The Spanish National Ombudswoman visits the Alhambra and finds out about the projects to improve accessibility to the Monument

This morning the National Ombudswoman, Soledad Becerril, visited the Alhambra and Generalife to find out about the projects to improve accessibility to the Monument.
Becerril was accompanied on her visit by the architect-conservator of the Nasrid fortress, Francisco Lamolda, who explained to her that one of the “challenges and commitments facing the Alhambra of the 21st Century is to make it more accessible to everyone”. On her itinerary through the Nasrid Palaces, the National Ombudswoman was able to try out the Touch Panels, devices which enable blind people, and indeed all other visitors, to perceive via their sense of touch the details and characteristics of the Monument’s different decorative features. By encouraging visitors to touch the panels rather than the original decorations, they also contribute to the preventive conservation of the Monument.
Lamolda also showed her how the Signoguías (Sign-guides) worked. These are hand-held devices with a guide to the monument in sign language in Spanish and English for people with hearing problems. This service, which was launched by the Council of the Alhambra and Generalife in collaboration with the Orange Foundation, is free.
Becerril considered these initiatives to be very “positive”, as they bring disabled people closer to the Alhambra, a monument declared part of World Heritage in 1984. 
For more information, visit www.alhambra-patronato.es