Italian theatres are increasingly implementing accessibility services – primarily enabled through assistive technologies such as audiodescription or surtitling – to foster inclusive cultural participation among disabled audiences. However, technological provision does not necessarily ensure meaningful cultural engagement. This research examines a recurring discrepancy in Italian theatres: despite the expansion of accessibility infrastructures, Deaf signing communities remain marginally engaged.

While some performances include Italian Sign Language (LIS) interpretation, most rely on surtitles in plain language; however, Italian is a second language for many Deaf signers, highlighting the linguistic and cultural barriers experienced by many. The study asks: What impact do accessibility services have within performance settings? Do they merely transpose performances into alternative formats, or do they generate distinct experiential configurations? The research adopts a mixed-method approach, combining a quantitative survey of accessibility services across Italian National Theatres and Theatres of Relevant Cultural Interest with qualitative discursive interviews conducted with institutional representatives. A third phase involves designing a questionnaire addressed to Deaf signing individuals to investigate participation patterns, perceived barriers, and engagement with existing accessibility formats.

Drawing on Accessibility Studies and Performance Studies, the research analyses how digitally mediated accessibility services influence access to Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and enable, or constrain, participation across diverse communities. The central claim of the study is that theatre accessibility should be understood as a relational cultural infrastructure rather than a compensatory technological intervention. From this perspective, accessibility contributes to the production of plural performative ecologies, shaping how ICH circulates across heterogeneous linguistic and cultural communities.