Resistance to accessibility improvements in publicly accessible buildings

Despite numerous regulations, inaccessibility for disabled people remains widespread. However, few scholars have explored the reasons for this resistance to barrier removal. This study addresses this gap by discussing data on accessibility and non-disabled people’s perception of the problem. The study data were collected in Bologna (Italy), where an innovative accessibility regulation was enacted, via collaborative action research involving wheelchair users. The research mapped the accessibility of 448 publicly accessible establishments. During the mapping process, shopkeepers’ reactions and comments were noted and later analysed. Findings show that resistance to barrier removal doesn’t only originate from conflicting norms and interests, but also from different interpretations of ‘accessibility’, of who wheelchair users are and what they can legitimately expect from interaction with the urban environment: in other words, the findings contribute to knowledge on how the paradigm of ableism is reproduced.