My honest opinion of France as a wheelchair user? WTF.
(major accessibility tantrum incoming jsyk)
I got back from France a few days ago, and I have just been PROCESSING. So, first of all: BRITISH AIRWAYS CAN SUCK MY DICK. Mofos lost my wheelchair on a layover flight, and have been ignoring every attempt of mine to contact them since last week. When it comes to the country of France itself? I have SO MANY BONES TO PICK.
Look, I get it, historical value requires preservation, it’s important to keep historical buildings intact and to protect their heritage yada yada yada— this is coming from someone who LOVES the French language and culture, genuinely ask any of my friends(@star-dot-net) speaking French is half of my personality. HOWEVER if the literal COLOSSEUM can be wheelchair accessible? SO CAN THE MOTHERFUCKING STREETS OF PARIS. SO CAN MONT ST. MICHEL. SO CAN THE CHÂTEAU OF AMBOISE. There are architectural issues involved, sure, but you know what exists? EXPERTS who have devoted their entire lives work to MAKING THINGS ACCESSIBLE.
Dude if you’re a wheelchair user and you want to go to ANY of these places? Girl send a prayer to every god you can think of and grab a friend because you CANNOT do it alone. Manual wheelchair user? Forget it. Give up. Or find an Olympic athlete to push you up those 30° inclines on routes and locations marked as accessible. I only survived this trip because I’m ambulatory(and because two very kind ladies practically CARRIED me back to my tour bus from the Mont St. Michel shuttle).
Now, don’t get me wrong, France is BEAUTIFUL. I loved seeing the architecture, the nature, the culture(will literally never get over how nice the waitstaff is and how dog-friendly everything is), etcetera, but it is genuinely just SO DIFFICULT to manage as a disabled person. And keep in mind: France is actually considered one of the more accessible countries in Europe(which is wild).
Granted, I’m aware, I came in a heatwave, I’m very privileged as an American with the ADA at home, and I am SO BLESSED that I had friends and teachers with me who could help, but I think that even from an outside perspective, we need to stop letting accessibility failures slide in favor of being culturally sensitive. There are ABSOLUTELY ways to make the world accessible while still preserving history and culture, it just takes time, thought, and most of all care.
If able-bodied people and their governments actually gave a fuck, they are entirely capable of making changes. Let’s not let inaccessibility slip just because we have to step outside our comfort zone to change things.