Within the framework of the policy of cultural democratization led by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, the “Heritage for All” award distinguishes an excellent approach in terms of generalized accessibility for people with motor disabilities, visual, auditory or mental. With an amount of €50,000, it rewards museums, monuments, archives and other heritage sites for their achievements in compliance with the disability standards of the built environment, innovation linked to an approach of access and use for all, mediation promoting the autonomy of individuals and the diversity of audiences in the cultural offer.
On September 5, Vincent Berjot, Director General of Heritage, chaired the jury, which includes Marie Prost-Coletta, Minister of Accessibility, members of the main associations of persons with disabilities and civil society (Pascal Bureau, Association des paralysés de France; Marie-Christine Legros, Union Nationale des Associations de Parents et Amis des Personnes Handicapées Mentales; Roger Chatelard, Association pour Adultes et Jeunes Handicapés; Serge Pichot, Confédération Française pour la Promotion Sociale des Aveugles et Amblyopes; Annette Masson, Association Tourisme et Handicap) and representatives of the various departments of the Ministry of Culture and Communication.
For this 3rd edition of the "Heritage Prize for All", the winners are:
- In the category of establishments belonging to local authorities:
First prize ex aequo, with an endowment of €20,000 for each establishment
- La Corderie Royale. Centre International de la Mer in Rochefort
- The Open Air Museum of Comtoise Houses in Nancray
Special mention to the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum in Albi, with an endowment of €10,000.
- In the category of national institutions:
The Museum of Music for scenography and support tools for visiting temporary and permanent exhibitions
The Louvre Museum for its policy of generalized accessibility and in particular for the accompaniment and training of relay associations
The jury would like to congratulate all the candidates for the quality of the files presented.
The Winners:
La Corderie Royale. Centre International de la Mer in Rochefort (Poitou-Charentes)
This cultural meeting centre is dedicated to the dissemination of maritime culture. For several years, he has been committed to a very proactive policy of widespread accessibility and has designed a series of cultural offerings adapted to each disability. The involvement of representative associations of people with disabilities, local elected officials and other tourism and heritage professionals was crucial in the success of this approach and the implementation of good practices. The website has been redesigned to meet digital accessibility standards and offers free downloading of visit aids. A presence on online social networks is a key element of the communication policy towards people with disabilities.
Open Air Museum of Comtoise Houses in Nancray (Franche-Comté)
This atypical museum exhibits, on fifteen hectares, traditional rural Comtoise architecture through more than thirty buildings and kiosks. A working group with representatives of departmental associations of persons with disabilities has made it possible to improve the external path and to adapt mediation for each disability. High definition virtual tours are available for free on tablets and the internet. An educational garden has been created. Awareness-raising and training actions on disability are regularly offered to all staff. Finally, this establishment has recruited several disabled workers and is developing many integration projects.
Toulouse-Lautrec Museum in Albi (Midi-Pyrénées)
A 10-year project has brought this historic monument and its museum spaces into compliance with the new accessibility standards of the built environment. Since 2009, close collaboration with local disability associations has been undertaken regarding the design of the cultural offer for each disability, especially deaf audiences. A dozen speakers (visual artists, actors, musicians) trained in the specificities of each disability were recruited. In the summer, the museum offers all public visits to people with mental disabilities and their accompanying persons. Activities «outside the walls» and visits to the museum are designed for the public of the third and fourth ages through a convention with retirement homes of the region.
National Museum of Music at the Cité de la Musique (Paris)
Since its opening, this museum has attached particular importance to welcoming people with disabilities. In addition to the accessibility of spaces for people with reduced mobility, a varied cultural offer is designed for people with disabilities, who come alone or in groups. The temporary exhibitions regularly offer adapted routes and the permanent exhibition offers images in relief, instruments to touch and audiodescription for the visually impaired. Children with disabilities can discover the collections in the company of able-bodied children thanks to tactile puzzles, sound games and multimedia terminals. A new and innovative «Touch the Music» course is now open to families.
Louvre Museum (Paris)
For more than 20 years, the Louvre Museum has been pursuing an accessibility policy that takes into account the diversity of its audiences. On the one hand, thanks to the work of the Grand Louvre where the palace has been given access to the built environment (elevators, elevators, inclined planes, escalators, adapted toilets, lighting, seats, etc.). On the other hand, with workshops, conference visits and many tools to help with self-guided visits adapted. In 2012, it welcomed 800 groups of people with disabilities, or 16,000 people. It ensures that persons with disabilities and their families have priority and no waiting at the museum and that persons with disabilities and their accompanying persons are free of charge. It has an agreement with the Fonds pour l'insertion des personnes handicapées dans la fonction publique.