The two institutions signed a memorandum of cooperation

After the renovation works and improvements, the National Palace of Culture (NPC) is among the most accessible public buildings in Bulgaria. The finding was made by the Commission for Protection against Discrimination (CPD) within the framework of its national campaign “Accessible Bulgaria”, which examines the accessibility of urban infrastructure and public facilities. 

The aim is to show good practices as well as to identify irregularities. On 20 March 2018, at a special ceremony, Ana Dzhumalieva, Chairperson of the CPC, presented Angel Mitev, Executive Director of the NPC, with a special certificate for an accessible architectural environment in the NPC. The distinction comes as a result of the building\'s accessibility adaptation to state-of-the-art European standards. It was pointed out that on the territory of the NPC there are 6 ramps for people in a disadvantaged position. The building has an A4 entrance and an external cement ramp which can be used during planned events. 

All internal ramps have been replaced, complying with ramp slope and width requirements. On the upper levels of the building, access for people with disabilities is provided by lifts. \"When we talk about an accessible environment for people with disabilities, we are first and foremost talking about attitude, sustainable development and sustainable practices. 

This should be a professional cause for any institution that claims to be accessible,\" said Borislav Velkov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Palace of Culture. For her part, Ana Dzhumalieva said that according to the Law on Protection against Discrimination, inaccessible architectural environment is a form of discrimination. \"We are here to show that with effort and ambition, when people are motivated, they can do their best to provide an accessible environment. The NPC is the first place where we will award the accessibility certificate of the CPC\". 

The National Palace of Culture is not only the object of the “Accessible Bulgaria” campaign, but also the first cultural institution to join it. In this regard, the CPD and the NPC signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in which the two institutions declare their readiness to cooperate through a number of joint activities, such as providing methodological and expert support, sharing good practices and joint initiatives, preparing and promoting various campaigns related to facilitating and supporting access to various events for people with disabilities, etc.