Cairo - Post Report Question and Answers
Would someone with physical disabilities have difficulties living in this city?
Yes. No sidewalks, no elevators, no ramps. - Mar 2023
Yes, extreme difficulties. Sidewalks are haphazard or non-existent. - Aug 2022
It depends on the disability, but there are few sidewalks and few accessible buildings, so if the issue is mobility, then yes I think this would be very difficult. - Aug 2022
Yes, it's a crowded chaotic city without any sidewalks and limited infrastructure for people with disabilities. - Mar 2022
Yes, there aren't a lot of sidewalks and when there are sidewalks they are higher from the road than in the US. Pedestrians do not get the right of way. - Dec 2021
YES. Sidewalks are laughable, if available, they are very high from the street and usually crumbly with small tiles. Anyone that uses a cane, or wheelchair will have problems. Stairs everywhere, usually no ramps. My elderly parents visited and had a great time but walking around with them always felt a little dangerous. Most people walk in the street. - Feb 2021
Oh yeah, Cairo is not handicap friendly. - Nov 2020
Yes. Cairo is not friendly for those with physical disabilities. There are many buildings without ramps and streets without sidewalks. You've been warned. - Jan 2020
Yes. I don't know how someone in a wheelchair or who couldn't walk up/down stairs could live here. There are no sidewalks or where there are they are broken with no curb cuts/cars parked on them. Most apartment buildings require you to walk up a half flight of stairs before reaching the elevator (if there is one). - Jun 2018
Yes! Poor or non-existent sidewalks, large holes in sidewalks and roads, large curbs, many stairs, not always elevators and little to no handicapped parking. The US embassy residential compounds do have ramps, elevators and a handicapped parking spot. But getting around the rest of the city would be hard. - Jan 2018
Yes. Cairo is difficult to navigate even for able-bodied people due to uneven sidewalks, potholes, etc. Many people resort to walking in the streets next to traffic. Very few buildings can easily accommodate people with disabilities. - Sep 2017
Yes. There are high curbs, few sidewalks, and many piles of rubble or trash on the street/sidewalk. - May 2017
It would depend on the disability. The pavements are shocking so using a wheelchair would be challenging for example. - May 2017
YES. Sidewalks are rarely useable, curbs are crumbling, elevators break all the time. - Jan 2016
ir is difficult for anyone to walk in Cairo, but taxis and Uber are readily available. Most apartments are not designed with physical disabilities in mind. Many have steps to navigate with no ramp. Some residential elevators are unreliable, making it necessary to climb several flights of stairs. - Jan 2016
No no no..the roads are rubble in many places, no handicapped access. No no no. - Jan 2016
I think that they would but there might be some accommodations if they lived in the U.S. Government compound housing. Our apartment building, for example, does not have an elevator until the second floor. Go figure. - Oct 2014
YES - the sidewalks are broken with high curbs or non existent curbs. There is trash and dog poop on the sidewalks. - Aug 2014
It would be utterly impossible to easily live here with a physical disability. The electrical power goes out for one hour at a time several times a day in the summer and this affects elevators... - Aug 2014
Of course. Bad roads and sidewalks - May 2014
Yes. There are absolutely no accommodations for anyone with physical disabilities. - Apr 2014
Yes, it would be very difficult because the infrastructure is so poor. - Mar 2014
Lots. I can barely walk down the street without tripping. I would hate to think of needing a wheelchair. - Jul 2013
A lot. This city is not handicap-accessable. - Jul 2013
No accommodations exist for people with even the mildest disabilities. Forget trying to walk anyhwere! - Jun 2013
Lots of difficulties. Travel would be difficult, no work environments are equipped for folks with physical disabilities. - Jun 2013
Forget it. This city is impossible for someone with a disability. - May 2013
This is not a handicapped-friendly society or city. - May 2013
There is absolutely no way that people with physical disabilities would do well here, because there are no sidewalks and the streets are in awful condition for walking, let alone for someone with a disability. - May 2013
Having a physical disability in Cairo would not be easy - accessibility is non-existent, even in the USG buildings (obvious ADA violations). - Feb 2013
There are absolutely no accommodations for the handicapped. It's unliveable. - Feb 2013
Many. Do not come here. Sidewalks are broken or non-existent, and cars will run you over. Dead animals in the streets, donkey carts. falling in holes...seriously, there are simply too many to list. - Mar 2013
This would be nearly impossible. - Mar 2013
It would be impossible to get around Cairo with disabilities. The sidewalks are almost nonexistent, there are huge curbs, breaks in the pavements, and drivers have absolutely no respect for anyone who can't run out of their way fast. - Feb 2013
That would be inviting disaster. Egyptians will even happily run down anyone who is walking, and there are no sidewalks. - Jan 2013
Many. The curbs here are nearly up to my knees. There are only sidewalks sometimes and there are many potholes and unmarked/unpainted speed bumps everywhere. That and all of the sand...maybe wheelchairs wouldn't work well with all of the sand. - Nov 2012
Very hard. No handicap ramps, few usable sidewalks. - Sep 2011
Blocked and broken sidewalks, no curb cuts, heavy and random traffic, few accomodations. Challenging, but possible. Elevators and ramps exist, and people are massively helpful. - Aug 2011
Many - Aug 2011
It would be hard if you have mobility issues, because very few buildings are wheelchair accessible, and curbs not only don't have ramps but are also extremely high. I think it would be hard if you were missing one of your senses as well, because you need to be alert to dodge traffic, bicycles, potholes, etc. - Jul 2011
It's not a good city for the physically disabled. The sidewalks are terrible or non-existent. Poor elevator service. And emergency response is awful. - Jun 2011
Forget it. There is no accommodation for the disabled in Egypt. The sidewalks are blocked by parked cars, there are no ramps to access the sidewalks, and the curbs are impossibly high for wheelchairs. - Sep 2010
There are no sidewalks, no wheelchair access, and elevators don't work. - Jun 2010
Yes! Sidewalks are either non-existent, or are frequently interrupted by trees, crowds, piles of rubble or trash, etc. - Dec 2009
Lots- sidewalks are all really high so that cars won't park on the sidewalk, so moving about in a wheelchair or with a stroller is very difficult. - May 2008
