All Areas Access – Creative Europe (2023-2024)

The project All Areas Access focuses on the study, experimentation and dissemination of good practices aimed at improving accessibility to non-institutional live performance venues for D/deaf people. The partners of the project are Ausgang Produzioni, Beit Company, Keep On Live and Acesso Cultura.

You can consult:
All Areas Access (2024). Guidelines for more accessible venues to d/Deaf audiences
All Areas Access (2023). How to make live music concerts more accessible: a survey with D/deaf audiences

You can watch:
TEDx Torino | All Areas Access: accessible and inclusive music | Argentina Cirillo and Gala Dragot

In Ex(ile) Lab – Creative Europe (2023-2024)

Access Culture is an associated partner of the In Ex(ile) Lab project, which aims to support artists in exile who have recently relocated and are looking to build a career in their host country, by providing opportunities to create a performance, build a professional network, be artistically advised by established artists based in Europe and reach new audiences within the European space. In Ex(ile) Lab will provide a framework for cultural organizations to rethink their practices and adapt their tools to the needs of artists in exile. The project, co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union and led by the Agency of Artists in Exile (FR), also involved as partners Alkantara (PT), Visual Voices (CY) and Santarcangelo Festival (IT).

Training of audio-describers (2022)

In October 2021, Acesso Cultura presented a small Network of Theatres with Accessible Programming. The creation of this network made the lack of audio-describers in Portugal even more evident, that is, the lack of professionals not living in Lisbon with technical preparation to make audio-description available to people who are visually impaired in different parts of the country. Thus, Acesso Cultura invested in the training of nine audio -describers, residing in different areas.

Network of Theatres with Accessible Programming (2021 – )

The Network of Theatres with Accessible Programming intends to present a regular offer of performances with audiodescription and with interpretation in Portuguese Sign Language. In this way, it will improve the conditions of access for people with visual impairments and for Deaf public, as well as for their families and friends. Another objective of the network is to create better access conditions in the cultural programming further from the two main urban centres, Lisbon and Porto. The network will also allow for better collaboration and sharing of resources among its members. The Network of Theatres with Accessible Programming is coordinated by Acesso Cultura and has the support of BPI e da Fundação “la Caixa”.

We shall not be erased (2020-2022)

This project is about focusing on a series of conversations based on the societal position of disabled and Deaf people within the EU community through the lens of art & culture. These conversations, debates and provocations will include disabled academics, activists, artists, agitators, and their allies from across EU, led by a partnership from Wales/UK, Republic of Ireland, Portugal and Sweden. More information

Every Story Matters – Creative Europe (2019-2022)

Books do not reflect our society as it is. There is an absence of inclusive books. By inclusive literature we mean books that present a variety of abilities, ages, ethnicities, genders, religions, sexual orientations and socio-economic groups. Through this project, which is supported by the Creative Europe programme, we aim to stimulate a production of inclusive books and to help them find their way in the sector and among readers. Visit the Every Story Matters website

Arts and disability training – British Council and Arts Council Portugal (2019-2021)

This is a partnership for the provision of training courses aimed at artistic entities and cultural agents in the field of the performing arts in Portugal. The training will focus on the inclusion of people with disabilities in what concerns access to both the creation and enjoyment of performing arts in Portugal, based on good practices in the United Kingdom, as well as in Portugal. Press release regarding the partnership

Patrimonio.pt (2019 -)

A partnership with the platform Patrimonio.pt through which we aim to disseminate and contribute to a reflection on themes related to accessibility in the cultural heritage sector in Portugal. The partnership consists in the production of opinion articles and interviews. See the section Acesso Cultura at patrimonio.pt

Cultura Acessível (2018 -)

With the exclusive support of the Millennium BCP Foundation, Access Culture created the Cultura Acessível website, which gathers information on accessible cultural programming in Portugal. Through this website, we aim to facilitate public access to information on accessible cultural programming.

Arts Council Portugal: Portuguese participation in the IETM Plenary Meeting (2017)

Considering that the participation of Portuguese companies / groups in the IETM meeting was of public interest, and recognising that Access Cultura has a privileged knowledge of the companies at a national level that carry out their work in the areas of inclusion and disability, Arts Council Portugal supported the participation of five Portuguese companies and groups at the IETM- (International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts plenary meeting. This meeting was held from 23 to 26 November 2017 in Brussels and had as its central theme “Can we talk? Art in the age of populism “. More information about Portuguese participation

Encounters “Beyond the Physical: barriers to cultural participation” (2017)

Throughout 2017, and with the support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Access Culture organised a series of meetings in all intermunicipal communities in the country, with the objective of promoting a reflection on the barriers to cultural participation, giving us also the opportunity to know better diverse realities in the field. More information on the meetings and report