We strive to remove barriers that might prevent people from exploring the city and its architecture. That is why we work with a number of partners to create a range of special tours for people with visual or hearing disabilities.
For the sixth time in the history of the festival, people with hearing disabilities were able to visit selected buildings over the weekend. In collaboration with the Institute of Czech and Deaf Studies at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, and the Czech Union of the Deaf, we offered them four tours with interpretation into Czech Sign Language. Simultaneous transcription was also provided for visitors who do not use sign language. The tours took place at the New Stage of the National Theater, KOH-I-NOOR Factory, Libeň Chateau, and the Klar Institute of the Blind, and they were attended by more than 70 registered visitors.
This year, for the fourth time in the history of the festival, visitors with visual disabilities could also enjoy the festival. Blind and partially sighted people were offered guided tours with specially trained volunteers in six buildings – Laichter House, New Building of the Czech Technical University in Prague, General Pension Institute, Clubhouse of the Autoclub of the Czech Republic, Church of St. Anne, and Quadrio. Often the visitors were also interested in visiting other open buildings in the area, outside the route that was prepared for them. Around 30 visitors with visual disabilities attended the special tours.
The tours included tactile floor plans and urban maps of the buildings and their surroundings, provided as usual by Teiresias Center at Masaryk University (Support Center for Students with Special Needs) and ELSA at Czech Technical University (Support Center for Students with Special Needs), including necessary professional consultations. Route descriptions and ways of transportation between buildings were provided by SONS ČR (Czech Blind United). We also used 3D models of the buildings, created in previous years by students of the Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Technical University in Liberec. Volunteer guides for these special tours were trained by experts from Teiresias Center and ELSA. Thank you for your professional contribution.
Recently, we have established a collaboration with the organization Rytmus – od klienta k občanovi, z. ú., thanks to which we managed to include people with intellectual disabilities in the volunteer program for the first time ever. With the help of assistants, several clients were able to help coordinate visitor traffic and try direct communication with visitors, social interaction and, in addition, the magic of community sharing.