We strive to remove barriers that might keep citizens from exploring the city and its architecture. In collaboration with a number of partners, we make sure that we have special tours available for people with health disabilities, such as hearing disabilities, visual disabilities, and physical disabilities.
Tours for People with Physical Disabilities (those who use wheelchairs)
For the first time, there were two tours for people with physical disabilities during the week, thanks to the initiative of the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences. Visitors who use wheelchairs learned interesting details about the architecture of the institute, its history, and the research that scientists are currently conducting here. The tours took visitors to one of the laboratories and to the green terrace on the roof of the modern building.
Tours for People with Hearing Disabilities
This was the fifth Open House Prague which offered tours for visitors with hearing disabilities in selected buildings. In collaboration with the Institute of Deaf Studies at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University and the Czech Union of the Deaf, there were four tours with interpretation into Czech Sign Language and simultaneous transcription. These tours took place at the New Synagogue in Libeň, Kramář Villa, Hotel International Prague, and Diamant, with over 100 registered attendees in total.
Tours for People with Visual Disabilities
For the third time overall, the festival also offered tours for visitors with visual disabilities. They could attend guided tours with specially trained volunteers in six buildings – Bubenská 1, Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord, Hus Congregation in Vinohrady, Laichter House, Mama Shelter Prague, and The Fizz Prague. Some of the visitors even visited other open buildings that were nearby. This year, 55 visitors with visual disabilities attended the festival, which indicates the growing popularity of this segment. Thanks to the feedback, we also know that some of the visitors came all the way from Moravia.
These tours included tactile ground plans and urban maps of the buildings and their surroundings, which were provided by Teiresiás Center at Masaryk University (Support Center for Students with Special Needs) and ELSA, Czech Technical University in Prague (Support Center for Students with Special Needs), including expert consulting. Route descriptions and transport between the buildings were provided by SONS ČR (Czech Blind United). This year marked the second year of our collaboration with the Faculty of Arts and Architecture at the Technical University in Liberec, where students designed and produced 3D models of selected buildings as part of their semestral work. Tour guides-volunteers for these special tours were again trained by representatives of Světluška, a foundation of Český rozhlas (Czech Radio) which supports people with visual disabilities. The project was financially supported by CPI Property Group.
