Context
Access to art and culture is part of the basic skills and provides complementary learning to reading and writing. Although the issue of accessibility is still mostly focused on physical accessibility, digital accessibility is just as important. The massive development of virtual tours offered by museum institutions during and after the health crisis encourages new cultural practices outside the walls. Nevertheless, a virtual exhibition for audiences with little or no qualifications can be just as inaccessible as a physical exhibition. An image, in this case a painting, can be just as complex to understand as a text. In order to develop a truly inclusive digital cultural mediation offer, we felt it was essential to jointly consider the adaptation of a text and the adaptation of the mode of representation of the commentary and the work.
This is why we wished to explore a mode of representation of the commentaries of works which would propose in a sequential and fragmented way the contents texts and images and which would be based on a simple language, to avoid any cognitive or visual overload.
Objectives
The Team of Art project wished to propose a new form of cultural mediation based on a new technical format and editorial approach in order to include audiences with little or no qualifications or with specific needs. The implementation of the project had several objectives.
For trainers and professionals in the museum sector who work with people with special needs:
- Equip them with inclusive mediation resources
- Provide them with a “low-tech” and open-source technical solution to develop other virtual exhibitions
- Strengthen and broaden their digital and pedagogical skills, particularly in terms of how to integrate audiences with special needs
For learners with special needs:
- Give them free access to innovative educational resources based on the European cultural heritage.
In a transversal way:
- Promote virtual exhibitions as a learning tool for cultural and personal enrichment
- Promote European and international heritage as a source of innovation and inspiration
Resources
Team of Art resulted in the delivery of a platform gathering all the resources produced during the project, in English and in all the languages of the partnership.
120
animated virtual exhibitions
10
pedagogical dossiers
30
practical sheets
1
glossary in easy-to-read-and-understand
1
implementation guide