Analysis of the accessibility in cultural heritage for people with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Accessing to culture is a right for every human being. However, reality shows that people with disabilities constantly face difficulties when trying to participate in these environments. Even though physical accessibility has been considerably improved, the rest of disabilities must have been apparently forgotten, which is the case of customers having intellectual disabilities, such as people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This paper aims to research whether people with this disorder actually participates in the cultural sector, which are the barriers and obstacles they face, and which ways could be helpful to improve the collective’s experiences when visiting cultural heritage sites. Fifteen interviews were conducted to different families, associations and experts, but also to one cultural site, Gran Teatre del Liceu. This is a theatre of Barcelona, which already worked to implement inclusive practices for people with ASD, named “friendly shows”. Interviews mainly showed a common aspect answering that accessibility was more developed in terms of physical disabilities rather than sensorial or intellectual ones, as well as the lack of employee awareness and the difficulty of the collective to interact, leading to social misunderstanding of the disorder and discrimination towards it. Some ways of improving customer experience were brought up regarding anticipation and diminishing stressors, which was the purpose of Liceu’s “friendly shows”. From an inclusive perspective, this study points out the need to make cultural heritage sites accessible to all publics, emphasizing on the enhancement of dignity and quality of life of people with autism.