Cultural participation
Ensuring the broadest possible access to Berlin’s cultural life and services is a central objective of the cultural policy of the Berlin Senate. The use of public funds to support the cultural sector makes this a matter of public interest. Current demographic trends and developments in technology ensure that this objective will remain a long-term focus of the Senate Department for Culture and Europe. Enhancing accessibility requires the identification and removal of barriers of both a physical and structural nature (products and services, image, education) and the active engagement of previously under-represented target groups. The efforts of the Senate Department for Culture and Europe to improve accessibility are currently focussed on the following four areas:
- Cultural education (with a particular focus on children and youth)
- Cultural diversity
- Digitization
- Accessibility
Accurate audience research is crucial to retaining patrons and expanding the user base of Berlin’s cultural institutions. In light of this, the Senate Department for Culture and Europe implements audience development strategies that are informed by structured and systematic visitor research and evaluation.
The implementation of concrete measures to promote accessibility is the responsibility of individual institutions, the bulk of which are independent, with the Senate Department for Culture and Europe acting in an advisory role.