VOA标准英语2014--For Nairobi's Disabled, an Equal Chance Behind the Wheel

 

For Nairobi's Disabled, an Equal Chance Behind the Wheel

NAIROBI—

Each day, 45-year-old George Papai makes an arduous¹ journey to and from work — and his commute² is unusually long.

Today is no different. Whereas an able-bodied person would make the same bus trip in about 45 minutes, it takes Papai two hours.

In a country whose infrastructure³, buildings and transit⁴ policies fail to factor in needs of the disabled, Papai and others like him feel like second-class citizens.

“The way the buildings [used to be] constructed, they are not disabled-friendly," he said. "Even the cars — most of them they are not disabled-friendly. Some people have wheelchairs [and] they find it a problem to get into the vehicle with their wheelchair, and they don’t even have space to place their wheelchairs.”

Carlos Lwangu, who manages a fleet of 11 buses that shuttle between Nairobi and Ngong, disabled citizens need help from both the public and private sector⁵.

“If the government looked into it, and even if the private sector looked at the situation as well, we would look at the paraplegics, pregnant women and the children," he said. "All this [would] make the community better so that public transport will be sufficient for all these three groups."

This kind of built-in inequality is what one Nairobi-based driving school is hoping to address by offering driving lessons for the disabled.

Nearly 10 years ago, Rocky Driving School instructors⁶ began teaching physically⁷ impaired⁸ students the skills essential to operating specially-equipped cars.

They are the only driving school in East and Central Africa to offer the special courses.

Dismas Ondoro, one of the specially-trained instructors, says the training vehicles, which cost about $1,000 to modify, have a lever attached to both the accelerator and brake pedals. When students want to accelerate, they push the lever forward. When they want to brake, they push it back. Ondoro says the lever can be used by people with any number of handicaps.   

For Papai, who is currently enrolled⁹ in one of the $150 driving courses, which take four weeks to complete, the experience has the potential dramatically expand horizons of independence and personal mobility¹⁰.

“I am very much excited at learning how to drive, because by so doing I can also drive like any other [able-bodied] person, unlike before where we felt we have been left out or we cannot be able to drive on our own," he said.

With only five more lessons to go before he takes the National driving exam, Papai is confident that at last he will be behind the wheel of his own destiny.

1 arduous   

adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的

参考例句：

• We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
• The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。

2 commute   

vi.乘车上下班；vt.减(刑)；折合；n.上下班交通

参考例句：

• I spend much less time on my commute to work now.我现在工作的往返时间要节省好多。
• Most office workers commute from the suburbs.很多公司的职员都是从郊外来上班的。

3 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

4 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

5 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

6 instructors   

指导者，教师( instructor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The instructors were slacking on the job. 教员们对工作松松垮垮。
• He was invited to sit on the rostrum as a representative of extramural instructors. 他以校外辅导员身份，被邀请到主席台上。

7 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

8 impaired   

adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Much reading has impaired his vision. 大量读书损害了他的视力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His hearing is somewhat impaired. 他的听觉已受到一定程度的损害。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。