Accessible Stage for All
October 2026 - February 2027
ANKARA, MANİSA
Affiliates:
MANİSA: Manisa Büyükşehir Belediyesi, Altınokta Körler Derneği Manisa Şubesi, Manisa İşitme Engelliler Spor Kulübü (MİESK)
Accessible Stage for All is a pilot model designed to ensure the equal participation of blind and deaf and hard-of-hearing people in theatre in Manisa. Implemented through a collaboration between the Audio Description Association (SEBEDER), Manisa Metropolitan Municipality, the Manisa Branch of the Altınokta Association for the Blind and the Manisa Hearing-Impaired Sports Club, the project aims to make a theatre performance at Manisa City Theatre accessible through integrated audio description, detailed surtitles and sign language interpretation, as part of the activities marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
The project consists of three key components. First, a pre-performance stage tour will be organised for blind and visually impaired audience members, allowing them to familiarise themselves with the theatre space through touch and sensory exploration. Second, an accessible performance will take place on 3 December 2026, featuring the simultaneous provision of live audio description, surtitles and sign language interpretation. Third, a one-day workshop will be organised on the following day for young cultural and artistic practitioners in Manisa, with the aim of strengthening local capacity in accessible cultural production.
At the end of the project, the experience and lessons learned will be compiled into a digital, open-access Guide to Accessible Cultural and Artistic Practices for Local Governments. This will enable the accessibility model developed in Manisa to be adapted and transferred to other cities and local authorities.
In the long term, the project seeks to establish a lasting institutional understanding that accessibility is not merely a technical accommodation, but an essential prerequisite for the realisation of the right to participate in cultural life.
