(BEIJING, September 3) -- The Beijing Institute of Technology Gymnasium is the venue for the Good Luck Beijing Paralympic sport event, which serves as a rehearsal for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. The Gym gives top priority to ensuring convenient access for people with physical disabilities.
All seven toilets of the gym are equipped with movable handrails and each toilet stall boasts 4 sq m of space, which enables wheelchair athletes to move without any difficulty. The former sinks have been retrofitted with one touch taps to accommodate persons with a disability. To better serve athletes with upper limb disabilities, the width of the toilet stalls, the locker-room and the anti-doping test room have been expanded and doorknobs have been replaced with pressure handles.
Barrier free passages have also been established in the gym: four concrete slopes outside the gate; slopes to the inner court, the entrances to spectators' seats as well as any place having a height difference. The rostrum was designed closer to the ground with wood wheelchair passages to allow the Paralympic athletes better access to the platform. In addition assistant seats have been installed in the spectator stands.
A 60 cm wide track for people with a visual disability was installed on the marble floor of the Gym. Also, a voice system and guidance system for people with a visual disability have been introduced in many places.
According to Hong Zhoufei, the designer of the systems, athletes with a visual disability would be able to manage on their own without help from others. Also all the corners of the walls have been padded for safety.
To better facilitate the athletes, the gymnasium also features multiple entrances, a large platform, a multi-level traffic system, as well as various passageways from the spectators' path to the VIP route.
