A reportage about the need for attention for better accessibility for wheelchair users in public space portraying Dutchman Kees-Jan van der Klooster. He won a gold medal in mono-skiing at the Paralympic Winter Games and is organizing clinics teaching wheelchair users to overcome the many obstacles they face.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games have reopened the public debate on the need to act for better social inclusion of people with disabilities. An ambition advocated by the European Commission, as part of a strategy on the rights of people with disabilities, for the period 2021-2030.
But good intentions often come up against reality, and living with a disability is a challenge in many European countries, as this overview shows:101 million adults have a form of disability in the EU: that is 27% of the European population (Eurostat). 52% of people with disabilities feel they are discriminated against. 28.4% of people with disabilities are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared to 17.8% for people without disabilities.
for the new Euronews program Europeans’ Stories Valérie Gauriat, filming senior International Reporter, visits the Netherlands . A country where 32% of people are disabled, a little more than the European average. She portrays and interviews Kees-Jan van der Klooster, paralyzed since 2001, after a snowboarding accident. Which did not prevent him from pursuing a career as a Paralympic athlete, and winning a gold medal in mono-skiing at the 2008 Winter Games
After making a quick tour in the center, it becomes clear you have to be in Olympic shape to get by in a city like Amsterdam, which nevertheless has more facilities dedicated to people with disabilities than many cities in Europe. While waiting for public spaces to be more accessible, Kees-Jan devotes part of his time to teaching wheelchair users to overcome the many obstacles they face.
His Wheelchair Skills Team provides people with disabilities tools and training on their way to a more active and independent life. They also give society an insight into the ability of people with disabilities to participate in society.
On their internet site the Wheelchair Skills Team states that they ‘want to end entrenched conventions about wheelchair users in society, both roller and non-roller. We think things can and should be different. With open and open-mindedness, we confront the world and call for improvement. In this way, we believe that together we can ensure a future in which everyone is equal’.
Valérie Gauriat films a clinic from the Wheelchair Skills Team in the rehabilitation center Tolburg at the Jeroen Bosch hospital in Den Bosch. At these wheelchair skills trainings a variety of wheelchair users not only learn how to handle a wheelchair safely, but they also learn driving skills, balance skills, going up and down thresholds and platforms and going up and down slopes. Apart from learning the skills the training is also aiming at gaining confidence with the wheelchair, at safe daily use and at empowering wheelchair users to get a more equal position in society.
For this production Featurez gave advice, did research, set-up and planning, booked a rental car, did the driving, accompanied the filming, did extra filming and translations.
This reportage is published on the Featurez video page.
