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The National Institute for Rehabilitation, I.P. (INR) participated, on January 16, in an awareness session dedicated to accessibility, held in the facilities of the Agency for State Technological Reform (ARTE), addressed to students of the Master's Degree in Equipment Design Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon.

The initiative was part of the curriculum project “Construction of the Ideal Day in the Citizen’s Shop”, developed in partnership with ARTE, and aimed to bring future designers closer to the issues of accessibility, inclusion and people-centred design.

The session was structured in three complementary moments. In the first phase, with a sensitizing character, the participants were invited to “put on each other’s shoes”, through dynamics of role playing These allowed us to reflect on the difficulties experienced by people with different types of disability in a society that has often not been designed or built for everyone.

In a second moment, of theoretical framework, an introduction was made to the Technical Accessibility Standards, approved by Decree-Law No 163/2006, with a particular focus on the concept of accessible route as the backbone of accessibility, underlining its importance in linking public space, buildings and services.

The session culminated in a hands-on experience in the outdoor space, where participants were able to navigate the surroundings in a wheelchair and with their eyes blindfolded, making obstacles and constraints visible – albeit in a controlled context – that often remain invisible to those who do not experience them in their daily lives.

In addition to the students and teachers involved in the project, the session also had the presence of technicians from ARTE and Cascais City Council, reinforcing the importance of collaborative work between public authorities, higher education and specialised technicians.

With this type of actions, the INR reaffirms its commitment to promoting a culture of accessibility and inclusion, sensitizing future professionals to the responsibility that design, planning and technical decision have in the construction of truly universal public services.