According to the president of the Collectif Handicaps Arnaud de Broca, France is behind on the question of the accessibility of public buildings, but also “access to the Internet for people who are visually impaired or blind.”
“We were consulted but not concerted, we could not discuss, negotiate on the measures that will be announced”, explained the president of the Collectif Handicaps Arnaud de Broca to justify his non-participation in the National Disability Conference (CNH) which is to be held at the Elysee Palace on Wednesday April 26. Emmanuel Macron must present “70 strong measures” which will determine disability policies over the next three years, but for the president of Collectif Handicaps, which brings together 52 associations, “ambitions do not seem to be there”. “We were offered to be more of a spectator when we really wanted an exchange with the President of the Republic”also indicated Arnaud de Broca.
franceinfo: Why this call for a boycott?
Arnaud de Broca: There are several reasons for this boycott. On the one hand, on the way in which the preparatory work went, which, in our opinion, did not take place under conditions of sufficient consultation. We were consulted but not concerted, we were unable to discuss or negotiate on the measures that will be announced today. The best proof of this is that the measures have no doubt not yet been completely arbitrated, that we do not really have visibility on these measures when we are part of these consultations. Then, on the merits, the ambitions do not seem to be there.
“The objective of a CNH is to give a course, visibility, to provide financial means. If today, a certain number of measures are going to be announced with financial means, it will obviously be necessary to scratch a little behind to see reality.
Arnaud de Broca, president of the Handicaps Collectiveat franceinfo
And then there is another reason too which is more about the format. We were offered to be more of a spectator or to ask a question whereas we really wanted an exchange, a debate with the President of the Republic.
You have quantified these means within your association. According to you, it would take 10 billion euros. What are the priorities today?
The 10 billion is on part of the disability policy, in particular to facilitate what is called disability compensation, that is to say all the costs allowing a disabled person to live at home , to be able to benefit from technical assistance, human assistance. These 10 billion also cover a policy for family caregivers and the creation of dedicated establishments. But these 10 billion do not cover subjects related to the accessibility of places.
Where are we today in terms of accessibility, in particular that of public buildings?
We are in a situation that is progressing too slowly for our liking. You have to keep in mind that the first law dates back to 1975, there has been progress since then but we are still very far from it both for wheelchairs, but also for all other types of disability. We are very behind on buildings open to the public, on shops in our neighborhood, on housing where we have accessibility problems. Another point that is supposed to be discussed today is Internet access for people who are visually impaired or blind.
Another point that should be addressed during this CNH, internet access for visually impaired or blind people. Buying a train ticket on the SNCF website, is it still an obstacle course?
Yes… But it’s not just train tickets. If there are a certain number of public sites which are beginning to be accessible for carrying out administrative procedures, at the office, at work, all the professional software, and this in all professions, is not often accessible, which leads to exclude most people with disabilities, while digital tools, of course, should rather allow them to be included.