{"id":2285,"date":"2025-07-11T14:05:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T14:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.ieimedia.com\/2025arles\/?p=2285"},"modified":"2025-07-16T14:36:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T14:36:39","slug":"20-years-after-french-disability-acts-passage-accessibility-remains-elusive-in-arles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projects.ieimedia.com\/2025arles\/20-years-after-french-disability-acts-passage-accessibility-remains-elusive-in-arles\/","title":{"rendered":"Accessibility remains elusive in Arles"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Text by Danny Pottharst<\/a><\/strong>
\nPhotos by Danny Pottharst <\/a>and Monica Ronco<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The cobblestone streets and historic buildings of Arles exude the vintage charm that attracts hordes of tourists to Europe, stitching together an intricate architectural tapestry with echoes of the ancient Roman roots of the city.<\/p>\n

Arles\u2019 charm, however, is a double-edged sword. The winding streets that draw travelers are worn with age; divots, cracks, bumps and pockmarks stud their surfaces, which abruptly end at street curbs. The city\u2019s buildings, filled with ancient Roman lore and rich Arlesian culture, can often only be navigated by stairs and, for all their historical significance, require considerable physical effort to move through. When disability is added into the equation, Arles\u2019 charm becomes a barrier instead of an attraction. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"The
The Ancient Roman Arles Amphitheater, a prominent tourist attraction, is \u201cnot easily accessible for people with reduced mobility,\u201d according to the Arles Tourist Office website. The main staircase to the Amphitheater, pictured here, is one of its inaccessible features. Photo by Danny Pottharst.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Anita Bonutti is all too familiar with that barrier as an Arles resident and wheelchair user. She described her experience of navigating the city in one word.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHell,\u201d she said, smiling. <\/span><\/p>\n

For Bonutti and many others with physical disabilities, including mobility, sensory and chronic disabilities, urban inaccessibility is the reality of everyday life in Arles. It\u2019s a situation that has improved considerably since the<\/span> French Disability Act<\/span><\/a> \u2014 a landmark law that established social equality and public accommodation for disabled individuals \u2014 was passed in 2005. Improvements have also come from the accessibility additions that Arlesian art and culture organizations have made by capitalizing on architectural and technological innovations. <\/span><\/p>\n

Inaccessibility, however, is still etched into Arles 20 years after the FDA\u2019s passage because of a lack of legal enforcement and inadequate economic prioritization of the act. For all that the act stands for, it has proven incapable of alleviating the tension in Arles between preserving the city\u2019s historical and cultural authenticity and increasing access to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Long before the<\/span> first disability laws<\/span><\/a> were passed in France in 1975, Arles\u2019 architectural development in ancient Rome ensured its fundamental incompatibility with accessible urban planning. Antonella Quarta, manager of press relations, communication and publications at the Office of Tourism in Arles, detailed the extent of this incompatibility.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur city is rich in historical heritage. \u2026 The historic center still follows an urban layout dating back to Roman times, which was not designed for vehicles or people using wheelchairs,\u201d Quarta wrote in an email interview. \u201cThe streets are indeed very narrow, and the sidewalks are high. The city was founded on several hills, so some streets are sloped and cannot be navigated independently by people with reduced mobility or by visually impaired visitors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Woman
Bonutti looks at a street curb on la Rue de la Calade. Street curbs such as this one, which are common in cities like Arles, are inaccessible for people who use wheelchairs. Photo by Danny Pottharst.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Integrating accessibility into a historical city of this size \u2014 and a <\/span>UNESCO World Heritage Site<\/span><\/a> at that \u2014 is an ambitious task, both in theory and in practice. Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Imbert, the 7th deputy mayor of Arles, emphasized this challenge.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have many historic [buildings], and we can\u2019t do what we want [architecturally],\u201d Imbert said. \u201cThat\u2019s very complicated when we can\u2019t change something.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Emmanuelle Laurent, director of communications for <\/span>Ville d\u2019Arles<\/span><\/a>, reiterated this point, adding that the financial burden required to address inaccessibility in historical buildings is too much for Arles to shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s impossible,\u201d Laurent said. \u201cThe city is too poor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if these logistical and economic obstacles are overcome, making a historical building accessible without destroying its original infrastructure is unfeasible.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, you have to think about the preservation of the buildings, but there are also some buildings that you just simply cannot make accessible,\u201d Bonutti said. \u201cYou can\u2019t ask people to break things down. \u2026 However, everything that is new and recent has to be accessible.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

