While Paris is hosting the Paralympic Games until Sunday 8 September, local commercial infrastructures in France are still not adapted to the daily life of the 7.6 million disabled people (14% of people over 15 years old who will live at home in 2021) listed by the department of research, studies, evaluation and statistics. According to its latest study, published in February 2023, 8% of the population uses some technical aid, such as a cane or a wheelchair, or a home adaptation.
Stairs at the entrance, changing rooms that are too small, toilets that are inaccessible to wheelchairs… Of the 800,000 places classified as local establishments open to the public, including shops, hotels, cafés and restaurants, 560,000 are still not accessible to people with disabilities (physical, visual, mental or hearing). And this despite the law of 11 February 2005, which imposes, from 1 February 2005, a restriction on them.Ahem January 2015, to have a location that allows them to accommodate these clients.
To make up for this delay, the government has set up a system to help them finance their work: a “territorial accessibility fund” announced on 31 October 2023 by Olivia Grégoire and Fadila Khattabi, then respectively Minister Delegate in charge of small and medium-sized enterprises, trade, crafts and tourism, and Minister Delegate for People with Disabilities.
2% was spent
Intended solely for establishments open to the public in the so-called “fifth category” (shops, hotels, cafes, restaurants and medical surgeries), and more specifically for small and medium-sized businesses, this fund covers half of their expenses related to equipment and accessibility works, within the limit of 20,000 euros of aid paid. The Government has allocated an allocation of 300 million euros for five years, that is, until 2028.
However, very few establishments have used it. Only 536 applications have been submitted since the counter opened on 2 November 2023, according to the latest counts from the Directorate General of Business. Of these, 33% come from shops, 27% from restaurants and beverage establishments, 16% from hotels and 11% from healthcare establishments.
Result: the administration only validated (and financed) 150 applications; 294 were declared ineligible because they did not meet all the criteria; and 92 are still under investigation. Of the 100 million euro budget allocated by the Government for 2024, 2% has so far been spent, the Ministry of Economy specifies.
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