Kessler calls for inclusion as accessibility barriers persist

Vaud cantonal parliamentarian Sébastien Kessler says people with disabilities still face significant access barriers, describing how five people had to be coordinated for his trip to a parliamentary session in Bern. SRF reported on his call for greater inclusion and accessibility.

Kessler, a wheelchair user and member of the Social Democratic Party, took part in the second Disability Session at the Federal Palace on Wednesday. Before travelling to Bern, he spoke with French-language broadcaster RTS at home. He could not make an extra stop at its Ecublens studio first.

Getting to the session required Kessler to arrange support from one or two personal assistants at home, book specialist transport and organise help at the railway stations in Lausanne and Bern. “By the time I arrive at parliament, five people are involved,” he said. “They have to be in the right place at the right time. Otherwise, the whole chain of accessibility breaks down.”

The planning creates a substantial mental burden before his political work begins. “Before I go to work, I have almost already had a working day,” he said. Kessler rejected the idea that he suffers because he uses a wheelchair. “I don’t suffer because I sit. I suffer because things are not accessible.”

The 44 participants at the session considered 16 petitions written by people directly affected. They covered accessibility, education, housing, health, mobility and participation in society. The adopted texts will be submitted to the Federal Council.

Kessler supports the Inclusion Initiative, submitted in 2024, which calls for equality in law and in practice, as well as the right to self-determination for people with disabilities, to be enshrined in the Federal Constitution. The Federal Council opposes the initiative and has proposed an indirect counterproposal, arguing that changes to legislation could bring improvements more quickly and precisely. Kessler says the proposal is not binding enough and that existing commitments are not being fully met.

He said the Disability Equality Act, which came into force in 2004, had not achieved its goal of making all public transport accessible by the end of 2023. He also argued that accessible buildings, transport, communications and public services should be designed for everyone from the outset, rather than adapted later. Inclusion, he said, also means people with disabilities being visible in schools, workplaces, public transport and cultural institutions.

Kessler pointed to his election to the Vaud cantonal parliament as an example of remaining barriers. Although the parliament building was renovated in 2017, further adjustments costing about 100,000 francs were needed, including changes to doors so he could use them independently. During the first six months of his term, he also could not use a toilet alone; the necessary changes were made only after lengthy discussions.