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With just 67 days to go until the Parapan American Games, Jorge Chávez International Airport has started feeling the countdown. For this reason, Lima 2019 held the awareness workshop to familiarize workers of the main air terminal in Peru with the interpersonal and operational challenges they will meet as 1890 Para athletes (approximately half of them are wheelchair users) arrive in and depart from Lima.
This first edition (the second will be held on June 25 from 9:00 to 12:00) was held at Lima Airport Partners' facilities, at Jorge Chávez Airport. It was conducted by Pedro Indacochea, Accessibility Specialist from Lima 2019, and the United Nations Office for Project Services team. Several key points, such as accessible services and good practices in airport operations, were dealt with in four modules.
“Accessibility is not only about a ramp or the width of a door. The goal is for everyone to move in the same conditions. Sometimes we say, “people with an impairment”, but they are actually people in an impairment situation because their environment does not provide them with services for an equitable life,” said Indacochea.
The UNOPS team held an improvisation activity giving examples of situations which could potentially happen as Para athletes arrive at the airport. These were analyzed to avoid future errors.
In this regard, the UNOPS team stressed the fact that what airport workers have learned will be part of the true legacy of Lima 2019.
“In the end, you'll be the social legacy of the Games. The Para athletes will return to their countries, but you will stay. The more you learn, the better service you will provide to people with an impairment. They are airport clients and represent around 10% of the Peruvian population.”
Additionally, the workshop featured guests: José Gonzáles Mugaburu, retired Para swimmer and currently Peru’s Chef de Mission; Fred Villalobos, Para judoka; and Marcela Ramón, Lima 2019 Para sports coordinator and Colombia's Chef de Mission.
Gonzáles Mugaburu stressed the fact that learning and empathy should be shown by both parties: airport workers and Para athletes.
“It's not easy to change overnight. But it's all about the treatment, about not being invasive. It's not about being afraid of people with an impairment. They may sometimes arrive feeling annoyed because they are tired after spending several hours sitting in a wheelchair. But this is a learning experience on both sides, because it isn't just about you knowing how to welcome us, but also about us accepting your help. We need to understand each other,” he concluded.
