The Municipal Institute for People with Disabilities (IMPD) and the Barcelona Ombudsman’s Office are partners in this European project, and in April and May carried out a pilot project in the city to assess the function of this app with some thirty real users: elderly people, newly arrived people and people with intellectual disabilities.

The app consists of a space to paste in the original text or upload the corresponding photo, with the simplification option then offered. The initial version of the prototype works in four languages (Catalan, Spanish, English and Italian) and can be used with a mobile or tablet. It also has a participation function, helping users to formulate their own comments and proposals on the matter of debate. The current prototype will be improved according to the results of the pilot project and the feedback from users.

The project forms part of the Barcelona Fàcil plan, the City Council’s strategy to simplify red tape, eliminate barriers and make administrative procedures between the administration and citizens more agile.

The initiative is part of the European research project “Innovative and Inclusive Democratic Spaces for Deliberation and Participation” (iDEM), which started at the beginning of 2024 to put AI at the service of a more inclusive democracy.