CASE STUDY OF SOLUTION TO BARRIER-FREE ACCESSIBILITY OF THE CULTURAL-SOCIAL CENTRE IN THE FORMER INDUSTRIAL AREA OF LOWER VÍTKOVICE IN OSTRAVA.

The attitude of the society to people handicapped in mobility and senses expresses its level in a certain way [1]. This idea led us to preparation of the case study dealing with the solution to barrier-free accessibility of the newly established cultural-social centre in the area of the former industrial area of Lower Vítkovice in Ostrava. In the introduction to this paper, we define basic terms needed for understanding the problems of ensuring independent motion and orientation of the visually impaired or blind people and those with reduced ability of motion. Next, we define the basic criteria of an accessible - barrier-free environment that is followed by us in the case study on a selected route. The aim of this paper is the interpretation of comprehensive view of the problems of barrier-free usage of the outdoor environment with pointing out to detected shortcomings. The barrier-free environment is the one which can be used all people without exception and limitation. The barrier is not only a physical obstacle. There are several kinds of barrier (psychical, social, architectural, technical or physical) that interact and fade into one another. Barriers represent a certain limitation in activities of not only the handicapped but also healthy people, creating limits in utilization of the environment and affecting the quality of our lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]