Supporting the universal accessibility on cultural patrimonial buildings: from rights to values

Abstract

Any disabled or aged person should be excluded from accessing to build heritage, neither in physical terms nor in “knowledge terms”. In this paper the legal issues behind the right to accessibility are discussed. Beyond the legal sphere there are other may reasons why accessibility, it is to say, an complete and open access, to all the population should be warranted as a way to increase both the economic growth of general society and of that activities related to the knowledge economy, and as way to create a new value. This paper, also analyses the way in how accessibility is now starting to be seen as a package of quality conditions with repercussions in several areas, instead of a legal obligation to be meet. This change of perspective should help to develop new technologies to make possible the Universal Accessibility to Cultural Heritage.