Context

Residents of Barcelona with a recognised disability represent 9.28% (151,814 people) of the city’s total population (1,636,762 people). In Les Corts’ district, there are 7,002 people with disabilities. Thus, there is a need to broaden inclusivity and guarantee that this group can have the same opportunities to participate in all aspects of life.

Guitard´s Children Playroom (Ludoteca Guitard) is a public facility in the Les Corts district of Barcelona, that develops activities for children, pre-adolescents, and their families throughout the year, and contributes towards city´s inclusion projects. Thus, there is a need to make it fully accessible for everyone. Innovative technological solutions can help to transform the Ludoteca Guitard in an adapted and inclusive sensory experimentation space for children and their families.

In order to identify the best solutions, the Call How to make the Guitard’s children playroom more accessible was launched in January 2022.

The solution

Nexe Foundation is the winner of the Call How to make the Guitard’s children playroom more accessible launched by the Barcelona City Council, the Les Corts District and the Digital Future Society, in the framework of Innovaccio2030 programme.

Nexe Fundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to specialized care and services for children with multiple disabilities and their families.
The solution is composed of a wide variety of technologies, accessible digital games and leisure elements that offer inclusive and sensory experiences, help learning, socialization and participation of all the users of Ludoteca Guitard. The concept of accessibility offered by the solution is not only to facilitate access to a game through technological support products, but also to offer all children with different disabilities and their families the opportunity to have the same gaming experiences.
The proposal aims to transform the space into an inclusive recreational facility through innovative technologies to improve accessibility and to promote the Guitard´s children playroom as a reference model of accessibility for other public spaces.

The pilot

For six months (from September 2022 to March 2023), different technologies will be tested and evaluated in the Ludoteca Guitard. Each room of the Ludoteca will have one or more innovative and inclusive technological elements installed that will allow the children and their families play together and participate in the activities. The Ludoteca will incorporate: a multisensory space with a Proximity reader, an interactive screen with adapted games, Makey Makey (electronic console), communication system for people with cognitive difficulties, and other elements.

In addition, staff will be trained on how to use the elements and how to guide children and parents in this new accessible space. During the pilot, the impact of the implementation of accessible technologies will be evaluated to understand the possibility of scaling the inclusion model to other public spaces.

Promoters