This is a result of the FDA, which seeks to ensure that new buildings \u2014 if not old ones \u2014 in France are held to accessibility standards. Specifically, the act granted public establishments a 10-year time frame to become accessible by 2015. As Bonutti explained, this entailed government subsidization.  <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span>\u201cAt the beginning, [buildings and other establishments] had to make things accessible,\u201d Bonutti said. \u201cIt was ordered by the (national) Chamber of Commerce, and so money was given to shopkeepers so that they made their shops accessible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

By 2014, the majority of businesses in France were not on target to meet the 2015 deadline, so the French government extended it. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a kind of regulation called \u2018Ad\u2019AP\u2019 [<\/span>Scheduled Accessibility Agenda<\/span><\/a>], which meant that things had to be made to conform,\u201d Bonutti said. \u201cPlaces that received the public in town that didn\u2019t make their place accessible could be fined.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span>The Ad\u2019AP program required public businesses to submit a commitment to making their services accessible. In return, businesses were granted an extended deadline to integrate accessibility that ranged from three to nine years, depending on the category of business. To complete an Ad\u2019AP, businesses were required to consider the logistics of integrating accessibility, including necessary tasks, a timeline for those tasks and sources of funding. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, the Ad’AP program, instituted as a three-year plan, was terminated in 2019. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the Ad’AP were finished with, then people were no longer fined, so people stopped making an effort to make their places accessible,\u201d Bonutti said. \u201cAnd now, you get places that are created that are not accessible because there\u2019s no threat. Today, the law of 2005 is no longer really applied because people are doing what they want.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, the FDA does not apply uniformly to every establishment and organization in Arles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs it\u2019s a historical town, there have been a lot of exemptions [from standards of accessibility] for \u2026 hotels [and] the authorities,\u201d Bonutti said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even so, disabled Arlesians have found ways to adapt to inaccessible features of the city, like Bonutti does when she travels on roads instead of sidewalks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bonutti has many a time started down a sidewalk, reached its end, and found it missing a curb ramp on which to enter the street. In these situations, she must retrace her route back along the sidewalk and then, this time along the road, retrace once again.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen there are good sidewalks, cars park on them, so you can\u2019t go on the sidewalks \u2014 you have to be on the road. \u2026 It\u2019s much easier,\u201d Bonutti said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Person
Bonutti travels down la Rue de la Calade on a sunny afternoon. As the sidewalks on most streets in the historical center are too narrow to accommodate a wheelchair, Bonutti travels on the roads instead. Photo by Danny Pottharst.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though Arles\u2019 roads are generally flatter than its sidewalks, they are by no means ideal for wheelchair travel. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll the roads need redoing,\u201d Bonutti said. \u201cOne of the problems now is that we have a lot of big, heavy cars that go on the roads, and the tarmac isn\u2019t adapted, so the tarmac gets lots of pressure put on it. It creates holes in the road, and so even the roads aren\u2019t really flat anymore.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

