«States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to take part on an equal basis with others in cultural life, and shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to cultural materials in accessible formats; and the access to places for cultural performances or services, such as theatres, museums, cinemas, libraries and tourism services […]»

( Art. 30 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities)

Pergine Spettacolo Aperto believes in the value of culture as a common good to which everyone must be able to access, without any exclusion, and proposes itself as one of the few examples of Festivals in Italy that seeks to implement what is expressed in the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

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The first accessibility services were put in place on the occasion of the festival edition ‘Sensibilmente’, dedicated to the human body and its modalities of perception. Thanks to the numerous close collaborations with the associations involved in the field of disability, it has been possible to implement strategies and services that on the one hand are concerned with the physical usability of the festival sites and, on the other, with the eli in Italy removal of any barriers of communication.

The Festival management committee has undertaken several different actions in the attempt to fulfill the above mentioned objectives such as: free transport, mapping of the structures used for the shows,  Italian Sign Language interpreting – L.I.S., supertitling for Hard of Hearing spectators, audio-introduction and live audio-description for Visually Impaired spectators, laboratories and exhibits aimed at raising awareness about disability and guided tour for persons with sensory disabilities.

Already starting from the design phase, Pergine Spettacolo Aperto collaborates with several organizations to promote access to shows by people with physical, intellectual and sensory disabilities. The valuable work of these organizations contributes to the consideration that the festival pursues on socially inclusive and participatory cultural models. The realities that adhere to the No Limits network until today are: Cooperativa HandiCREA, Anfass Trentino Onlus, ENS – Ente Nazionale Sordi Trento, Vales Soc. Coop., Senza Barriere Onlus, U.I.C.I – Unione Italiana Ciechi e Ipovedenti, Coop. CS4, Centro Franca Martini di Trento.

Over the years, various services have been activated to facilitate mobility to and from the festival venues and a personalized guide service has been set up thanks to some ad hoc trained employees. Altogether, 8 theatrical performances were made accessible to spectators with sight and hearing impairments, thanks to the services of live audiodescription and live supertitling. Furthermore 33 meetings with artists were rendered accessible by means of the Italian Sign Language – L.I.S., this latter type of service was successfully employed in 2017 during guided tours through the city of Pergine Valsugana. Finally, on the festival website, 7 audio-introductions were made available to the public with the aim of facilitating the approach and the access of spectators to the shows.