While Emmanuel Macron presents Tuesday, on the occasion of the sixth National Conference on Disability, a series of measures to “change the daily life of the people” concerned, franceinfo draws up an inventory of accessibility in France.
Emmanuel Macron promises, on the occasion of the sixth National Conference on Disability, Wednesday April 26, at the Élysée, “70 strong measures” which will determine disability policies over the next three years. A conference boycotted by the Collectif Handicaps, which regrets a “lack of consultation“. Associations also denounce the delays in improving the accessibility of public places, schools, transport.
1 What is the situation in establishments open to the public?
It’s progressing, but there’s still work to be done. There are two million establishments open to the public in the country, and less than half are considered “compliant” to accessibility policies. And again, what the government calls “compliant” covers very different realities. In reality, only a quarter of establishments open to the public are really accessible. The problem is that the majority of non-compliant establishments are those that are most useful on a daily basis, shops, restaurants, care facilities, courts.
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There is also work to be done in transport. Only one out of nine stations is accessible. The metro networks are accessible in Lille, Toulouse, Rennes, but not yet in Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Some 44% of city bus stops are, compared to 25% of intercity network stops.
2 Are all online administrative procedures suitable?
We talk about it less often, but accessibility is also on the internet. More and more administrative procedures are digital. We work more and more in front of computers, and this creates difficulties especially for the visually impaired. Of the 250 most frequent online administrative procedures, only 90 are accessible. It is not possible, for example, to file a pre-complaint or to request social housing when impots.gouv.fr poses a problem. The site is only partially accessible. It is not possible to declare your income there, when you have a visual impairment.
3 Why is the 100% accessibility promised by the 2005 law so slow to be implemented?
There are several reasons. The first is that the 2005 law imposed very short deadlines: 10 years to comply with standards. Many small businesses could not afford to do the necessary work. The State therefore granted them a new deadline.
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The other reason is the numerous exemptions granted. The Paris metro has one, more than 15% of establishments open to the public too. The government also invokes the Covid-19 pandemic to explain the delays. But the Association of the Paralyzed of France, for its part, denounces the inaction and the lack of will of the State. She fears a “disaster scenario“for all people with disabilities who will come from all over the world to attend the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.