The evaluation team, made up of professionals and people with intellectual disabilities from the delegation of Zamora, has delivered today the report to the director with the assessment of the Ethnographic Museum of Castilla y León.
Fundación Personas has been working since 2017 on improving cognitive accessibility in the city with the evaluation of the Ángel Nieto sports center, the heated swimming pool or the city bus line 1.
Fundación Personas presented today to the director of the Ethnographic Museum of Castilla y León, José Luis Calvo, the report analyzing the cognitive accessibility of the museum. The evaluation, which was conducted in late 2022, was led by a group of four people with intellectual disabilities accompanied by professionals from Fundación Personas Zamora and Plena Inclusion Castilla y León. “Cognitive accessibility makes the spaces more understandable for those who visit them, that is, that they do not get lost and understand the architectural or pictorial content and for that it is necessary that the texts are in easy reading,” says Ruben Bobo, teacher and coordinator of the validation group of Fundación Personas in the capital of Zamora.
The assessment team toured the museum’s permanent exhibition to detect possible deficits in signage, lighting or presentation of information that could pose a barrier for people with intellectual disabilities or comprehension difficulties.
The entity highlights as very positive aspects the differentiation of floors by color, good lighting of the rooms or the inclusion of maps and arrows to guide visitors. On the other hand, it offers some recommendations for improvement, such as the publication of an easy-to-read brochure or the inclusion of signage in key decision-making areas (for example, at the intersection of two corridors).
For his part, the director of the Ethnographic Museum has assessed the report very positively because “the aim is to take into account all the recommendations published, as far as possible”. He also announced that it will continue to collaborate with Fundación Personas for the inclusion of people with disabilities, as it has been doing for years through the organization of various activities.
Cognitive accessibility a key right
Cognitive accessibility refers to the right of people to understand information and environments. It is a key right since understanding information opens the door to other rights such as health, education or access to culture. Moreover, since 2022 it has been part of Spanish legislation through the reform of the General Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which included it as one of the three legs of universal accessibility (along with physical and sensory accessibility).
Fundación Personas has been working in Zamora on cognitive accessibility since 2017 when it evaluated the Ángel Nieto sports center or the city’s heated swimming pool. It has also continued to participate in projects to advance in this area in the rural world, hand in hand with the City Council of El Puente, or in transport, with the analysis of line 1 of urban buses.
About Fundación Personas
Fundación Personas was created in 2008 by five associations in Castilla y León: ADECAS Guardo, ASPANIS Palencia, APADEFIM Segovia, ASPRONA Valladolid and ASPROSUB Zamora. Our mission is to improve the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. To do this we provide comprehensive services, in the environment and covering all stages of the life cycle of a person. The founding associations belong to the family movement Plena Inclusion movement and bring 60 years of experience, share innovation and foster mutual collaboration.
With a regional presence, we are present in 30 towns in Castilla y León, urban centers and rural areas, where we attend to situations of disability or dependence and provide support for the promotion of personal autonomy. We also offer support and training to people at risk of social exclusion. Our activity is governed by criteria of quality and proximity in service; efficiency and transparency in management; equal opportunities, accessibility and respect for diversity as a driver of social transformation.
In the educational-care area, we manage 5,300 places daily in 75 centers, distributed in more than 30 locations in Valladolid, Palencia, Segovia and Zamora. In the labor area, Fundación Personas has 3 Special Employment Centers (CEE) Lince Group S.L.U., APADEFIM 2000 S.L.U.. and CEE Fundación Personas – with a workforce of 939 employees, more than 90% of whom have some type of disability.
FOUNDATION PEOPLE IN FIGURES:
- 5,300 places (disability and risk of exclusion)
- 2,500 people with disabilities served
- 3,000 families social base
- 75 operational work centers
- 30 locations in CyL
- 5 Delegations
- 3 Special Employment Centers
- 1,800 professionals
- 850 workers with disabilities
- 939 total workforce
You can follow our projects through social networks.
