Access Denied

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How could Europe, a Continent that's usually out in front of the rest of the world on progressive social issues, be so far behind on equal access for all? Governments have been slow to identify the barriers facing disabled people and devise ways around them. Much of Europe's infrastructure is old, some of it has historical status, and not all can be easily adapted. And legislation is confused and piecemeal.

For Michel, in common with all wheelchair users, physical barriers are a part of daily life. Some 70% of Parisian cinemas are not wheelchair-accessible. Normally, Michel gains access with some help from staff or her able-bodied boyfriend. Indeed, Aigle acknowledges that MK2 sometimes admits disabled people at less crowded times. But the MK2

	I don't want to be annoyed by barriers that are being put up for disadvantaged groups — SIGRID ARNADE, Berlin

Beaubourg cinema felt it couldn't accommodate Michel on the evening in question. She says she felt stunned and humiliated; her lawsuit, which MK2 is fighting, seeks €5,000 in compensation and could take several years. "We are told it's because of safety, but it seems just an excuse," Michel says. "The disabled seem to be the last group left where it is acceptable to limit their rights." Last month, another French cinema chain, CGR, was found guilty of discrimination against disabled patrons and, though ordered to pay restitution, it was not directed to make the cinema accessible.

That verdict illustrates the contradictions in European law, where moves to ban discrimination against disabled people are still evolving. A European Union directive drawn up in 2000 required all member states to adopt laws prohibiting such discrimination in work and training settings by 2003, but only three states — Italy, Spain, Sweden — had complied by then, so the deadline was extended by three years. Where laws are already in place, enforcement is often lax.

Meanwhile, disabled people are left to fend for themselves. Buses, trains, underground systems and other forms of public transport frequently exclude or disadvantage wheelchair users. Julie Fernandez, 30, an actress who's appeared on the BBC's hit television comedy The Office, has, like Michel, brittle-bone disease, and also uses a wheelchair. She drives a specially adapted vehicle that she purchased with British government disability benefits. "That [Renault] is my only mode of transport," she says. "Most public transport is just out for me." Only 43 of London's 253 Underground stations — just 15% — are disabled-accessible. The station nearest Fernandez's home on London's eastern edge has a turnstile wide enough for her wheelchair — but just beyond it are three steps and a flight of stairs that prevent her from reaching the platform.

Mayor Ken Livingstone blames the age of the system. "Most of our stations were built during Victorian or Edwardian times, when disabled people either died at birth or stayed in the home," he told TIME. "There was no expectation that disabled people would be wheeling around the city."