Barça without frontiers: initiatives and meeting to celebrate diversity and inclusion

International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated every 3 December, a date on which FC Barcelona reaffirms its commitment to accessibility and inclusion. To mark this occasion, and as part of ongoing work on this subject, the Club promotes various initiatives through the Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Department, in collaboration with other areas. The goal is to ensure that all people, regardless of their physical, sensory, or cognitive conditions, can access the Club’s facilities, services, and information as independently and safely as possible.

FC Barcelona works for accessibility and inclusion, driving initiatives that guarantee that everyone, regardless of their condition, can enjoy the Club’s facilities and services under equal conditions.

Meeting with CAT and ONCE children

Children from the ONCE Barcelona Educational Resource Centre had an unforgettable experience: meeting the mascot CAT at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.

Before this meeting, they had already been able to "see her with their hands" thanks to a tactile relief panel, a gift from ONCE itself, so that blind or visually impaired people could also feel CAT. This adaptation was presented during the Club’s 125th anniversary gala, where the children explained in a video how they perceived the mascot through touch.

A year later, the dream became a reality: they were able to hug them, touch them, and share laughter with them. CAT, a true icon for Barça fans and especially for the youngest ones, welcomed these children warmly and affectionately. Photos, smiles, and a tour of the facilities turned this visit into a memory that will last forever.

Building a Club without barriers: Universal Accessibility at FC Barcelona

As part of the events planned  FC Barcelona for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, last Friday, 28 November 28, the Club held a talk on Universal Accessibility at the Auditori 1899, aimed at its employees.

The training session was delivered by Reva Portillo, an Accessibility and Inclusion specialist, in collaboration with the Randstad Foundation, with whom the Club works to promote the employment of people with disabilities. This session featured live subtitles so that everyone could follow. 

Reva Portillo, in an approachable and educational tone, emphasised that universal accessibility involves a global vision that goes beyond framework and encompasses communication and experience. It is an across the board challenge that affects all areas of the Club: physical spaces, digital channels, events, and the Club's relationship with its members. The aim of the talk was also to raise awareness and engage all employees so that they incorporate universal accessibility into their daily work and projects, ensuring it is present in every decision and action they take.

Visit from the AICE Federation (Spanish Cochlear Implant Association)

A group of members from the AICE Federation visited the FC Barcelona facilities, the Museum, and the Barça Store at Spotify Camp Nou. These spaces hosted an encounter between young people with cochlear implants and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department. Guided by the Club, they enjoyed a tour of the Museum and then the store, where they discovered mannequins representing various disabilities, including one with a cochlear implant. The Club launched this initiative last season to highlight diversity in its stores.

FC Barcelona x Audivers Project by ACAPPS

As part of the collaboration between FC Barcelona and the Catalan Association of Families and People with Deafness (ACAPPS), the organisation has taken a key step in its immersive reality project Audivers360 as a methodology for auditory rehabilitation. Now, the organisation will start a new phase of the project focused on career guidance and job placement for people with hearing loss, applying immersive reality to recreate real work environments.

Thanks to the use of FC Barcelona’s facilities, specifically the Barça Store at Canaletes, a recording was made that will create a customer service scenario. This material will be used to work on job interview simulations, role-playing sessions, and virtual visits. Starting the project in such an iconic setting generates a strong motivational impact for the association's participants and, at the same time, reinforces the Clubss commitment to inclusion and creating real opportunities for people with hearing disabilities.