DISABLED ACCESS
Grand Poitiers Tourist Office bears the " Tourism and disability " label for four types of handicap. Our mission is to be able to welcome and advise people about accessibility in the various places and facilities of interest in a clear and reliable way: accommodation, restaurants etc located in the urban community of Grand Poitiers, in order to adapt to the different disabilities (motor disability, visual or hearing impairment, mental handicap). Do not hesitate to contact us for further information.
The " Tourism and disability " label is a trademark registered at the INPI (national institute of industrial property). It was created in 2001 by the Ministr of Tourism. The " Tourism and disability " label fulfils the requirements of those with disabilities, assisting them in their choice of holiday and entertainment. The label provides an overview of the accomodation, restaurants, tourist sites and entertainment activities fulfiling the requirements of people with disability. A facility can be awarded the label for one or various disabilities, among the following: hearing impairment, motor disability, mental handicap, and visual impairment. It must be in accordance with a requirement specification and they must commit to respect it in a sustainable way. The labeled facilities are identified by the « Tourism & disability » logo, with pictograms representing the disabilities.
The Tourist Office of Grand Poitiers has been involved for several years in a process of accessibility of its premises and its services. It plays a role of communication on the various accessible sites and activities. It also has a role of sensitization of the partners for the setting in accessibility of their structures and their activities to the handicapped persons, any handicap confused (mental, auditory, visual, motor).
The renewal of the "Tourism and Handicap" mark with the 4 pictograms was awarded to the Tourist Office of Grand Poitiers November 26, 2021 for a period of 5 years. The staff is sensitized and trained in the "Tourism Handicap Stay Advisor Training".
- Strips on the front door
- Elevator with audio message
- Information about the monuments in braille in the Heritage room
- Relief model of Notre-Dame la Grande church
- Tactile walking surfaces before accessing the Heritage room + stair risers
- Guide dogs are allowed
- Visual cues on the chairs for the public
- A system of sound amplification is available for people with a hearing impairment
- The personnel is happy to assist and and can provide information in writing
- Adapted signage is available in our facilities
- The personnel has disability awareness and has undergone training
- Automatic doors
- Adapted counter
- Elevator
- The personnel has disability awareness and has undergone training
- The personnel has disability awareness and has undergone training
- Clarity in the availability of our various brochures and posters by theme, using pictograms
In the heritage room of the Tourist OfficeA space has been set up so that visually impaired people can understand the architecture of the main buildings of Poitiers. One can find there :
- A tactile model of the Church of Notre Dame adapted to the visually impaired, it allows a better understanding of the architecture of the Church but also the materials used for its construction
- Braille plaques representing the major monuments of Poitiers (Notre-Dame-de-la-Madeleine)
Dame / Cathedral of Saint Peter / Baptistery of Saint John / Palace of the Dukes of Aquitaine / City Hall / Church of Saint Hilaire) but also texts explaining their history.
For the mentally handicapped, touching the model also promotes proximity and understanding of the work and brings a playful dimension.
If you come to Poitiers by car, there are about 100 disabled parking spaces in the city centre’s covered parking, for easier access to shops, services and cultural facilities:
- 16 Parking Gare-Toumaï
- 12 Parking Gare-Effia
- 10 Parking Blossac-Rivaud
- 6 Parking des Cordeliers
- 14 Parking Hôtel de Ville
- 6 Parking Notre-Dame Marché
- 7 Parking Théâtre-Auditorium
These car parks are payable.
Parking spaces on the road are free for holders of the mobility inclusion card. Find here a map to locate the GIG / GIC disabled parking spaces in Poitiers (click on it to enlarge):
If you travel by plane or train, you will find useful information about accessibility on the Poitiers-Biard airport and Poitiers SNCF train station websites.
Many establishments open to the public in Poitiers, including
A wheelchair is available on request for visiting the Palace (located at the Palace reception).
Production of a video clip presenting the Tour Maubergeon, shown in the "Les belles heures du Palais" exhibition room. This video provides a context for the tower's construction, and introduces visitors to this space, which is not accessible to wheelchair users.
Read more
The Grand Poitiers skating rink is the first in France to become fully accessible to people with reduced mobility!
Read more
Here is the list of accommodation and facilities bearing the " Tourism and disability " label, as well as
the list of accessible public facilities
in the Vienne department (86).
If you need further information about accessibility and disability in Poitiers,
please write to mission.handicap@grandpoitiers.fr or call +33 (0)549523535.
Activities around accessibility in Grand Poitiers (non-exhaustive list):
The city of Poitiers has been organizing for 8 years Les Accessifs, a festival of solidarity which invites to free animations around the handicap. A festival for all people, with or without disabilities. The Accessifs festival is a lot of entertainment to share and as many beautiful meetings to open up to the difference.
The visit begins in single file, the hand on the shoulder of the previous visitor. For about fifteen minutes and in groups of about ten people, visitors are led by a blind guide and discover the reality of his daily life in absolute darkness. Throughout the tour, the visitors concentrate on the consistency of the ground, the ambient odors, the different intensities of sounds they perceive. The nose sniffs, the ears stand up, the hands stretch out... Surrounded by auditory solicitations,
tactile, olfactory, each one gradually takes his bearings and opens to a multitude of details that inform him about his environment.
The Futuroscope has been awarded the national Tourism & Handicap label for hearing, mental and motor disabilities and offers an accessibility guide to the park.
Thanks to Club Plaine Envol Paramoteur 86In addition to the above, people with disabilities can take to the skies thanks to first flights adapted to all forms of disability.
Access to this activity is possible for all thanks to a comfortable and secure two-seater "motorized paragliding" tricycle, accompanied by a professional pilot.
Practical information: flights from Chauvigny airfield - contact: Stéphane Clavurier at 0673141747
