While a "person with reduced mobility" gets free entry to the Atomium in Brussels, a "person with a disability" has to pay €8.5 per visit, according to the monument's website. For Belgium's Centre for Equal Opportunities, Unia, this explanation is "too vague."
When buying entrance tickets to visit the Atomium, there is a rather large price difference for people with a disability (€8.5) and those with reduced mobility (free). No explanation is offered as to what the difference is between the two. The price for an adult without a disability is €16.
"The Atomium is a 1958 heritage building and is exceptional in many ways. Due to the architectural complexity of the building, much of the visit is not accessible to persons with reduced mobility in wheelchairs," Julie Almau Gonzalez, director of the Atomium, explained on Flemish radio.
"For these people, therefore, a visit is only possible from the upper and central sphere via the lift. That is why a person in a wheelchair will get free access to the building," she added.
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People with a disability who are not in a wheelchair, however, are able to visit the entire building – meaning they have to pay. "If you do manage to enjoy a full visit, you pay €8.5 for admission," Gonzalez said.
While Unia understands this reasoning, it also asked for more clarity, said director Els Keytsman. "If for architectural reasons, these people can hardly visit anything from the Atomium, we understand this explanation: you cannot just adapt an old building."
"What we do want to ask is to communicate better to visitors. The current explanation is too vague," she added. "What exactly do they mean by 'limited mobility' and what is the difference with a 'person with a disability'? That explanation is missing from the website."
Unia already contacted the Atomium's management, Keytsman said. "We are currently in talks with them and they seem willing to respond to our request to adjust the communication around this on their website."
