SOME DISABILITY DATA :
- One billion people live with some form of disability.
- Disability is included in UN targets (2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and The New Urban Agenda)
- At EU level, about 24% of persons aged 16 and over declared a disability. Around one in seven people between 15 and 64 have some form of disability, most commonly mobility impairments. Others are cognitive, visual and hearing impairments.
- Older people represent a significant share of population that faces diverse impairments too. Older people in EU will increase significantly from 101 million in 2018 to 149 million by 2050.
PERSON WITH DISABILITIES NEEDS:
- Frequency of going to cultural sites for disabled people is: never (68,5%), 1 to 3 (21,2%); 4 to 6 (6,3%) and more than 6 (4,1%)
- 12% of answers of self-reported barriers preventing access to cultural heritage sites or activities were: “Cultural heritage sites are too remote or difficult to access”.
- Euan’s Guide, an online resource written by and for disabled people, share reviews on the accessibility of venues and their common needs are: touch tours, space, lighting, selfguided tours, bigger lifts, autism friendly, water bowls, induction loops, information, promotion, signage, toilets.
- According to Network of European Museum Organisations, accessibility has many dimensions: environment, interpretation, digital accessibility, transport, outreach, flexibility in opening times. To address these issues is necessary to train staff.
DISABILITY, CULTURE AND LABOUR MARKET:
- Culture has the potential to play an important role in making the EU and contributes to social cohesion and inclusion.
- “Multi-client segment”: on average, every 2 disabled guests will bring one companion.
- The cultural and creative sectors are increasingly viewed as drivers of economic growth, especially as a source for job creation. The EU supports it through the Creative Europe programme and Work Plans for Culture.
- 3 million HEI students across the EU study in culture-related fields and there are more than 600.000 workers in libraries, museums and other cultural activities.
- EU council calls on EC to “continue to promote education on Cultura Heritage, raise public awareness on the potential of CH for sustainable development and to encourage public participation”
- The study “Mapping skills and training needs to improve accessibility in tourism services determined that accessibility trainings are not a rarity, but: are significantly dispersed according to L, R or N capacities, are provided on a non-permanent basis, reach too few individuals, and provide only a basic know-how, and there is no accessibility related content integrated into mainstream course curriculum in the EU.