France and Paris continue to become more accessible

Intro: Taking extra inspiration from the Paralympics, the French and Paris governments have both continued implementing initiatives to improve the country’s and city’s accessibility for people with disabilities.

Since the Paralympics in Paris, Novosports, a Parisian sports club, has seen its work promoting inclusiveness within sports get more attention. The club has received media coverage and an increased number of calls from the public since the Paralympics were held in the French capital from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8.

Novosports is just one example of how the Paralympics gave new momentum to efforts being taken in France to make the nation’s sports community more accessible for people with disabilities.  

Other sports facilities within France have also been highlighted to receive improvements. According to International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons during a press conference in late Aug., France has decided to make 3,000 clubs more accessible for people with disabilities.

As a nationwide initiative, these projects intend to support individuals with disabilities through improving the accessibility of physical education classes and educating sports clubs’ coaches on how their facilities can be more inclusive.

Besides sports facilities, other public infrastructure within France has also been designated to receive improvements.

As reported by Xinhua, France’s national government earlier this year announced that it was devoting 1.5 billion euros ($1.673 billion) in funding for projects aiming to make public spaces more accessible. Paris’ municipal government has also designated 125 million euros for improving the city’s overall accessibility.

Over the past seven years, Paris has made noticeable progress in improving its transportation system’s accessibility.  As report by AP News, all of the city’s bus lines are wheelchair accessible.

In 17 districts across the city, measures have been implemented to remove obstacles to and from shops and public facilities.  These measures include the addition of ramps, tactile strips and designated parking spots.

Other modifications done around the city have also included municipal buildings lowering the height of their reception desks and the installation of hearing loops in large spaces, which help diminish hearing challenges for individuals with hearing aids.