Under the leadership of Sietse Bakker, the Eurovision organizers have decided to pay extra attention this year to fans with a disability. Their goal is to make the Eurovision accessible to everyone.
Special places reserved in Ahoy
If you have already made an attempt to get tickets for Eurovision 2020, you have probably already noticed the following. The organizers make tickets available specifically for people with disabilities. For this they also get a place in Ahoy that is specially for people with a hearing and visual impairment. “There will be screens that are placed in such a way that people can see both the stage and the screen for support”, tells Sietse. He adds that people with a hearing impairment can perfectly follow the show from there through subtitles on the screens. Sign dancers will also be present, which Sweden already used couple of years ago.
People with physical limitations also receive attention
The organizers also thought of physical and visual limitations. There are special wheelchair places and for the blind and visually impaired there is audio description available in a separate part of the room. There will be described what is happening on stage.
Ensuring that Eurovision will be accessible to everyone is also an extra challenge for the organizers. They must ensure that the rest of the public is not bothered by the specially equipped places.
What about people with a sensitive disability?
The team behind the Eurovision organization is now considering how to give people with autism, for example, a pleasant experience. Sietse Bakker explains that they are extremely sensitive to incentives. Stimuli such as sound, bright light and a large crowd cannot be ignored here. They are now looking at whether Ahoy can also provide a separate room for them.
