Accessibility is one of the main concerns of the Rio 2016 candidature commission, which is preparing the city’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Olympic Games. In November, the Brazilian Olympic Committee hired Australian consultant Nick Morris to provide advice in this area, and he has just spent one week visiting sports facilities, hotels and tourist attractions in the city.

In his evaluation, Nick pointed to suitable accessibility conditions for people with disabilities in various locations. The consultant visited sports venues and was satisfied with what he saw. He took into consideration items such as bathrooms, changing rooms, special seats and emergency exists. Among tourist sights, the highlight was Sugar Loaf Mountain. “In terms of accessibility, Sugar Loaf is fantastic, with elevators to all areas,” said Morris. He added that the statue of Christ the Redeemer needs some adjustments to its access, but these will be easy to implement.

In order for the city to make further progress, Morris recommends improving sidewalk maintenance and junction signaling, and providing unisex bathrooms in public places that are suitable for people with disabilities. One of the main challenges is accessibility to the city’s buses. Nick recommends that the vehicles have lower floors. On the other hand, he praised the availability of accessible taxis in the city. “Rio is on the right track and is in fact ahead of some previous candidate cities and host cities of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” he said.

Morris made a comparison with Beijing, when it was at the same stage that Rio is now at, and commended the efforts made by the Chinese government to improve accessibility, not only in Beijing, but across the whole country. “There are many buildings, tourist attractions and other space in Rio with better accessibility than Beijing had seven years before the 2008 Games. However, Beijing and the rest of the country carried out changes and China now enjoys good accessibility,” he said.

He emphasized the importance of appropriate facilities for society to be more inclusive. “It is important to make sure that commercial buildings, shopping centers, new apartments and hotels, tourist sights and transport terminals are fully accessible. This way, people with disabilities will be able to get jobs and have access to education and entertainment.” Good accessibility is also important for children and old people, he explained. Morris believes in the power of sport to promote social inclusion. “It is important to start with schools, and raise children’s awareness of the Paralympic Games through educational programs,” he said.

The ex-athlete won a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games, as part of the Australian wheelchair basketball team. He graduated in Human Movement at the RMIT university, Melbourne, in 1995, and is now a director of the consulting firm Morris Godding Accessibility. His main area of work is in approving plans for public spaces and ensuring that they are suitable for people with disabilities. Nick is a founder of the website accessibility.com.au, which helps people with disabilities to have access to technology, and he assists students and professionals in the medical sector.