금요일, 2월 14, 2025
HomeDisabilityContained in the Paris Paralympics - New Mobility

Contained in the Paris Paralympics – New Mobility


Suzanne Edwards bought to take part within the Paralympic torch relay the day of the opening ceremonies. Photograph courtesy Paris 2024 / Alex Fadel / Digital Video.

Suzanne Edwards is a handbook wheelchair person who works for Airbnb because the accessibility requirements lead. Airbnb is a Worldwide Associate of the Olympic and Paralympic Video games, so Edwards has had an inside view of the Paris Paralympics. We caught up along with her mid-Video games to see what it’s like working, touring, and cheering in your favourite sports activities on the Paralympics as a wheelchair person.

You bought to expertise being part of the Paralympic torch relay. What was that like?

I’ll begin with simply what an honor, an absolute privilege it was to be part of such an enormous occasion. My part within the torch relay was just some hours earlier than the opening ceremony, so there have been a great deal of those that had been out and about. They had been waving. They had been cheering. They needed footage. Simply an unbelievable expertise.

Suzanne Edwards, a blond white woman, and Jackie Chan, an older Asian man, pose with the Paralympic torch between them.
Edwards and Jackie Chan had been a part of the identical group finishing the Paralympic torch relay.

You’re placed on a bus along with your group of torch bearers. You begin at a gathering level and so they provide the uniform, a white sort-of-tracksuit and let you know what to do.  Your group will get on the bus, and also you journey the torch route a bit of methods forward of the torch and the bus drops every of you off at varied places. I used to be fortunate sufficient to have Jackie Chan as a part of my group. He was pretty and glad to take pictures with everybody. He was fascinated with how they clamped down my wheelchair within the bus and began filming it on his telephone. So there’s a bit of movie of them clamping down my wheelchair on Jackie Chan’s telephone.

You get dropped off about 5-10 minutes earlier than your section, and you’ve got what they name a “torch angel,” who chaperones you to be sure you’re not going to mess up as a result of there are some logistics concerned, such as you maintain it along with your proper hand and also you flip to the left, after which entrance after which to the best, and then you definitely begin your run. I used to be pretty nervous as a result of the torch is pretty heavy and holding it out and up with one arm means I’ve to carry on with my different arm as a result of my core is a bit wobbly. I had steel arm clamped to my wheelchair to carry the torch whereas I used to be pushing, and the highway was clean and flat however there was one giant crack in the course of the highway, and I used to be like, “I’m going to need to straddle this and ensure I don’t mess up.” Little issues like which might be very nerve-wracking when you will have so many eyes on you.

No mishaps although! Somebody even had a child that they needed me to wave to. It was a really surreal second of feeling a bit well-known for a second.

How did you get to Paris?

I traveled to Paris from London by practice. I reside in England, so I needed to take the practice as a result of transportation could be so difficult as a wheelchair person, and flying is at all times hit and miss. The Eurostar practice is simply unbelievable. They’ve thought of accessibility lots, and also you get some perks as a wheelchair person. You get into the enterprise lounge within the terminal, and also you get discounted seats in Commonplace Premier or Enterprise Premier, which signifies that you get free meals and a free drink. There are accessible loos on board, and also you get to preboard and keep in your wheelchair when you’re touring. All of the small issues add as much as a very dignified and nice expertise.

The opposite perk is that the practice takes you from central London to central Paris, so I didn’t have the effort of airport transfers.

What’s it been like navigating Paris as a wheelchair person?

As soon as in Paris, it’s been very easy getting round. I’ve been utilizing G7, a taxi firm in Paris, and so they’ve been unbelievable. You’ll be able to e book a wheelchair ramp automobile — they’re referred to as WAVs — and you’ll e book one in all them on their app, which is nice. You’ll be able to both schedule a pickup time or request one straight away. The longest we’ve needed to wait is perhaps 10 minutes. Extra wheelchair accessible taxis are one of many accessible infrastructure enhancements that Paris has made for the Video games, so it’s been very nice to have the ability to profit from that.

In any other case, I’ve been doing a number of wheeling myself. My shoulders are a bit of drained, but it surely’s good train. The sidewalks are actually huge, and Paris is kind of a compact metropolis, so you may get from A to B actually simply if you wish to wheel round. I’ve bought a Tri Trip, a entrance wheel electrical trike attachment for my chair, that I’ll use if I do know I’m going to be out on the streets lots, however even when a taxi is dropping us off and I’ve to wheel a half mile, it’s been fairly straightforward — clean, huge pavement and the curb cuts are all fairly respectable. Clearly, many elements of Paris could be fairly cobbled, because it’s such an outdated, historic metropolis, however all the primary areas that I’ve been to for the Paralympics have been nice.

You’ve been in a position to spend a while within the Athlete Village. What’s that been like?

