The Musei Polisensoriali project consists of three main actions: training, the creation of targeted aids and the organisation of routes in the museum premises. Each of these phases, in accordance with the indications of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, has envisaged the active involvement of organisations and associations that have been working in the sector for years, with the support of training institutes and the collaboration of staff working in the museums, who are in daily contact with the public.
The training, intended above all as awareness-raising on issues related to the various sensory disabilities, was addressed both to the reception staff working in the museums and to those involved in the management of cultural venues as well as in educational planning. The training courses made it possible not only to raise awareness of the characteristics and specificities of forms of disability, but also to learn about methodologies and good practices to facilitate overcoming the various sensory barriers (auditory, visual, auditory-visual, cognitive).
The second project step involved the creation of a set of aids to facilitate access to and understanding of cultural heritage from the perspective ofUniversal Design or Design for All, but without losing sight of the specific disabilities: visual, hearing, auditory-visual and cognitive. Although the aids are based on a common methodological approach, they are designed and adapted to the specificities of each museum site.
These three aspects, co-design with stakeholders, the Design for All approach and the tailoring of the tools on the basis of the needs and specificities of the individual museum venues, are the main pillars of the project: the main objective of Musei Polisensoriali is precisely the proposal of tools and itineraries that are suitable for all visitors, beyond the specific needs related to disability, and at the same time carefully tailored to the peculiarities of individual museums and their audiences.
Tools include videos in LIS for people with hearing disabilities, tactile paths, relief drawings and audio descriptions according to the Descrivedendo method for the visually impaired, and “facilitated guides” in easy-to-read and Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC) for people with cognitive disabilities.
Finally, the last phase of the project involved the co-development and co-creation, together with the organisations involved, of a series of visit itineraries within our museums: guided by the operators of the associations involved alongside museum staff and aimed at a broad public, the meetings allowed for the testing of the tools developed and the completion of staff training. In the coming months, visits open to all will be proposed which will include the use of the tools also for people without disabilities, allowing a truly complete access to the heritage through an unusual use of the senses.
