Disney presents a first comprehensive diagnosis of cultural accessibility for people with disabilities, their families and friends in Argentina, with the aim of generating awareness and joint learning that allows the entertainment industry to advance towards live experiences (musical shows, cinema films, exhibitions, live shows and sporting events) more accessible.
Conducted between September and November by Youniversal, a consultancy specialized in research and trends, it is a study that brings together market trends, interviews with industry leaders and focus groups of people with disabilities and their families, as well as advisors and civil society organizations experts in disability. Their testimonies helped build an unprecedented x-ray of the link between culture, industry and disability:
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invisible barriers. The study traces a journey through the stages that people with disabilities go through as consumers of entertainment experiences. Information, environmental and attitudinal obstacles arise from this journey.
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Recognize diversity. There is heterogeneity within the public with disabilities, and therefore there is no single accessibility solution. Recognizing this diversity is an essential step in designing truly accessible experiences.
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A collaborative process. Those who work in the design of live experiences with communities with disabilities achieve more precise, sustainable solutions that are valued by all audiences. Both parties are enriched by each other’s knowledge and perspectives, and consensus is often built through gradual and intermediate solutions.
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Every step counts. Disability communities value both symbolic gestures and concrete changes. In turn, each accessible experience forms new viewers. Simple, consistent and sustained actions among the main players in the industry would allow accessibility practices to be established and normalized that ensure that inclusion becomes a key and continuous value of the business.
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The return is beyond the collection. The research questions the belief that accessibility implies economic loss and limits experimentation in production. Those who invested in accessible experiences of the cases analyzed demonstrated a return in expanded audiences, better reputation and the consequent generation of media and emotional value.
The study is part of “More is more”, a movement promoted by Disney to bring together key players in the live entertainment industry and jointly explore possible improvements that promote more accessible cultural offerings for people with disabilities. “At Disney we work to raise and unify accessibility standards throughout the live entertainment industry. Join links and turn them into a chain that drives a real paradigm shift: going from thinking about disability as an exception, to thinking about it as an essential part of how we design the entertainment of the future. We hope to work side by side with the entire industry to achieve this transformation,” he comments. Belen UrbanejaVP, Corporate Social Responsibility, Brand Management and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, The Walt Disney Company Latin America.
by MA
