Values Against Values. A Study of an Encounter Between Cultural Heritage Values and Values of Accessibility

In Norway the vision and principles of Universal Design have in an amazingly short time grown deep roots in public management and laws, as well as in the general attitude. This is partly due to political will and pressure, but also to the role played by the disability NGOs. The challenges come when political processes are pushed forward without sufficient involvement, be it people with various impairments or the cultural heritage sector. This paper, built upon a Master's degree in Inclusive Architecture, Aalborg University, Copenhagen, (1) is a discourse analysis of the process of making the Akershus Castle accessible, the most important historic monument in Oslo and a site of government receptions. The case illustrates the changes in law, heritage principles, and politics, but even more the dynamics of the process that went on for more than a decade, involving the highest political and heritage authorities, the importance of words and communication, and the play for hegemony leading up to the final solution.