“We’re one of the few cities in Europe offering audio description for all major sports (football, rugby, handball, basketball). Not just for blind people, but for anyone who wants a better understanding of the game,” said Maxime Arcal, Accessibility Lead at the City of Toulouse.
Toulouse has an ambitious and proactive public policy when it comes to the inclusion of persons with disabilities.
The city’s rugby stadium, Stade Ernest Wallon, and the football stadium are two prime examples of a landmark demonstrating a strong commitment to accessibility and inclusion. Spectators with visual impairments can follow the game in real time using a free app. The venue provides live audio description services, rolled out in partnership with the municipality and journalism students.
Access to the stadium is level, featuring handrails, tactile warnings, contrasting stairs, lifts for higher seats, accessible restrooms, and dedicated parking spaces. Additionally, staff are trained to welcome and support visitors with disabilities, who can benefit from free match tickets, with their accompanying person attending at a reduced rate.
Mobility without limits
For many, accessibility is not an abstract policy goal but an integral part of daily life. Toulouse municipality is determined to address gaps in disability inclusion, both persistent and emerging.
“Toulouse is a very pleasant city to live in when you are in a wheelchair,” says Aurélie Weislo, Responsible for Social Action at the Stadium Toulousain Handisport. She highlights that wheelchair access has improved significantly: many public buildings and all public transport are now accessible without difficulty.
We’re one of the few cities in Europe offering audio description for all major sports
The measures implemented by the city council benefit not only those with permanent disabilities but also people with temporary or situational impairments, from parents with strollers to elderly residents and tourists with specific needs.
“We created wider sidewalks (two meters instead of the standard one meter forty) in our new central park, so wheelchair users and parents with strollers can pass comfortably,” noted Maxime Arcal. Also, shaded areas, water points, and sensory features ensure that these spaces are welcoming to all.
Not only public buildings, but also Toulouse’s public transport system is widely recognised for its accessibility. The city’s metro, tramway, cable car, and bus network all feature step-free entrances, priority seating, and visual and audio announcements. Unique pictograms for metro stations are a standout innovation in Europe.
The city also operates Mobibus, a demand-responsive service tailored to people with reduced mobility, ensuring that all stations accommodate wheelchairs. Moreover, adaptive bicycles, including tandems for blind or visually impaired users and cycles allowing wheelchair users to ride independently, are available. “The problem with most adapted cycles is that you need someone to help you,” explains Maxime Arcal. “Now, people with disabilities can ride them alone.”
Culture, tourism and tech for everyone
Toulouse is one of only nine French territories to have earned the national Destination for all label, recognising not only accessibility but also the comfort of use for residents and visitors alike. “When you work for tourists, you are also working for citizens,” Maxime Arcal observes.
Accessibility is embedded in the local culture. The Cité de l’Espace, a popular museum of space exploration, is a flagship example, holding the label across all four major impairment categories—motor, visual, hearing, and mental. Front-line staff are trained to support visitors with both visible and invisible disabilities, ensuring an inclusive experience.
It’s a cultural programme open to everyone, and we know that the organisers are open to welcoming people from all walks of life
The venue offers French Sign Language support, priority access to shows, braille and large-print guides, and audio-described sessions. These features allow all visitors, residents or tourists alike to explore the wonders of space on equal footing.
Toulouse Métropole created the City for All label in 2022 to highlight public events, from sports to conferences, designed to be accessible to all types of audiences. “This year marks the 4th edition, with already more than 200 labelled events per year”, says Maxime Arcal, adding: “We propose accessibility tools such as sign language during conferences, but also vibrating waistcoats and sign singing for music festivals, and installation of dedicated platforms welcoming disabled persons during public events.
Digital solutions further enhance accessibility. Visitors can plan accessible routes and venues via a dedicated tourism website, filtering options according to different types of impairments.
We never design something for just one group—we ask everyone
Claire Richard of APF France Handicap highlights the Cities for All cultural programme, which opens new doors for inclusion.
“It’s a cultural programme open to everyone, and we know that the organisers are open to welcoming people from all walks of life,” she says. Richard also notes that the city ensures that volunteers are available to accompany and support people with disabilities during major events, and highlights the Remarkable Women exhibition, which features all kinds of women (including some with disabilities) in March.
Participation at the heart of policy
Toulouse’s success stems from its participatory approach. The city consults associations representing people with disabilities and conducts monthly user tests to refine solutions. “We never design something for just one group—we ask everyone, because the best solutions are those that work for the widest number of people,” Maxime Arcal emphasises.
Mrs Weislo underlines that participation is crucial for including people with disabilities in shaping the city’s future. Michele Chave, a resident since 1972 and mother of a child with an intellectual disability, contributes her insight through consultations. She notes that digitalisation has not always simplified life, as many people with intellectual disabilities cannot read. Mrs Richard and many other local stakeholders continue to provide feedback in city working groups.
Mrs Weislo has been involved in developing accessibility guides and the Agenda d’Accessibilité Programmée, a long-term strategy for making public facilities accessible. Despite delays caused by COVID-19 and an increasing number of municipal buildings to adapt, progress continues steadily.
“We had a nine-year plan, and we will need ten years because of the reality on the ground and the unexpected challenges like COVID,” explained Maxime Arcal. “We will finish adapting about 550 buildings this year, with the remaining 50 completed next year.” Overall, the City of Toulouse has invested no less than €50 million to ensure accessibility to its public buildings.
We will finish adapting 550 buildings this year
Additionally, the city’s guide for residents with disabilities (Guide Toulouse pour les personnes en situation de handicap) illustrates a holistic, rights-based approach to inclusion.
As cities across Europe strive to become more inclusive, Toulouse stands out for its structured and determined efforts to ensure accessibility and inclusion for all.
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Toulouse’s achievements were highlighted during a meeting of the Eurocities informal Group on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, in April 2025.
The topic will be discussed at the Eurocities mutual learning event on independent living for persons with disabilities, hosted by the City of Vienna on 16–17 October 2025. The event will provide a platform for cities to exchange knowledge on how to ensure the independent living of people with disabilities.
