Establishments in Yekaterinburg have been urged to more actively attract visitors with limited mobility.

      People with limited mobility in Yekaterinburg visit cafes and other public establishments. They would like to go there more often, but they face barriers. Owners of establishments can attract this new loyal audience without significant costs. What needs to be done for this is outlined in a study conducted as part of a joint project by the Atom holding and the Yeltsin Center "Yekat for All."

      The goal of the project is to motivate companies in Yekaterinburg to adapt their premises to meet the needs of people with limited mobility and to raise awareness among them about the accessibility of establishments for this category of visitors.

      The undisputed leaders in terms of attendance among survey participants are city parks and squares. Cafes and restaurants rank second in demand. Shopping centers take third place. Other leisure activities suggested in the survey, including theaters and cinemas, museums and galleries, libraries, and creative spaces, are rarely visited by the surveyed residents of Yekaterinburg.

      Among the physical barriers to visiting a particular public space, survey participants mention the entrance group (heavy doors, steep ramps, high thresholds, and narrow openings). Inside, they note narrow passages, the absence of elevators, and internal thresholds as obstacles.

      However, according to the study, some respondents are willing to overcome architectural barriers if the establishment is of interest to them and the prices are acceptable.

      Another barrier (alongside physical and economic) is informational. Restaurateurs can eliminate this barrier completely free of charge. Almost a third (95 out of 354 surveyed) of respondents indicated that they lack reliable information about the accessibility of specific establishments. People with limited mobility often check their routes, and restaurants should post photos and videos on their websites in mapping services (2GIS, Yandex.Maps).

      Survey participants rate the level of service as significant and even decisive. This refers to equally attentive and humane treatment of all visitors. Physically accessible space does not guarantee a positive user experience if staff are not adequately prepared to interact with visitors with limited mobility.

      For the sake of attentive and friendly treatment, people with limited mobility are willing to overcome physical barriers. Most of them have learned to cope with these to some extent. However, neglect from cafe or restaurant staff significantly more often leads to a complete refusal to return.

      Creating a barrier-free environment in an establishment does not always require large investments: it is not that expensive to work with staff and post photos and videos on the website, and the effect can be significant.

      "I think society should recognize this need as a public one. Not as a need of a small group of people, but as something necessary for society as a whole. Then all issues will be resolved much faster," shared one of the participants in the study.