Bern marks day of handicapped
The Swiss capital Bern marked the international day of the handicapped on Monday with a giant piece of art suspended beneath one of its bridges.
The artwork is a giant portrait on canvas of Gérald Métroz who fell under a train at the age of two, losing both legs. Since his accident, Métroz has symbolised Switzerland’s disabled community and its struggle with daily life.
After working as a sports correspondent for several media, Métroz became an agent specialising in transfers of hockey players.
Covering more than 460 square meters, the artwork was created by Silvan Baer, an artist from Lucerne. It was placed under the Kirchenfeld Bridge, representing the bond that should exist between handicapped and non-handicapped people in Switzerland.
Switzerland’s disabled
About half a million residents in Switzerland suffer either from a physical, sensory, mental or psychic handicap.
According to a recent survey sponsored by the Swiss association for the handicapped, Pro Infirmis, one out of three people thinks that infrastructures for the handicapped are insufficient, particularly in public transport and in access to buildings.
“Despite their schooling, too many handicapped people are barred from a profession,” said the Swiss president, Moritz Leuenberger, in an address marking the international day of the handicapped. “This has resulted in their social exclusion.”
“There are still too many obstacles which prevent people in wheelchairs from having access to infrastructures necessary for a social life.”
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