The Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games are expected to further boost the development of a barrier-free environment in China and enhance inclusiveness and accessibility for people with disabilities while leaving a rich legacy for future iterations of the mega-sporting event.

Though the Games have concluded, the concept of building a barrier-free society is rooted in China, shaping the country in the years to come.

China was committed to making the Winter Paralympics just as splendid as the Winter Olympics since winning the bid in 2015, and made sure that the athletes' Villages across the three competition zones in central Beijing, the Chinese capital's Yanqing District, and Zhangjiakou in the neighboring Hebei Province would be constructed under a barrier-free principle since day one. As it turned out, it took only 44 hours for them to be transformed from serving Winter Olympic personnel to accommodating Para athletes and coaches.

"We installed automatic doors at the entrances of the venues, barrier-free seats in the stands, barrier-free bathrooms and Braille signage in elevators. Another example is the audio notification system in use at the medical stations to help the visually impaired athletes," said Liu Yumin, the planning director of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (BOCOG).

Many were impressed by the barrier-free designs featured in the Paralympic Villages and venues, including International Paralympic Committee (IPC) accessibility specialist Ileana Rodriguez.

"We're going to leave a culture that is more open to have people with disabilities of being active and being part of the society, which I think is one of the best legacies that the Paralympic Games can leave. I hope that the Paralympic movement continues to do that same job not only here, but Beijing definitely is setting the bar for Milano-Cortina [the 2026 Paralympics]," Rodriguez said.

China's efforts to create a barrier-free environment went beyond providing Paralympic personnel with convenience. In November 2019, Beijing launched a three-year campaign to make the city more accessible. Around 336,000 sites and 12,000 buses in the city have completed barrier-free renovations since.

The city of Zhangjiakou also improved its accessibility facilities. As of January 2022, it had built or renovated over 358 km of sidewalks to serve people with visual impairment, 680 barrier-free toilets, and a large number of barrier-free spectator seats at public venues, as well as accessible hotel rooms.

BOCOG spokesperson Yan Jiarong explained what it took to progress from building barrier-free facilities to building a barrier-free society at a press conference before the closing ceremony of the Winter Paralympics.

"An 'accessibility mindset' is very simple. Every one of us has an understanding and tolerant heart, and truly respects, cares, and helps disabled friends so that they can better integrate into society," Yan said.

(With input from Xinhua News Agency)