THE WEEK OF JAN. Accessible, dependent, uncomfortable (Antwerp)
According to Van Dale, accessible equals ‘accessible, accessible’. But is something accessible if you keep from others? It’s a question that has stayed with me since I took the tram to the city center with Hasan Adeel. He suffers from a muscle disease and can only move with his electric wheelchair. From the asylum center in Deurne, where he is staying, to the tram stop, there are no major problems. He drives up to the tram stop without difficulty. Accessible? Yes.
The trams themselves are a different story. Less two thirds of the trams in Antwerp have a ramp. But someone, whether it’s the wattman or another traveler, has to take the plate, so Hasan the tram. Accessible? Maybe on paper. In practice, the wheelchair user remains dependent on the goodwill of others.
I have historical Hasan on the tram, but for the purposes of the article, I kept aloof. To see if someone would help. In this case it turned out to be a very friendly driver coming out of his cab. We thank him. But before I’m well and good, excuse me, me too. That lingers. Your apologies for meeting someone in a wheelchair on the tram. That gives a bad feeling. Then it gets uncomfortable.
although there are plenty of examples abroad where the ramp can be operated with a simple push of a button. That would make a difference for both the driver and the wheelchair user.
Although the magic word ‘change of mentality’ also applies here. Wheelchair users are all too often seen as a nuisance. Taking the tram is not a gun. It is a right, also for wheelchair users. And the problems are not only limited to public transport. There is still discrimination on the rental housing market in Antwerp. The city of Antwerp has now prepared an action plan, in which extra attention is paid to people with disabilities.
From the results of the practical tests, which in 36% of the cases wheelchair users were not invited for a site visit, going nice candidates without a wheelchair were able to visit. An information campaign should remove that resistance. Real estate agents and landlords often do not know how to adapt a home to wheelchair users with simple interventions. They have to make heavy (and expensive) investments. So it’s about the money. I deliberately do not use the word ‘accessible’ here. It could occur.