Leaving no on behind: Kyiv’s path to accessible cultural institutions
Project: creating inclusive spaces in cultural institutions due to an increase in people with disabilities as a result of war
The Purpose
The purpose was to make municipal cultural institutions in Ukraine inclusive and accessible to all, recognising the increasing number of people with disabilities, including both defenders and civilians, across age groups due to the full-scale war. The aim is to integrate physical, informational and digital inclusivity, ensuring equal opportunities for everyone to access cultural services.
The Challenge
The main challenges include the spatial inaccessibility of cultural institutions, insufficient accessible information about these institutions and their programs, and the need to improve the accessibility of content. These challenges must be addressed to create a truly inclusive cultural environment.
The purpose is to make municipal cultural institutions in Ukraine inclusive and accessible to all, recognising the increasing number of people with disabilities, including both defenders and civilians, across age groups due to the full-scale war.
The Solution
To overcome these challenges, the project outlines several key solutions, including:
- Designing buildings with ramps, stair lifts and elevators to improve physical accessibility.
- Adapting official websites of cultural institutions to meet international standards of inclusive IT design, improving information accessibility.
- Creating tactile mnemonic schemes and layouts for individual exhibits within cultural institutions.
- Developing audio recordings for exhibitions, providing Braille versions of exhibition texts, and incorporating sign translation into video constructions and infoboxes to cater to various disabilities.
The Impact
The successful implementation of this project will result in the creation of an accessible environment for people with disabilities, providing them with access to a wide range of cultural and artistic offerings. The impact of the project will extend to a more inclusive society where individuals with disabilities have equal access to cultural services and institutions throughout Ukraine.
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