The main objective of PictOrihuela is to create a unified visual identity across all municipal spaces, facilitating the understanding of signs, buildings, restrooms, or reception areas. This municipal cognitive accessibility proposal aims to move towards a more inclusive and user-friendly city for its citizens.
The initiative, recently presented, has the collaboration of entities such as the ONCE Orihuela and AFA Miguel Hernández. Eva Lorente Arnás, director of ONCE, and María Sánchez, from the association of families with Alzheimer's, have contributed their perspectives to include the needs of people with visual impairments and those suffering from cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer's or dementia.
The proposal includes the incorporation of pictograms, clear signage, easy reading, anticipatory information, and digital support. It seeks to facilitate orientation and autonomy not only for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families but also for people with Alzheimer's, intellectual or visual disabilities, the elderly, and visitors.
As explained by the responsible councilwoman, PictOrihuela stems from the work of the Family Observatory and the Portrait of families with disabilities in Orihuela, developed in 2025. "One of the needs they conveyed to us was that Orihuela needed to work more on social inclusion," she stated, highlighting that this initiative is a response to that demand.
María Sánchez emphasized that the city must be not only physically accessible but also easy to understand and use. For her part, Eva Lorente highlighted the importance of extending the use of these supports to people with visual impairments. The intention is for the project to transcend the municipal scope and reach daily life, by contacting merchant associations and the hospitality sector.
