Voices of inclusion: focus group insights about accessibility and easy audio explanations in cultural leisure visits

Accessibility in cultural venues is critical along the different phases of the visitor journey: planning, arrival, visit, and departure. Against this framework, this article reports on the results of three focus groups in Catalonia in which two aspects were addressed: (a) the accessibility needs of persons with intellectual disabilities and the elderly when visiting cultural venues, and (b) the potential of a distinct cognitive accessibility service based on spoken Easy Language (easy audio explanations). Results highlight the importance of pre-visit information, staff training, and post-visit feedback mechanisms, while stressing the uneven presence of access services in cultural venues. Participants also show interest in the potential of the suggested cognitive accessibility service to enhance the comprehensibility of cultural experiences, while suggesting a universal design approach, the inclusion of AI-powered tools, clear user interfaces, and co-creation processes with users.