Greece’s Central Archaeological Council (KAS) approved last Tuesday a proposal included in a donation by the Onassis Foundation to improve accessibility at the Acropolis Hill. 

The submission includes two parking spaces for people with disabilities at the southern end of the Areopagus hill and on the northeastern side of the Ancient Agora; new Braille signs in Greek and English; signs with large capital and bold letters on the sidewalk of Dionysiou Areopagitou Street and on the Acropolis Hill; tactile routes with architectural elements and a large model of the monuments inside the archaeological area.

A separate project is the creation of an application for mobile phones which will recognize the user’s position and provide written and oral information about the monuments located nearby.

Part of the donation will also be used to replace old equipment at the ancient site, such as the ropes used to delimit the route of visitors, while uneven ground will be marked to denote where a guide’s help is needed for access.

The Ministry of Culture collaborated with the National Confederation of Disabled People and the Lighthouse for the Blind to specify the proposals.

This article was first published on ekathimerini.com.