The accessible city

I am excited that the dream I have cherished for many years has finally come true,” said IPC (International Paralympic Committee) President Philip Craven, holding a document certifying that he had climbed the Wall.

Philip Craven was among the first group of people in wheelchair on the Great Wall on May 18, 2008, when the new handicapped-accessible facilities on the Wall were complete and put into operation. The day was National Disabled Day in China.

In the past, to be on the Wall was, indeed, only a dream for those bound to a wheelchair. But since last May, after the new handicapped-accessible facilities at the Badaling section of the Great Wall were complete, they can sit in their wheelchairs to reach the Wall along the newly built ramp, or simply use the elevator.

Beijing has become more accessible for the handicapped in recent years, and the preparation for and hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the city has further promoted the effort.

Data released by the municipality and the China Disabled Person’s Federation (CDPF) indicate that in the past three years, averaging more than 1,000 improvements each year, Beijing built and renovated many handicapped-accessible facilities in its urban transit system, hospitals, shops, scenic spots and a few other key public service areas. Today, approximately one-third of 5,079 toilets in the city are handicapped-accessible. After the Olympic and Paralympic Games, these facilities will serve the handicapped as well as senior citizens, children, and those carrying heavy loads or in ill health.

“I believe we can proudly say that Beijing is a handicapped-friendly city after the Beijing Games,” said deputy director of the CDPF Lu Shiming, who observed how the Greeks had transformed Athens into a handicapped accessible city four years ago.

Paralympic Effort

During the Paralympics, the Beijing Paralympic Village will welcome 6,500 athletes and team officials and 600 technical officers. Walking into the village, railings, blind passes and ramps can be seen everywhere.

In the main dining hall are competition wheelchair storage centers and other needed facilities. Ramps are built at the exit of each building. To make it easier for athletes to access, their rooms are arranged on the first, second and third floors. Elevators reach each floor. In the toilet of each room, railings are installed alongside the wash basin, flush toilet and shower seat. The floor is coated with slip-resistant material. In case of emergency, athletes can press an alarm button and medical workers will immediately come to their aid. The bedroom wardrobe is especially installed with “U” shaped handles, and all the buttons are fixed at comparatively lower positions. The buses circling in the village are designed to be handicapped-accessible.

Barrier-free Venues

The Bird’s Nest (National Stadium) offers special seating for hearing-impaired spectators, and audiphones and wireless broadcasting system interfaces are available. Two hundred wheelchair seats are located in the rear of the stand where a higher view is provided, and spectators seated there can enjoy a panoramic view of the venue. The stands can be reached by special elevators

The Beijing Institute of Technology Gymnasium, the venue for goal ball competitions is especially well-equipped. There are not only alarm buttons in toilets, but also soft plastic coverings on all sharp corners. The doors in competition venues, warm-up areas, locker rooms, drug testing and other facilities are inscribed in Braille. The 270-meter-long blind pass leads to all areas of the venue. Elevators are equipped with voice notification systems. Visually impaired athletes can stroll around the venue without additional assistance.

Convenient Transportation

The main airport serving the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Beijing Capital Airport, will receive more than 4,000 athletes during the Paralympic Games, of which 2,000 will use a wheelchair. The airport’s newly developed T3 offers handicapped-accessible counters, passes, transportation facilities, toilets and services.

Railway stations and other important urban transportation centers have also been made more accessible for the handicapped. Sixty-eight subway stations along the One, Two, 13 and Batong lines were renovated to be more accessible before the Games. Thirty-four bus lines and 301 bus stops in the city have been equipped with barrier-free facilities. The city also offers 70 taxis renovated to form a handicapped-accessible taxi fleet for the Paralympic Games.

Accessible Hotels

At the Beijing Hotel, BOCOG’s Olympic headquarters hotel, are rooms especially designed for the handicapped. The height of beds, mirrors, basins and toilets can be adjusted and moved forward and backward.

The Swissotel Beijing Hong Kong Macau Center, the headquarter hotel of the Beijing Paralympic Games, is the first handicapped-accessible hotel in Asia. Handicapped-accessible facilities can be found on each floor, as well as in guest rooms, parking lots, passages, elevators, toilets, telephone kiosks and at the exits and entrances. Wheelchairs can be stowed under the wash basins, and the elevators are equipped with Braille signs and lower buttons. In addition, the fourth floor of the hotel was especially designed for the handicapped.

According to a spokesman from the Beijing Tourism Administration, more than 390 star hotels in the city are now handicapped accessible.

Travel Facilitated

The central door at Wumen (Meridian Gate) of the Palace Museum, which has no threshold, was in the past exclusively for the use of emperors. But today, if there is a special need, the “emperor’s door” will be opened as an entry for a handicapped-accessible tour of the Forbidden City. A special elevator installed at the Meridian Gate also enables less mobile visitors to reach the rostrum at the Meridian Gate in 10 minutes. The passage linking the front three halls with the three palaces in the rear part of the Palace Museum are paved with slip-resistant cushions. The thresholds on the way are movable, and stair-climbing machines are also ready for use. With a guidebook for the handicapped-accessible pass at the Palace Museum, the handicapped can have a smooth tour there.

At Badaling, the 400-meter-long smooth ramp and the elevator enable those in wheelchairs to get on the Great Wall. Tourist sites like the Summer Palace are also facilitated after recent renovation of handicapped accessible facilities.

In addition to the building and renovation of the hardware, Beijing also provides a special information platform for the visually and hearing impaired, and for those with speaking difficulties. If a hearing impaired person wants to inform his visually impaired friend, he can send a short message and leave the telephone number of his friend at the platform.
Personnel manning the platform will help call his visually impaired friend and transfer the message. The same is true when the visually impaired friend wishes to send a text message to a friend – he or she can simply call the platform and ask for assistance.