These circumstances also put Bonutti in potentially dangerous situations. For example, when a car approaches Bonutti on a narrow street, she is forced to squeeze herself against one side of the road to allow the car to pass. Still, she doesn\u2019t let any of these obstacles stop her. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs I\u2019m not afraid, I\u2019m always on the road. I\u2019m always out and about,\u201d Bonutti said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, though, there is frustration for her as a longtime resident of Arles who faces a steady stream of inaccessibility \u2014 inaccessibility that extends far beyond sidewalks and roads. Bonutti was unable to be married at the H\u00f4tel de Ville, the town hall in Arles, due to its inaccessibility. The building, whose classical architecture and sumptuous interior decoration make it a popular wedding location, at the time only had a staircase to access the courtroom where ceremonies take place. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had to go to Moul\u00e8s, which is a village near here,\u201d Bonutti said. \u201cWe can\u2019t even get married in our own town.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Though the city hall is a glaring exception, Bonutti noted that many of Arles\u2019 well-known public buildings are accessible. Many of these are arts and culture businesses, like LUMA Arles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anna Pericchi, a mediation guide at LUMA, explained how the FDA applies to museums.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you are a public museum, you have to abide by those rules [of the FDA] because you cannot be open to the public and not be accessible,\u201d Pericchi said. <\/span><\/p>\n

LUMA, which has made <\/span>headlines<\/span><\/a> for its infusion of avant-garde, modern art and architecture into Arles, is equipped with a variety of accessible aids, including a tactile map of the building, braille and <\/span>Facile \u00e0 Lire et \u00e0 Comprendre<\/span><\/a> (FALC), or accessible language. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe try, because it\u2019s very important to be inclusive,\u201d Pericchi said. \u201cIt\u2019s not perfect \u2014 far from perfect,\u201d Pericchi said. <\/span><\/p>\n

Another cultural institution, the Museon Arlaten, received national recognition for its accessibility. In 2024, the museum was awarded the <\/span>2024 Accessible Tourism Trophy<\/span><\/a> in the \u201cPlaces to Visit\u201d category over dozens of other tourism businesses in France. <\/span><\/p>\n

Regina Pastotter, the museum\u2019s cultural mediator for the disabled, and Cyril Brunet, its communications and public relations officer, expressed their pride and gratitude for the recognition.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a reward for all the years of hard work \u2026 of the team, but also of outside partnerships. That\u2019s why we put it there [in the museum\u2019s entryway], because it\u2019s for everyone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The trophy was the culmination of the museum\u2019s journey toward accessibility, which began with an 11-year renovation project in 2009.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before that, \u201cthe museum was not accessible at all,\u201d Pastotter said.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2021, it reopened to the public, outfitted with wheelchair storage, assistive listening devices, online audio descriptive tours and countless other accessible features. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
At the Museon Arlaten, Regina Pastotter displays a seat cane. Seat canes, which are often foldable, function as walking sticks and chairs. Photo by Monica Ronco.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Arles continues on its accessibility journey, it can look to LUMA Arles, the Museon Arlaten and other <\/span>visitor sites<\/span><\/a> in Arles for prime examples of accessible businesses. There are many incentives for the city to further invest in these projects, particularly in connection with accessible tourism. For example, according to a 2019-2022<\/span> survey<\/span><\/a> conducted by the Provence Alpes C\u00f4te d’Azur Regional Tourism Committee, 28 percent of tourists in Arles are seniors, and disability is <\/span>most prevalent among older populations<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Homing in on accessible tourism to cater to disabled tourists is one thing. Harnessing the latent power of the local disability community in Arles is another. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of actual people with disabilities, it\u2019s really hard to get them to come out of their homes, and I\u2019ve given up trying,\u201d Bonutti said. \u201cI try to invite them, but half of them never come. A lot of them are in denial about their disability. [There are those] who don\u2019t want to be seen in a wheelchair. And some are in their comfort zone, and they don\u2019t want to come out of that, either.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

In the face of systemic obstacles to accessibility and resulting internalized ableism, Bonutti shared a message of perspective and confidence for other disabled Arlesians. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not because the wheels replace my legs that I\u2019m disabled,” Bonutti said. “There are far greater things that disable someone.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Anna Cauvin and Monica Ronco served as interpreters for this story.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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