Třeštíková: To the theater or gallery regardless of health restrictions
During the covid-19 pandemic, the capital revised the accessibility of its cultural contributory organizations and facilities managed by Prague City Tourism. Thanks to expert analysis, Prague can now make its facilities more accessible and think of people with disabilities when organizing festivals or other events.
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“Since entering the city council, we have been opening and making culture accessible to everyone. We have introduced discounted admission for seniors and families with children or we offer free tickets for theater performances through clubs for seniors. We are now starting the physical barriers and simplifying the websites of our contributions so that anyone, regardless of their health or financial situation, can easily find all the necessary information and get to our theaters, galleries on the lookout tower without unnecessary complications, ”says Hana Třeštíková, Councilor for Culture and Tourism .
About 13% of people with disabilities live in the Czech Republic, who are severely restricted in their daily lives due to health problems. In the capital and the Central Bohemian Region alone, there are about 350,000 people who can’t just go to the theater or take the children to an exhibition. Therefore, Prague had an analysis carried out last year, the aim of which was to map the current situation and propose recommendations for improving accessibility.
The local survey was conducted in selected organizations, which lie the founder’s capital. These were, for example, theaters, the Vyšehrad National Cultural Monument, the Observatories and the Planetarium of the Capital City of Prague. m of Prague, the Municipal Library in Prague or the tower managed by Prague City Tourism.
“A fully mobile person in a public hurdle and barrier often has no space at all or is simply easy to see. We thus encounter good intentions for accessibility, but they have some ill-conceived or defective nature that makes the measure inoperable. Typically, for example, wheelchair ramps that have too high a slope so that the electric wheelchair does not leave them or barrier-free toilets that act more like warehouses. Or a common problem for visually impaired people is the same doors, which are not for contrasting elements. It is good that Prague is currently solving this situation and thus moving the metropolis to the 21st century, “says Michal Prager, an expert in barrier-free travel.
The analysis includes specific recommendations for each object, how to remove these barriers or what to improve. In many cases, it is sufficient, for example, to add accessibility information to the website, to specify information on discounts for disabled people and their companions, or to improve local navigation. The next chapter is the larger interventions of a specific building modification.
The results of the analysis were presented by Councilor Hana Třeštíková together with Jiří Sulženko, Director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of the City of Prague. m of Prague, the management of municipal contributory organizations, which, based on tips and recommendations, began to work directly on removing imperfections and barriers.
Among the city organizations, the Municipal Theaters of Prague (MDP) are examples of good practice. All objects of the theater are easily accessible to people in wheelchairs, information is available on the web both in text and in the form of a video guide, and the ABC theater is equipped with an induction loop for audiences with hearing impairments.
- PRAGUE TO ITSELF
- deputy mayor of the city district
“At the Municipal Theaters of Prague, we took advantage of forced coronavirus breaks, and we were outside to improve the accessibility of people with various health restrictions on our stage. Wheelchair users and people with reduced mobility will find instructional videos on how to get to the theater comfortably on the websites of the Municipal Theaters of Prague. Visually impaired people can use the descriptions of routes to individual theaters. The theater’s website has been optimized for readers who use the blind. And we will continue to make all three stages accessible to spectators with reduced eyesight, hearing or movement, ”adds Daniel Přibyl, director of the Municipal Theaters of Prague.
To remove obstacles, make it impossible to visit tourists with disabilities, which focuses on the facilities also Prague City Tourism. “Accessibility is not limited to the disabled. Our elderly population and some clients have a reduced ability to move, in addition, we have mothers with prams, and these are all groups for which we want to have Prague accessible in all directions. In addition to the necessary construction modifications, there is a whole range of areas that we focus on, and which requires training of staff in tourism, such as custodians, guides and others, “adds Jana Adamcová, Member of the Board of Directors of Prague City Tourism. For example, the company has recently launched a website through Prague without Barriers, where those interested will find practical information that will make it easier to move around the city. She has also published a publication with tips for barrier-free walks around the metropolis.
The city continues to work beyond its contributory organizations with the results of the accessibility analysis. Creative Prague is currently finalizing a manual that will be an easy-to-understand guide on how to realistically meet the basic requirements for accessibility in institutions or when organizing cultural and social events.
The impetus for the creation of the forthcoming brochure was the Creative Prague Week dedicated to the topic of accessibility. During this event, two dozen representatives of Prague culture and people with special needs discussed ways to make Prague’s cultural institutions more accessible to everyone.
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author: PV
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