It’s unbelievable. I’m fortunate as a result of I get to be having enjoyable on each a piece and a private stage. For work, it’s been an honor to have a sales space within the Athlete Village. Airbnb affords all eligible athletes competing in Paris 2024 the Airbnb500, a $500 celebratory grant they will use on Airbnb, so a part of my job is to fulfill athletes at our sales space and ensure they’re conscious of it and present them find out how to redeem it. It’s been nice as a result of I’ve been in a position to meet a ton of athletes and listen to their tales. I bought to fulfill a few Italian Paralympians who’ve a house simply exterior of Milan and so they listing it on Airbnb, so that they had been displaying me the itemizing. We’ve been making an effort to get extra individuals with disabilities to host their houses on Airbnb, so it’s been enjoyable assembly athletes who’re already doing that.

Suzanne Edwards (center) meeting athletes at Airbbnb's booth in the Athlete Village.

We even have the Airbnb Athlete Journey Grant, a $2,000 grant that athletes can apply for every year to help them as they journey, practice and compete.  I bought to fulfill one girl who was a recipient of that. She’s a runner who’s visually impaired from Mauritius, and he or she used the grant to journey to the Boston Marathon, and that’s the place she certified for the Paris Video games. In order that was actually cool to listen to. 

On a private stage, it’s implausible as a result of I like sports activities and I like being round different athletes. My granny truly received a Junior Wimbledon and performed squash for England, so I’ve been round a number of feminine sporting individuals in my household. I grew up enjoying squash and tennis, and after my accident I used to be cussed about enjoying adaptive sports activities as a result of I didn’t suppose I’d like them. However about three or 4 years after my accident, I attempted wheelchair tennis, and as quickly as I hit the primary shot I used to be completely hooked. I performed lots. The bodily facet of it was big, however simply being round different athletes and seeing that that they had jobs, that they had companions, that they had lives, actually helped me come to phrases with my accident.

Being right here in Paris and getting to fulfill so many athletes within the village exhibits how highly effective sport could be. There are such a lot of completely different disabilities, so many various talents, simply each sort of particular person from each sort of background, however what everybody has in frequent is sport. That’s simply wonderful to see and so enjoyable to be part of.

The place are you staying?

I work for Airbnb, so in fact I’m staying in an Airbnb. We’re extremely happy with the work that we’ve achieved to ensure that we’ve got 1,000 listings with step-free accessibility options within the Paris area  for individuals to remain in through the Olympics and Paralympics. These listings have step-free entry to get inside and are step-free to the toilet and a bed room, and almost 300 even have at the least one lavatory modification, like seize bars or a bathe seat. It was an enormous, cross-functional effort throughout Airbnb, and we knew that it was vital for the town of Paris, the Worldwide Paralympic Committee and the Worldwide Olympic Committee, and vital for our legacy to assist provide individuals extra accessible locations to remain after the Video games are over.

I’m staying in a kind of listings — a reasonably fashionable studio condominium not too removed from the Eiffel Tower. Along with step-free options, it additionally has a roll-in bathe, and seize bars within the bathe and by the bathroom.

There’s a boulangerie on the nook, a couple of 150-foot roll from the doorway to the constructing the place I’m staying, so I am going there most mornings to get a ache au chocolat (chocolate croissant) and a freshly squeezed orange juice as a result of I at all times appear to be on the run to go someplace. On the opposite nook there’s a good restaurant, and the proprietor comes out and waves to us each time we’re leaving the condominium. It makes me really feel like an area.

And the precise competitors? What sports activities are you excited to see?

I’ve been watching wheelchair tennis immediately, and the ambiance is actually nice. The crowds are fairly full, and an enormous portion of the ticket gross sales have been to French individuals so there’s big cheering each time a French athlete is on the courtroom. Everybody is actually embracing the Video games being in Paris, and it’s superior.

I bought to look at just a few gamers that I do know from after I performed wheelchair tennis. With the ability to see them play in Roland Garros (the well-known stadium that hosts the French Open), enjoying a sport on the largest stage on this planet has been a particular second for me.

wheelchair tennis athlete on a clay court with packed stands behind him.
The stands have been full to look at Paralympic athletes like France’s Stéphane Houdet compete on the well-known clay courts of Roland Garros. Photograph courtesy OIS/Louise Raymond.

I’m actually excited for all of the sports activities. I’ve by no means seen wheelchair rugby in particular person, and I’ve tickets to see Nice Britain play France. I’m very eager to see wheelchair fencing, which is on the Grand Palais, one of many many stunning, iconic places in Paris. I’ve additionally heard that blind soccer is implausible, and that’s in entrance of the Eiffel Tower. It’s simply going to be a case of what number of sports activities can I squeeze right into a restricted variety of days.


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