Characterizing Access to Culture for People with Disabilities in EU Cultural Policy: European Identity, Market integration and Social Inclusion

Abstract

This article discusses the emergence of access to culture for people with disabilities, among other underrepresented audiences, as an integral part of the EU ‘explicit’ cultural policy, and identifies and analyses its underlying justifications. It posits that this emerging disability dimension is not only linked to the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), but can be traced back to the three main overarching functions of EU cultural policy, i.e. European identity building, market integration and social inclusion.