Accessibility Night, May 26, 2011 - This One's for You, Dad!

Stairs to the metro

Getting around Paris can be tiring for anyone, but for those with mobility issues it can be a real chore.  I know --  because I remember how difficult it was for my father, who was partially disabled after a stroke, to navigate the city during his only trip to Paris.

In an effort to make Paris accessible for everyone, Jaccede and the City of Paris, in partnership with the RATP, is hosting the first Night of Accessibility on May 26, 2011.  Designed to be a festive event, volunteers will learn about what makes a place accessible for mobility challenged people and will form teams to search for accessible locations.  The evening will end with a free concert and wine at La Bellevilloise.

For more information, please click here to visit Jaccede.com

Volunteers should meet at 7:00 p.m. at La Bellevilloise at 19-21 rue Boyer, 75020 Paris.  Hope to see you there!  If you can't make it, please help to spread the word about this worthwhile endeavor.

Many thanks to Adam at Paris Weekends for writing a post about Accessibility Night!

Comments

  1. Mary Kay, I was excited to read about the up-coming event, Night of Accessibility hosted by Jaccede and the City of Paris, in partnership with the RATP. This event exhibits a genuine concern leaders of Paris have to inform its citizens about man made barriers children and adults with disabilities encounter each day as they travel throughout their beloved city. This affair will encourage actions that will remedy the barriers those using wheelchairs, walkers or canes encounter as they travel throughout Paris. It's exciting to think of the ripple effect this event will have. For example, city planners and volunteers will set a precedence in disability awareness and their actions acclaim the attention each citizen within their township should receive. Paris will set an example for other metropolitan and urban communities to follow and most importantly the children will grown up in a community that thinks of each of its citizen's well-fare. This event sounds fun and entertaining while uplifting a concern for those in need. I look forward to reading your review of the response the citizens of Paris had to the event. From across the pond, Margo

    P.S. Thank you for embracing our father's memory in a manner he and our mother would be proud of, your loving sister.

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  2. Margo, I really hope that a lot of volunteers turn out for accessibility night. As you said, one of the goals is create community awareness and another is to create a map showing the places in Paris that are wheelchair accessible. Unfortunately, many stores, restaurants, etc. are in old buildings and it would be very costly and in some cases architecturally impossible to change them.

    Whenever I face a particularly steep staircase in the subway, I think of Dad and find it amazing that he was even able to use the system.

    I'll keep you posted on how the evening went. I'm really looking forward to it.

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