Yokohama hotels demanded payment for accessibility to UK Paralympic teams

2019-07-04 Accessibility

It was reported that hotels in Yokohama demanded British Paralympic teams payment for making rooms accessible as well as converting the rooms back afterwards.

The following media covered the story.
▼Sean Ingle, The Guardian（24th, April 2019）” Paralympics GB stunned after Yokohama hotels demand payment for accessibility

▼KYODO, The Japan Times（10th June 2019）”Wheelchair-accessible hotel rooms still an issue ahead of Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and Olympics”

DPI Japan communicated with with the Cabinet Secretariat and Yokohama City officials in order to contact the hotels for complaint and further dialogue. On inquiry the case appears actually fact, but still the names of the hotels have not been identified. Other Japanese media is also working on the issue.

We, DPI Japan, consists of 92 disability organisations, has been working toward an inclusive society where no one would be separated/segregated based on their disabilities.

Now we try to make Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and Olympics more accessible. This opportunity made it possible to revise several environmental guidelines. In addition, the Barrier-Free Act has been amended in 2018 for the first time in twelve years.

We see the attitude of the hotels are not acceptable and continue to contact them to make sure it would never happens again in the future.

SATO Satoshi
Secretary General, Japan National Assembly of Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI-Japan）