Museum, shops, administration or restaurants… Vincent Simon, departmental representative of the APF France handicap association, no longer counts the places he cannot – or hardly – access in a wheelchair. While France has approximately 12 million people with disabilities, 86% of the population deplores the lack of accessibility to public places and declares having difficulties in their daily journeys, i.e. 9 out of 10 people.
. In the city center of Chartres, getting around in a wheelchair can quickly become like an obstacle course if the route has not been carefully planned and checked in advance. The Republican Echo
was able to accompany Vincent Simon and his life assistant in the streets of Chartres, to better understand the difficulties faced by people with reduced mobility (PRM), in a wheelchair, traveling with a stroller, or losing their autonomy due to various factors (age, deficiencies, etc.).
Places of culture that are difficult to access
First stop at the Museum of Fine Arts. “It’s the only museum we have, and I’ve never been able to access it,” he regrets. Barely past the gate, the many gravel at the entrance considerably complicate the task of Vincent Simon and his carer, who pushes his chair. “With the pebbles, it shakes a lot when you’re in the chair, not to mention the back pain it causes. » The Museum of Fine Arts is not accessible to wheelchair users. Photo: Quentin
Reix
Once in front of the front door, second obstacle: a few steps have to be climbed to enter the building. “There is no doorbell for PMR, nothing. In any case, even if we managed to climb, we would then be blocked at the bottom of the main staircase”, notes Vincent Simon. He adds :
The IOC of Dreux accessible to people with disabilities
“In general, there are elevators in all museums, but here, that is not the case. Work has been planned for a long time, but we still do not know when it will take place. Vincent Simon
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(departmental representative of the APF France handicap association)
The journey continues at Chartres Cathedral: if the finding is less alarming, it is no less problematic, according to Vincent Simon. “The access ramp should normally have a ledge – a curb – of a few centimeters, to avoid accidents”, points out the Eurélien.
“The ramp slope percentage, beyond 10%, is also too high. It should be longer or include a rest stop”, according to Vincent Simon. Photo: Quentin Reix
“The percentage of the ramp slope, beyond 10%, is also too high. It should be longer or have a rest stop. This ramp has the merit of existing, but for the first tourist monument of Chartres, it could be better, especially when we see on a panel near the cathedral that 15 million euros are allocated to the restoration of the heritage of the Centre-Val de Loire region. »
Derogations
In recent years, Chartres merchants have made many efforts to bring themselves up to standard. “From June 2019 to May 2020, two accessibility ambassadors on a civic service mission went to the city’s businesses to raise awareness of these issues”, recalls Élisabeth Fromont, first deputy mayor in charge of administration. general, social affairs, disability and the elderly.
Disability, debt, culture, gender equality… these subjects that have been somewhat overlooked
“At the end of this mission, seventeen operators had submitted a sworn statement that their establishment had been brought into compliance with regard to accessibility. At the same time, the City of Chartres commits, each year, between 350,000 and 400,000 € for accessibility work in the public domain. » Parking.
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In Chartres, it is also more difficult to park near the city center for people with reduced mobility, according to Vincent Simon. “The city has removed a lot of surface spaces in favor of underground car parks, but this is not practical for us,” he laments. The Q-Park Cathedral car park, for example, is not accessible to people with reduced mobility.
But many shops or restaurants “are still not up to standard when they could be”, according to Vincent Simon, who argues:
“We don’t do our shopping in the city center but outside, in supermarkets, which are more practical and accessible. »
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If the establishments open to the public (ERP) in the city center of Chartres are not yet 100% accessible to people with reduced mobility, it is also because, sometimes, the buildings do not allow it.
Very old, the buildings in the historic center often have steps that are too high or cellars and outbuildings that prevent the work necessary to make the place accessible. Impediments that give rise to technical derogations, depending on the situation of the operators. This is particularly the case for many shops located rue de la Pie. premium
Disabled workers visited the Ebly food factory in Marboué According to a list of establishments open to the public declared accessible
– according to a sworn statement provided by the operator – available on the website of the Eure-et-Loir prefecture and updated on September 1, 2021, 354 5th category ERP (establishments that can accommodate less than 300 people), would currently be declared as accessible in Chartres, out of the approximately 1,000 listed in the city.
Ifop-APF France handicap “Accessibility in France” survey, published in January 2020 and carried out among 11,905 respondents (51% of people with disabilities, 26% of relatives of people with disabilities and 23% of respondents without a disability) .
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