|
If we had to choose two ways to highlight Portugal from other countries, one of them would be for crossing oceans with our caravels, bravely during Discovery times. Another way to differentiate Portugal is to remember Expo98, Euro2004, O Porto European Capital of Culture, among other events where we spent a lot of money.
The amount of money spent on those events is enough to put Portugal in the Guinness book. Should we expect to live in one of the most developed countries of the world where we can find equality of rights for all as well as access to culture.
Unfortunately, this is not reality, only 20 out of the 120 Portuguese museums ‘have projects going on’ for people with handicaps, such as exhibitions complemented with audio guides or Braille support, facilities with ramps or elevators and specific educational materials, stated the Portuguese Institute of Museums.
But Portuguese museums accessibility should be visible right from the outside, starting with access, accessible public transports, the streets and last but not least its surrounding spaces. In the interior, museums should be equipped with elevators or else with elevator platforms and there should be available floor guidelines for blind people as well as information in Braille. However, here new technologies could help audio guides that will allow self explained tours with the time or rhythm managed by each one of us.
The audio guide could be something as simple as equipment based in a universal tool as for example: an mp3 player or an mp4, which will facilitate pieces description to deaf people because it has image enabling sign language.
Still, for a perfect upgrade of museums interior, we should place exhibition pieces in a way that a citizen may use tact to feel what is in exhibition. I presume that this is only possible in recent museums and in exhibitions that allow contact between the piece of art and men.
If all this information was available in a web site it will surely be easy for handicap people to decide whether to go to a museum or not. They could arrange for transportation, choose provide a perfect mobility in Portuguese Museums.
All this applies to show rooms such as theatre and cinema, despite not having the numbers of accessible rooms in these spaces.
We all know that cinema and theatres are far from fulfilling ‘Decreto Lei 163/06, 2 nd article, number 2 - m) , in what concerns technical rules of museums, theatres, cinemas, congress or conference rooms, libraries accessibilities. This also applies to buildings, facilities created for recreational and socio-cultural activities.
Sometimes some of these facilities have some accessibility that, by not being well placed, do not allow a perfect visualization or audition of the show in exhibition.
It is important to highlight the importance of in these kinds of events. We could use effectively new technologies like audio description, through wireless phones, of the stage and remaining elements of the exhibition enabling all the audience to enjoy the show.
‘A Casa da Música’ is one good example of social Art discrimination in Portugal. Its entrance was not build considering human diversity, because there are people who cannot climb stairs. Moreover, a side elevator appears as a camouflage for its lack of accessibility. This also proves that there is an entrance for normal people and another one for handicap people. Ironically, this is the building meant to represent Portugal in subjects of art but at the same time it will become a national embarrass of accessibility
Our modern, well informed and even more demanding society oblige us to look at all that surround us in order to have the right for autonomous visitors in museums or show rooms.
Example: A museum technologically equipped with audio guides. In the picture, we can see the Communication Museum in Brazil.
A conference room, which is not fit to accommodate people with, reduced mobility. This picture shows the Centre Pavilion of Portugal in Coimbra.
Website of record: GAM – Grupo de Acessibilidade aos Museus
|
