Elevator Failures Trap Disabled Residents

Elevator breakdowns severely impact people with disabilities, often trapping them in their homes or forcing them into unsafe situations. Anne-Elizabeth d’Acremont, a wheelchair-using athlete, has been unable to leave her third-floor apartment in Saint-Ouen for nearly seven weeks due to a broken elevator. Despite involving building management, insurance, and an expert, repairs remain stalled. Many others have shared similar stories of long outages. Sylvain Thomas, another disabled resident, highlights the regular malfunctions in his supposedly accessible building in Louviers, where even both elevators can fail at once. In one case, a tenant was forced to spend a night in a garbage room. These failures highlight the urgent need for better maintenance and accountability. To address the issue, France’s Assemblée Nationale passed a bill in January mandating quicker repair times and requiring spare parts availability, even if it increases maintenance costs. The goal is to prevent such situations from recurring.

Durand, A.-A. (2025, May 23). Elevator breakdowns are a nightmare for people with disabilities: 'Two years ago, a tenant spent a night in the garbage room'. Le Monde. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2025/05/23/elevator-breakdowns-are-a-nightmare-for-people-with-disabilities-two-years-ago-a-tenant-spent-a-night-in-the-garbage-room_6741567_7.html