Museums play a vital role in preserving cultural heritage and educating the public, but accessibility involves more than just physical access for people with disabilities. It encompasses broader aspects that enhance visitor experiences and promote greater social inclusion. Museums are increasingly removing architectural barriers, using technologies, creating accessible exhibitions, and collaborating with local communities and other museums to meet diverse visitor needs. Through these efforts, museums become true centers of education, cultural interest, and social inclusion.
This publication showcases examples of inclusive practices implemented in museums across Europe. Heritage experts describe the process of implementing inclusive strategies, identifying successes, and highlighting obstacles encountered as well as those to overcome in the future. Examples of pedagogical work in heritage institutions highlight the diversity of educational offerings, particularly in adapting exhibitions to meet the needs of all visitors. Through their experiences and projects, heritage and museum professionals focus on creating multisensory environments using a wide range of tools and digital platforms to ensure accessibility for all visitors.
Examples from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Hungary, and Romania set standards in inclusivity. These museums, galleries, and libraries provide inspiration and models for others. In the context of the pandemic, the publication illustrates how museum practices have adapted to new challenges and how these changes have spurred the development of new technologies, further enhancing accessibility. This publication aims to inspire and inform museum professionals, decision-makers, researchers, and visitors on how museums can become more accessible and inclusive. The highlighted examples underscore the importance of inclusivity, encouraging other museums to implement similar strategies and approaches to enhance their services and contribute to social inclusion. We hope this publication will stimulate further international cooperation among museums, galleries, and libraries in the region to share best practices and support ongoing inclusive practices, encouraging museums to provide enriched and quality experiences for all visitors.
Building on previous results highlighting the evolving landscape of museum accessibility and inclusion in Europe, this publication showcases transformative efforts within galleries, libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions with a mission to provide access to knowledge (GLAM). Despite a legal framework that only partially guides change and limited financial support, numerous institutions have demonstrated commendable progress. These improvements, spearheaded by dedicated individuals and teams, reflect a commitment to enhancing equal opportunities and fostering an inclusive environment.
The initiatives undertaken by museums across Europe are notable for their diverse approaches to accessibility. From tactile exhibitions and audio descriptions to digital innovations like QR codes, NFC, and VR experiences, these efforts cater not only to visitors with disabilities but also enrich the cultural experience for all audience members. Collaborative projects between GLAM professionals and persons with disabilities and their organizations have been instrumental in ensuring programs are inclusive and participatory, reflecting the principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us.” Prominent national or large museums have implemented comprehensive sensory and inclusive programs, and local community museums in the Balkan region have also made significant strides, demonstrating that impactful change can occur at various scales.
The publication is produced within the three-year project titled SHIFT «Metamorphosis of Cultural Heritage into Augmented Hypermedia Assets for Enhanced Accessibility and Inclusion,” led by the Software Imagination & Vision SRL (SIMAVI) from Romania and funded through the Horizon EU program. SHIFT delivers a set of technological tools offering cultural heritage institutions the impetus to stimulate growth and embrace innovations in artificial intelligence, machine learning, multimodal data processing, digital content transformation methodologies, semantic representation, linguistic analysis of historical records, and haptics interfaces. Collectively, the project will release twelve technology solutions clustered into five thematic areas (computer vision, audio, text-to-speech, haptic, semantics, and linguistics) that support accessibility and inclusion by design to overcome the shortcomings and limitations of the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) sector to enable growth and stimulation.
While challenges persist, ongoing initiatives in museums exemplify profound SHIFTS towards accessibility and inclusivity. These endeavors not only improve visitor experiences but also affirm museums’ roles as socially responsible entities committed to meeting the diverse needs of their communities. The publication is edited by Anida Manko and Milena Milošević Micić and published by the Balkan Museum Network.
More about SHIFT project on: https://shift-europe.eu/
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Views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Research Executive Agency (REA) and the European Commission are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
