Casa Batlló has been awarded the prestigious European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award in the category of Citizen Engagement & Awareness Raising for its pioneering initiative of labor inclusion for neurodivergent individuals, recognized under the nomination Casa Batlló: Integrating Neurodiversity in World Heritage.
This recognition, co-financed by Creative Europe of the European Union and awarded by Europa Nostra and the European Commission, honors the most outstanding projects in the conservation and promotion of European cultural heritage. In this edition, Casa Batlló, a World Heritage site, has been recognized for integrating neurodiversity into its management model, becoming an international benchmark for inclusion and awareness in the cultural field.
“True inclusion is about respecting each other as people, valuing difference as a gift, understanding that only by being unique can we bring real value to institutions, society, and the world,” stated Ana María Acosta, project manager.
Since 2021, Casa Batlló has been developing a labor inclusion project in collaboration with Specialisterne, a social organization specialized in employment for neurodivergent individuals. Currently, more than 100 neurodivergent people, along with 60 neurotypical individuals, are part of the visitor services team at the monument.
The model redefines the museum experience from an inclusive perspective: adapting roles and environments to individual strengths, combining neurotypical and neurodivergent teams, and redesigning recruitment, training, and professional support processes. All of this has had a measurable impact on the quality of visitor service and team cohesion.
“This award highlights the value of diversity in heritage spaces and encourages the cultural sector to move towards more human, accessible, and representative models of our society,” said Gary Gautier, General Director of Casa Batlló.
On the occasion of World Autism Day, Casa Batlló launched the “Neurodiversity With New Eyes” campaign, an initiative that invites people to discover neurodiversity through the experiences and learnings of employees, families, trainers, and experts involved in the project. As a symbol of support and visibility, the building’s iconic façade was illuminated in blue.
The campaign, which will remain active throughout 2025 on social media and in dialogue spaces, aims to break stereotypes, raise awareness in society, and inspire other organizations, both public and private, to adopt more inclusive perspectives. Looking ahead to 2026, Casa Batlló is already developing an action plan focused on raising awareness and education about neurodiversity, with a special emphasis on the educational and family sectors.
The Casa Batlló case represents an unprecedented, pioneering, and replicable model of inclusion in the European cultural field. It marks a profound transformation in the labor structure of an institution that receives millions of visitors each year, demonstrating that accessibility and excellence can go hand in hand.
Neurodiversity in numbers
Between 10% and 20% of the global population is neurodivergent.
In Spain, there are over 450,000 autistic people and around 4 million with ADHD.
Unemployment in neurodivergent groups is significantly higher than the national average, despite their potential.
About the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2025
The winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2025 will be honored on October 13 in a ceremony at the iconic Flagey building in Brussels, as part of the European Heritage Summit (October 12–14). The event will feature the participation of European Commissioner Glenn Micallef and Europa Nostra Executive President Hermann Parzinger. During the ceremony, the winners of the Grand Prize and the Public Choice Award will be announced, each receiving €10,000.
Organized by Europa Nostra and co-financed by the European Union, the Summit will highlight the role of cultural heritage in today’s political, social, environmental, and economic context. The awardees have been selected by a jury of 11 European experts, from a total of 251 eligible submissions received from 41 countries.