Prague removes barriers in cultural institutions and tourist facilities

April 27, 2022

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.
“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 removing physical barriers and simplifying our contributions websites so that anyone, regardless of their health or financial situation, can easily find all the information they need and get to our theaters, galleries or lookout towers without undue 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 the accessibility of buildings.
The local survey was conducted in selected organizations founded by the capital. These included theaters, the Vyšehrad National Cultural Monument, the Observatory and the Planetarium of the Capital City of Prague. of the City of Prague, the Municipal Library in Prague or the towers managed by Prague City Tourism.
“A fully mobile person in a public space often does not perceive obstacles and barriers at all or logically simply cannot see them. In this way, we encounter good intentions for accessibility, but they have some ill-conceit or a defect that makes the measure inoperable. Typically, for example, ramps for wheelchairs that have too high a slope so that the electric wheelchair does not leave them or barrier-free toilets, which act more like a warehouse. Or a common problem for visually impaired people is glass doors that are not equipped with contrasting elements. It is good that Prague is actively addressing this situation and thus moving the metropolis to the 21st century, ”says Michal Prager, an expert in barrier-free travel.
In the Municipal Theaters of Prague, we used forced coronavirus breaks and focused, among other things, on improving accessibility to our stages for people with various health restrictions. Wheelchair users and visitors with reduced mobility will find instructional videos on how to get to the theater on the MDP website, and people with visual impairments 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 vision, hearing or movement, ”adds Daniel Přibyl, director of the Municipal Theaters of Prague.
Prague City Tourism also aims to remove obstacles that prevent people with disabilities from visiting tourist facilities. “Accessibility is not limited to the disabled. Our population is aging 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 tourism staff, such as custodians, guides and others, ”adds Jana Adamcová, Member of the Board of Directors of Prague City Tourism.
JK

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