Análise da acessibilidade para pessoas em cadeiras de roda e com mobilidade reduzida no Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca, Minas Gerais

This article analyses accessibility for wheelchair users (WUs) and persons with reduced mobility (PRMs) in the Ibitipoca State Park (PEIb), Minas Gerais, Brazil. The park is a protected area located in the Ibitipoca Range, part of the Mantiqueira Range, covering 1,488 hectares across the municipalities of Santa Rita do Ibitipoca and Lima Duarte. Visitation in the park is organised into three main trail circuits; for this study, the Water Circuit and the Pião Circuit were analysed, as they present different levels of difficulty and accessibility conditions. The research adopted a qualitative approach, combining literature review, documentary research and fieldwork, including the collection of information available on the park’s official website and on-site observation of the infrastructure available for WUs and PRMs. The results indicate positive initiatives aimed at inclusion, such as the availability of the Julietti chair, which facilitates mobility along trails that are otherwise difficult to access. However, accessibility barriers were also identified, including the absence of specific information for WUs and PRMs on the park’s website, insufficient signage and structural inadequacies in trails and caves. It is concluded that, despite existing advances, improvements are required in information dissemination, professional training and compliance with technical accessibility standards, as well as the adoption of universal design principles and the overcoming of the barriers identified by Sassaki (2009), in order to promote more inclusive tourism.