage or accessibility features at Indian airports,” another traveller, Pramila Hansda, says.

Echoing this concern, Prateek Thakker further says, “I feel the signage is limited because in most other spaces, you have someone assisting you.”

Such transitions are slower due to various factors, including a historical lack of such designs. Consequently, priorities and implementation challenges highlight that there is still a long road ahead before full implementation comes into effect.

Urban and transport planner Bhaumik Gowande, whose work involves monitoring accessibility for his clients, says, “At airports in India, usually a PwD is accompanied and provided special assistance by on-ground staff, so Braille signage is often overlooked, I believe.”

He reiterates a concern similar to Chittra’s and says, “They (Braille signages) are very much needed in public infrastructure, but where to place them, how, and how they can benefit the person — that’s the question.”

National Award-winning interior designer at Igen, Mansi Mehta, comments on the model, saying, “Good design speaks; great design can be felt. True accessibility begins when Braille signage is part of the design, not an afterthought.”