Blog 2: Ability or Social Status
While in Morocco, we have visited several cities that have history seeping through them. These cities consist of downtown areas like we experienced in Casablanca and Rabat, and we also experienced medinas in Tangier and Fez. When walking through the Medinas, you get to see a glimpse in people’s daily lives. Medinas are a pinpoint of historic significance that contain bustling traffic, narrow walkways, fountains, and mosques. To us, it’s a tourist attraction. To residents of Morocco, it is how they make income, feed their families, and sleep in their homes. Since I am able bodied, I had little to no issue navigating the pattern of the city or overcoming physical obstacles. However, I began to think while we were touring the Medina in Fez how it must be difficult for someone with a physical disability to be able to do the basic necessities of life while living in the Medina.
Medinas have been a vital part of Morocco since it was first established. The word “medina” translates to “city” or “town” in Arabic. These historical cities are vital to Islam faith. The first Medina was founded by Prophet Mohammed in a city named Medina and quickly became the blueprint for cities alike (2015). When walking through the medinas, you can see locals selling and making food, leather, spices, dye, scarves, and many other things. Needless to say it is important for Moroccan residents to be able to access these Medinas as this is a main tourist attraction and can be where a large sum of how their income and economy is made. Furthermore, these are important to the Islam religion as it is believed that on the Day of Judgement, you will not only be judged on virtue but also on your contribution to society (2015).
As previously stated, these Medinas can be incredibly difficult to navigate with extremely narrow pathways, uneven ground, several steps, and often slippery walkways. This could pose a problem to Moroccan residents who are not physically able to endure this type of terrain. While several people are able to work and live in Medinas, there are several who are not and they deserve to have economic success as well. With Medinas being a hotspot for trade and tourism, those who are physically unable do not have access to these benefits. According to Touhami, around 56% of Moroccan residents report having some sort of physical disability. While it is important for Morocco to preserve the historical architecture of the Medinas, I hope there can be a way or an accessible solution for those with certain needs so that they too can reap the benefits of these beautiful and enriching Medinas.
This idea of accessibility became apparent to me when we were touring the Medina in Fez. At the beginning of the tour, our tour guide even made a joke nodding to how you had to be physically well in order to pass through the section we were in. While it was a joke, it had significant truth to it. The accessibility that we experience in the United States is something that I take for granted. Even in our major cities, like Atlanta or New York City, there are several ways to navigate the city. When walking down to the subways, there are often ramps nearby. When traveling through Atlanta, the sidewalks are often wide enough to fit a wheelchair. Furthermore, public transportation, while not perfect, is accessible in the United States. Those with financial, physical, and psychological disadvantages face barriers to experiencing history, culture, and financial benefits (Georgescu, 2025). Having access to history and culture is a fundamental human right according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Georgescu 2025).
As someone who has consistently volunteered and worked with children with physical and mental disabilities, this societal issue stuck out to me. It truly made me consider how culture, history, religion, and financial ability can affect accessibility to experiencing some of the most beautiful things in the world. Preserving history should be something taken seriously; however, I hope there is a way for everyone to experience the benefits of a Medina and find a proper balance between history and access.
El Ouzzani Touhami, Z. (2015). MOROCCAN EXPERIENCE ON DISABILITY STATISTICS THE KINGDOM OF MOROCCO HIGH COMMISSION OF PLANNING. https://www.washingtongroup-disability.com/fileadmin/uploads/wg/Documents/Events/15/wg15_session_8_4_touahami.pdf
Georgescu, A.-A. (2025). Access to culture for people with disabilities and people living in rural, remote and disadvantaged areas. European Parliament. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2025/777933/EPRS_BRI(2025)777933_EN.pdf
(2015). Insightguides.com. https://www.insightguides.com/destinations/africa-middle-east/morocco/cultural-features/life-in-a-medina.
Hi Ashley! I thought your exploration of tourism and accessibility in the Medinas was very enlightening. It was especially interesting to see how your personal experiences in the Medinas of Fez and Tangier led you to reflect on the broader issue of how physical spaces can unintentionally exclude people with disabilities, even when they are culturally significant. It was also interesting to see your comparison to accessibility in the United States, because it really highlights how something like ramps or wider sidewalks can completely change who is able to participate in everyday life and tourism. I found your point about balancing historical preservation with accessibility really important, and I agree that finding ways to make these spaces more inclusive would help ensure more people can fully experience not just Morocco’s culture and history, but other places that may face the same challenge.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAshley, I thought your inclusion of the Islam religion in your analysis of the effect of physical disabilities in Morocco was interesting and a vital part of the conversation. Not only should locals be able to access places like the medinas for economic reasons, but also Islamic locals should be able to preserve and appreciate this part of their culture. I think the issue lies in how this preservation takes place in light of accessibility efforts that could cause fundamental changes in some areas--especially when considering the structure of many areas (materials the walls are made of, space limitations, etc.). I believe a possible remedy to this that you started to touch on is having professionals enforce accessibility, when possible, in a way that respects the integrity of such culturally rich areas. Luckily, "quality infrastructure/equitable access" is in the 2030 Indicators National Profile of Morocco, so hopefully this progress will be enforced (UNESCO, 2026).
ReplyDelete