What is it about?
Lack of accessibility is one of the main environmental barriers to participation of people with disabilities in artistic and cultural events. The objective of the research is to analyse the existing accessibility measures in the Guelaguetza Festival and the perception of inclusion of people with reduced mobility.
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Why is it important?
The festival is the major cultural event held annually in Oaxaca which, in turn, is one of the most visited cities in Mexico. People with reduced mobility includes people with disabilities but also attendees with a certain difficulty to walk such as elderly people, young children, pregnant women, and so forth, adding up to around 40% of the total Mexican population. A mixed methodology was developed based on the application of a checklist, interviews with officials and analysis of administrative documents before the event, architectural analysis of the main venue, and direct observation and interviews with staff during the event. The results show severe restrictions for people with reduced mobility who want to attend the event although improvements have been made in the last years.
Perspectives
This chapter presents a research to analyse the existing accessibility measures in the Guelaguetza Festival and the perception of inclusion of people with reduced mobility. The festival is the major cultural event held annually in Oaxaca which, in turn, is one of the most visited cities in Mexico. The Guelaguetza is considered a major indigenous festival in Mexico, also one of the most important ones on the American Continent, attracting a great number of visitors to Oaxaca each year. Research shows that accessibility is the main environmental barrier to participation in arts and cultural events. The research group attended the major performance at the auditorium and several parallel activities in public spaces during festival days to observe accessibility measures, barriers to accessibility, participation of people with reduced mobility and staff attitudes. The concern about accessibility was included in New Urban Agenda 2016, the document meant to guide urbanisation and its global challenges.
Dr. Daniel Barrera-Fernández
Universidad de Sevilla
This chapter presents a research to analyse the existing accessibility measures in the Guelaguetza Festival and the perception of inclusion of people with reduced mobility. The festival is the major cultural event held annually in Oaxaca which, in turn, is one of the most visited cities in Mexico. The Guelaguetza is considered a major indigenous festival in Mexico, also one of the most important ones on the American Continent, attracting a great number of visitors to Oaxaca each year. Research shows that accessibility is the main environmental barrier to participation in arts and cultural events. The research group attended the major performance at the auditorium and several parallel activities in public spaces during festival days to observe accessibility measures, barriers to accessibility, participation of people with reduced mobility and staff attitudes. The concern about accessibility was included in New Urban Agenda 2016, the document meant to guide urbanisation and its global challenges.
Dr. Marco Hernández-Escampa
Universidad Autonoma Benito Juarez de Oaxaca
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Inclusion of people with reduced mobility in festivals, September 2018, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.4324/9781351142243-3.
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