The Erasmus+ project “Training Higher Education Students to Create Transformative Cultural Experiences for Individuals with Special Needs” (KA220-HED-382D6902) continues to make strides. Funded by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Directorate for European Union (EU) and the Turkish National Agency, the project is coordinated by the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA).

From April 4–7, 2025, project partners gathered in Amsterdam for a series of meetings and training sessions hosted by the SEALS Foundation. The Balkan Museum Network (BMN) was represented by Dr. Irena Ruzhin, a member of the BMN Steering Board and Balkan Museum Access Group from the N.I. Institute and Museum Bitola, and Aida Šarac Berbić from the Art Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Dr. Ruzhin and Ms. Šarac Berbić shared insights from their projects, focusing on lessons learned and the value of working in partnership with disabled individuals. Discussions also addressed how to adapt cultural experiences to various types of disabilities—such as hearing and vision impairments, autism, intellectual disabilities, and mobility challenges—placing a strong emphasis on improving sensory access.

A key part of the meeting involved the development of digital stories for 40 cultural heritage artifacts. Each partner will identify artifacts from their institution and adapt them for specific disability groups. Planned adaptations include:

• Subtitled and sign language-supported narratives for individuals with hearing impairments

• Audio descriptions for individuals with visual impairments

• Simplified texts with visual cues for individuals on the autism spectrum

• Structured, easy-to-read content for individuals with intellectual disabilities

Adapted electronic stories will be prepared not just for different groups but for all audience members. Experts at the meeting collaborated on sample drafts of these digital stories, tailored to each target group. These efforts will be further supported by international cooperation to ensure wide dissemination of the project’s outcomes. Ultimately, the goal is to create an inclusive educational model that can be adopted across countries.

Also, public events will be organized to share experiences and promote sustainable solutions for improving access to cultural heritage for people with disabilities.

“The third meeting of the iNCLUSION project partners in Amsterdam, gave the BMN representatives the opportunity to revise their inclusive stories, to align the methodology and structure of the stories with the rest of the consortium. Now we can proceed to finalization of digital contents for people with disabilities.” stated Aida Šarac Berbić

The iNCLUSION Project is co-financed by the EU as a part of the Erasmus+ programme.

For more information on the project, check out www.inclusioninhed.eu