Patrollers inspect accessibility of Paralympic venues

"Our mission begins at the tramway station platform and ends at the entrance to the Olympic site": Vanessa Maurin is one of 17 accessibility inspectors for the City of Paris. With her partner Laurence Bord, she will be patrolling the area around the Arena Paris Sud at Porte de Versailles (15th arrondissement) during the Paralympic Games.

Whether it's a competition venue or a festivity site, the inspectors' field of action is very broad. Their mission began during the Olympic Games and continues until the end of the Paralympic Games.

We're interested in accessibility on the approach to the sites, but not inside the enclosures," explains Vanessa Maurin. This concerns, for example, audible lights for the visually impaired, or the presence of suitable surfacing, such as warning strips along crosswalks."

Phone in hand, they comb the roadway. After 50 meters on boulevard Lefebvre, something is up: a tree has lost its grating. "There's a fall hazard here", notes Laurence Bord. Then, a post is pointed out on the side of a tree gate, a potentially dangerous obstacle.

The two patrollers pay attention to the smallest details, such as water hydrants reserved for markets. "They're not contrasting," says Vanessa Maurin, they could do with a lick of paint. Further on, some signs indicating the entrance to the Olympic site get a reaction: "The sign is too high for people with disabilities, so we'll point it out."

The pair then head for one of the drop-off zones on avenue de la Porte-de-la-Plaine (15th arrondissement). Upon being alerted by two volunteers, the patrol officers promptly recognized the need for removable ramps to assist athletes getting off shuttle buses. Another problem was that the access point, where wheelchairs and ramps were available, was quite far from the entrance.

Navigating to the various entrances of the expansive Arena Paris Sud presents challenges for wheelchair users. At entrance number 2, you have to use the cycle path to avoid obstacles on the road (bollards, barriers, etc.).

Further ahead, the two patrollers come across a water fountain designed for individuals with disabilities. A positive point for the Arena Paris Sud. Vanessa and Laurence have completed their field visit. They will be on the move again until the end of the Paralympic Games.