Accessibility

Together with organisers, supporters and audiences, we create an European Capital of Culture, in which as many people as possible can take part, each in their own special way.

To this end, the Tartu 2024 programme has many different events that are accessible to different audiences.

In cooperation with the organisers of the events, we try to inform the audiences with clear information, which events are accessible to whom and to what extent.

Various projects and events in the Tartu 2024 main programme are implemented by several hundred different organisers. When planning their event, each organiser decides for which audience(s) and where it will be held. Thus, the accessibility of events differs. However, many events are at least partially accessible to people with disabilities or special needs.

Information about which accessibility solutions and services one or another organiser offers at their event, i.e. to whom is the event accessible, can be found in the Tartu 2024 programme calendar at www.tartu2024.ee and www.kulturiaken.ee.

If an event is at least partially accessible to an audience group with disabilities or special needs, the organiser can assign a corresponding category to their event, and it will be displayed for the visitors of the web sites in the event view.

The organiser should also describe in more detail which solutions and services are used to ensure the accessibility promised for each of these groups. This information is in the description text of the event. For example: “Visiting guests can follow the event with the help of descriptive translation on the Estonian National Broadcasting’s Jupiter channel. There is no descriptive translation on site.”

If you have further questions about the accessibility of a specific event, please contact the event organiser. You can find the organiser’s contact information by clicking on the event in the Tartu 2024 programme.

The Tartu 2024 Foundation supports the organisations implementing the European Capital of Culture programme, but is also the main organiser of several major events within the programme. These events are implemented in such a way that as many disabled and special needs audience groups as possible can take part in the event as equally as possible compared to audience members without special needs.

The nearest major events of Tartu 2024 are:

• Tartu 2024 programme launch in Tartu Aparaaditehas on Thursday, 19 October, 2023
• Opening of Tartu 2024 in the centre of Tartu on Friday, 26 January 26, 2024

For example, the programme launch event is partially accessible for people with mobility, hearing and vision impairments and is family friendly for families with babies and toddlers. Various accessibility solutions are offered both at the venue of the event and during the live broadcast of it, which can be viewed in Estonian National Broadcasting’s Jupiter environment.

You can also find more information about the accessibility of these major events in the Tartu 2024 programme calendar.

The Tartu 2024 Foundation offers help materials, a support network and useful references for organisers who want to evaluate and design the accessibility of their events.

Why is accessibility important?

Tartu 2024 values and accessibility

One of the four core values of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 is sustainability. Our European Capital of Culture programme asks and searches for answers on how to live well also in the future – as a person, as a society and as an environment.

In many cases, participation in culture is positively related to individuals as well as collective well-being. So – the more we participate in culture, the better.

Almost every tenth person in Estonia has at least one registered disability. 100,000 people, or 8% of the population, are either babies and toddlers or their parents. 20% of the population are elderly, i.e. over 65 years old. A large part of the people mentioned and many other people need different solutions and services in order to be able to take part in culture on a more equal basis with the participants without special needs.

Sustainability in Estonian culture therefore also means achieving such a situation that our events, activities and communication are more accessible to people with different needs.

Learning about, implementing and experiencing solutions that ensure the accessibility of culture is a decades-long process

For culture managers, commentators and financiers of culture, and various audiences, learning, implementing and experiencing solutions that ensure the accessibility of culture is a decades-long process. During this time everyone’s knowledge and experience gradually increases, and viewpoints are updated.

One part of this long journey is also the organising and experiencing of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024.

Tartu 2024 accessibility help material for organisers

This downloadable material below will help you plan event accessibility in the early stages of a project. This material also helps to define and describe the accessibility of an event to be published in Kultuuriaken and Tartu 2024 webpage.

The help material contains a list of the most common solutions and services that the organiser can use to ensure better accessibility of the event for visitors with different needs.

The Tartu 2024 Foundation organises experience-sharing meetings via video calls, to which organisers implementing the events of the European Capital of Culture program are invited via email.

At each meeting, one or more organisers talk about the successes and challenges of event accessibility planning and execution. As a result of mutual listening and discussion, participants’ knowledge of accessibility increases and their professional circle of acquaintances expands.