Accessibility

Museums belong to everyone, no discriminations. For this reason, one of our main goals is to normalize the visits along the museum whatever users’ condition, taking into account any physical disabilities, the limitations of the age, the visual aptitude, the intellectual level or even the knowledge of Spanish. The museum will try to provide them a comfortable welcome in all possible domains.

Despite the usual boundaries established by an ancient and historic building, we try to delete those barriers by facilitating the transit throughout the rooms; also in providing technical assistance. Moreover, we have facilitated the lecture of texts to the users by presenting the contents in a clear language. We also have a well-structured, accessible and attractive website which allows a quick communication. Besides, we have included very well indicated rest areas, courtyards, and gardens.

As not all visitors know Spanish, we offer the information in several languages. The museum counts with a professional and helpful staff. Finally, we consider the visitors’ opinions as relevant contributions in order to people can have an active collaboration with our accessibility policy.

One of the main challenges of museums is to achieve the full physical and sensitive accessibility of all citizens. Accessing is action but also the possibility of election. In the case of museums, the word ‘culture’ is full of meaning, for example, it means entering in a 15th Century building, staring at artworks, understanding what they mean, following an itinerary, reading a piece of information, calling the elevator, consulting a source to solve a doubt, listening to a conference or simply attempting for a gig. The accessibility gives rise to big amounts of actions that any person should be able to do within the museum.

What degree of accessibility exists up now in the museum?

Physical accessibility

Las sedes del museo se caracterizan por mantener en buena medida su estructura original. El recorrido obliga a salvar desniveles, realizar salidas al exterior, y a atravesar puertas angostas que limitan la comodidad del visitante. La reciente renovación arquitectónica y museográfica han intentado paliar estos inconvenientes mediante rampas y ascensores. Además, para las personas con movilidad reducida, ofrecemos un recorrido alternativo, sillas de ruedas y aseos adaptados.

El museo dispone de bancos, sillones y zonas de descanso a lo largo de todo el recorrido.

Hearing accessibility

The Orange Foundation has funded the installation of a serial of technological resources deleting the acoustic barriers for those people that use hearing aids or cochlear implants:

• Equipments of magnetic portable loops that facilitate the comprehension of personalized information provided at host points and visitor assistance.
• Magnetic Edge Loop in the auditorium that assures accessibility to all events held in there (conferences and meetings).
• Portable wireless equipments equipped with a magnetic loop to improve the hearing accessibility in guided tours, concerts, lectures, presentations, etc.
• Individual magnetic loops for audio guides, that enable these users to receive oral information contained in their own hearing aids without using headphones.
• Audio amplifiers for individual people in tours, concerts, lectures and presentations.

Visual accessibility

Also, Orange Foundation has supplied magnifiers that ease the lecture of catalogues, informative panels, and informative sheets. Moreover, the museum’s elevators are marked in Braille and raised letters. Futhermore, the placards and all informative material are presented in a type of letter big enough for all people with visual disabilities.

Idiomatic accessibility

The museum is multilingual. Therefore, all the distributed information along the route is provided in several languages. The graphics that go with each work and the texts of each room are written in Spanish and English. Meanwhile, guides, catalogues, and informative sheets are written in Spanish, English and also in French. Besides, there are available audio guides for multilingual adults and children.

Intellectual accessibility

The presentation of the permanent exhibition follows the diaphanous spatial criteria, discretion and sobriety; visual accessibility of works always attending to their different sizes, intimate lighting and cozy atmosphere.

The introductory panels of the rooms, placards, audiovisual and explanatory texts are oriented to facilitate the accessibility to all visitors with a clear non-technical language to ensure a simple and quick comprehension and mainly stimulating.

You can download the accessibility guide of the Museum (only in Spanish).