Hasselt (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The broken elevator in Hasselt renders resident Sabine Banken unable to leave her fourth-floor apartment for one month. Sabine’s disability limits her ability to move downstairs because she also struggles with climbing up.
The fourth-floor resident Sabine Banken (56) has been facing restricted mobility in her apartment for an estimated month because the elevator is nonfunctional. The health problems of COPD and chronic fatigue syndrome make it impossible for Sabine to climb stairs. The elevator has stopped working since last Wednesday, and replacement parts need three weeks to reach the building. Sabine and her husband express frustration with the lack of communication and support from the building’s owner and syndic.
The elevator stopped working last Wednesday and remains inoperative. TV Limburg released a news report about the situation. The situation has become tragic for Sabine Banken (56), who lives with COPD along with chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease:
“All the problems started after I was infected with the COVID-19 virus,”
Says Sabine.
“I have never been the same again.”
Sabine is left with sleep apnea, a sleep disorder in which periods of cessation of breathing or severely weakened breathing occur during sleep. In addition, her legs become acidic at the slightest exertion due to chronic fatigue syndrome. Taking the stairs to the 4th floor is, therefore, not an option.
“I am constantly tired and can actually only walk 2 to 3 trees further in my street. In one day, I can walk a maximum of 2.5 kilometers. Then I am exhausted. If I walk further, I lie flat for days with pain everywhere,”
Testifies Sabine.
When the elevator broke down last Wednesday, it was dramatic news.
“We immediately contacted the owner who told us that she had called the syndic. We were then told that the problem would be solved on Thursday.”
But on Monday the elevator was still broken.
“I once went down the stairs, but I injured my back. We received a document from the syndic via WhatsApp from the landlord. It said that it would take 3 weeks for the right parts to arrive.”
For Sabine, who used to be very social and athletic, the elevator is her only connection to the outside world.
“Due to my medical condition, I hardly have any social contacts left. With the elevator, I could still get downstairs and walk the dogs.”
A small bright spot is the small balcony on the apartment.
“But I can’t open that sliding window. I’m too weak.”
Sabine also counts on her husband, Lode to support her, but he works as a firefighter and ambulance driver at Zaventem airport.
“Those are 12-hour shifts,”
Says Sabine.
“He tries to go to the supermarket for his shifts now, but sometimes I’m alone for days and that’s not feasible. The dogs and I are stuck.”
Before the medical malaise, Sabine had her own business in Hasselt and lived with her husband on Dusartplein.
“We had to move away because of my health. My condition deteriorated so much that I could no longer tolerate the normal noise of the catering industry.”
But there were also problems with the elevator in that building, so the couple moved to another apartment in Hasselt.
“We clearly indicated what my condition was and we were assured that it would not be a problem. You are very happy with the new environment. We have now lived here for 9 months and it is the 2nd time that the elevator has broken down. Last time it took almost 2 months for the elevator to be repaired.”
In the meantime, the couple has also been in contact with Kone, the company that installed the elevator.
“They ask all sorts of questions and advise us to contact the syndic. At first you can’t get hold of them and then they refer us back to Kone. We are being sent from pillar to post,”
Sabine concludes.
What is the history of elevator issues in Belgium and its impact on disabled people?
The problems with elevators in Belgium have existed for a long time because of outdated infrastructure alongside insufficient maintenance protocols and inadequate safety regulations. Older and new structures exist without thinking about access needs, which results in malfunctioning elevators throughout their buildings. Disabled people face tremendous barriers because elevator deficiencies prevent them from moving freely between areas and accessing needed services.
Belgium tackled accessibility challenges in public spaces by passing the 1993 Law on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities and similar regulations during the 1990s. The law remains unenforced, meaning many buildings maintain non-compliant elevator equipment.
Disabled people experience difficulties in accessing workplaces and schools as well as health facilities and public transportation systems through the absence or malfunction of elevators. Social exclusion increases as their independence suffers when elevators are missing or non-operational. Advocacy groups initiated progress through their work to enforce strict public accessibility regulations, as exemplified by the 2018 Accessibility Decree that Flanders established for public facilities.
