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Particularly followed by supporters, relayed by the press and praised by politicians, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games are a success. Will these ten days of competition make it possible to catch up on the years of delay France has fallen behind in the inclusion of people with disabilities in our societies and in sport? For Yacine-Xavier Tajri, lecturer in STAPS at the Gustave Eiffel University in Champs-sur-Marne and historian of physical education and disability, this “showcase” must make way for greater efforts, in particular to enforce the 2005 law on the accessibility of public buildings.
The Paralympic Games are coming to an end. What is your assessment?
It’s a pleasant surprise for me. I didn’t think there would be such enthusiasm and so many spectators who responded. I saw a change in the stands. Many able-bodied people are coming to watch these Paralympic Games. And I have the impression that there are new debates in society around disability, a change in the overall point of view on the part of able-bodied people. It will be especially important to see after the Games if there is still this enthusiasm around disability and parasport. Moreover, in the Paris 2024 bid project, legacy was placed at the heart of the commitments.
Isn’t this a beautiful showcase?
There is a showcase effect from a political point of view. Politicians talk a lot about disability and Paralympism, the media too. But it is perhaps also the moment to put forward demands.
While only 1.4% sports clubs are able to accommodate people with disabilities, can the Olympic Games help make sport more accessible?
You might think so, but there are many limits. Over the last three years, there have been awareness-raising actions on disability aimed at able-bodied athletes in certain schools and clubs. In terms of inclusion, we need to think about territorial inequalities. It is the city of Paris that is hosting the Paralympic Games, not France. The investments made in the Ile-de-France region mean that this region will be better equipped with infrastructure than the rest of the country. For example, a water sports stadium was built in Vaires-sur-Marne (Seine-et-Marne), not in Alsace. Large cities have more resources to carry out construction projects, even if there is still a clear deficit in accessibility for people with disabilities. When a city has a real desire to find space to build adapted infrastructure, it finds it.
Where is France in terms of accessibility of public spaces for people with disabilities and inclusion in society?
The 2005 law [qui prévoyait notamment la mise en accessibilité des «établissements recevant du public» (ERP), catégorie très vaste englobant commerces, écoles, transports, etc, ndlr] has been applied relatively little. It set targets for 2015, but the results are bad, and we are still aware of this today. The new buildings are up to standard, but the old ones are not. Politicians are more interested in medals than in the application of this law. Furthermore, there is a problem in the public’s representation of disability. We immediately think of PMR [personne à mobilité réduite] in a wheelchair, which is what the “place reserved for PRM” symbol in car parks represents. But there are a variety of disabilities. The wheelchair is the visible disability. But there is also deafness, visual impairment, intellectual and psychological disabilities…
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