Greater accessibility in communication at municipal facilities

Thanks to an agreement with the Government of Catalonia, the Municipal Institute for People with Disabilities (IMPD) is to allocate over a million euros in EU Next Generation funding to improve accessibility in communication at municipal facilities. The improvements will help people with visual, aural or intellectual disabilities understand the information needed to get to public support points and use the range of face-to-face and online municipal services.

02/11/2022 13:36 h

Ajuntament de Barcelona

The goal of the investment is to improve personal autonomy and quality of life for people with disabilities; facilitate communication and information on locations, surroundings, lifts, alarm systems, the regulation of turns and queuing in terms of accessibility; make municipal facilities more easily available to all citizens and foster a friendlier relationship with the municipal administration.

The overall sum to be invested is 1,239,669,42 euros, with eight spheres of action:

  • Purchase and installation of Cyberpass acoustic devices (activated using a mobile phone or the same device which activates acoustic traffic lights in the city). People with visual impairment can locate the main entrance door (at their CAP, an OAC or CSS), using only their hearing.
  • Purchase and installation of fixed magnetic induction loops, which help users of hearing aids and hearing implants to receive a nitid and intelligible sound in spaces where background noise hampers aural comprehension.
  • Purchase of portable magnetic induction loops, enabling effective communication is small spaces where background noise hampers hearing for people with hearing aids or hearing implants.
  • Design and installation of inclusive signage.
  • New system for the accessible regulation of turns and queues.
  • Installation of features to adapt communication in lifts, such as availability, contrast, relief and braille on buttons; a sound system to indicate operation, information and warnings; a light system to indicate operation, information and warnings, and an emergency video-call system.
  • Installation of new alarm systems (sound and light) for people with sensory disabilities.
  • Improvements in the accessibility of websites on four fronts: a project to make the City Council’s 150 busiest websites accessible, better digital accessibility for municipal applications, review of the useability of the procedures website and the creation of a new site for the IMPD.

 

Tags associated with the news item