Could The Olympics Help Make Cities More Wheelchair Accessible?

When my husband and I got married in December, we decided to keep it small and save our money for a dream honeymoon. As this year’s Olympic Games began to come together, organizers in Paris promised to rise to the challenge and make the city more accessible. During her presentation of the accessibility road map for the Games, French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne emphasized, “The Olympic and Paralympic Games should serve as a catalyst for enhancing the daily lives of people with disabilities.” Despite these big promises, disability advocates expressed concern and disappointment about the efforts to make the city more accessible based on what they’ve seen so far. Other cities with underground transport systems are no better: Only 92 of London’s 272 Underground stations have step-free access, and less than 30% of New York subway stations are fully accessible. Anne-Sophie Beraud, senior vice president of group diversity inclusion and social care at Accor, told me for an article I wrote for HuffPost earlier this year that these efforts will “not only establish a legacy of inclusivity, but also facilitate the global adoption of these best practices.” And earlier this week, Airbnb, a worldwide Olympic and Paralympic partner, announced that there are now 1,000 listings on its platform with step-free accessibility features in the Paris region.