France lagging behind on accessibility

Taking a step is not easy for everyone. It is for this reason that at the entrance to some shops there is a button that allows people with disabilities to call a salesperson. However, not all stores have them. The solution is however simple, it is enough to install a ramp or to plane the front of the sidewalk. “With strollers, it was not always easy. Even the sidewalks in some cities, there is still work to be done”assures Rachel Massotthe manager of a store in Montpellier (Herault).

“France is really behind”

However, efforts have been made. In Montpellier, public transport is accessible to everyone. However, this is not enough and on a national scale either. In 2021, the UN issued 20 pages of recommendations to France to improve its disability policy. “I travel a lot and I realize that France is really behind”says Eléonore Despaxa painter who uses a wheelchair. On February 11, 2005, a law reaffirmed the principle of accessibility for all. Almost twenty years later, many efforts remain to be made.