Readings
Readings are the many perspectives and viewpoints that – on the theme of accessibility – intersect at every moment of the cultural experience: from the welcome in cultural venues, to the experience lived within them, up to the participation or the creation of new models of interaction.
This section gathers theoretical reflections on these topics as well as testimonies and practices from museums, archives, and libraries, useful for composing a cross-sectional and multidisciplinary vision of accessibility. Accompanied by a counterpoint of news, updates, insights, and stories.
But the tags help to filter according to your interests... so, happy reading!
The exhibition “Le fiabe sono vere… Storia popolare italiana”
The exhibition Le storie sono vere... Storia popolare italiana stands as a true manifesto of public culture, redefining the museum’s role as an accessible space-time to the diversity of contemporary audiences and making accessibility the guiding principle to revive the heritage of Italian traditions.

The first National Training Plan on "Accessibilità nei luoghi della cultura"
Improving the accessibility of institutions and cultural sites, reducing physical, sensory, and cognitive obstacles and barriers that limit participation in cultural heritage. This is the goal of Personeper. Accessibilità nei luoghi della cultura, the national training plan for those working in cultural places to enhance the accessibility of spaces, content, and services.
"Design & Disability" at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London
Design and Disability overturns the view that confines people with disabilities to passive users, showcasing their contribution to the history of design and contemporary culture from the 1940s to the present day.
"Il museo accogliente", Daniele Jalla
Designed for the use of the reception, security, and surveillance staff but, as it turns out, of interest to all museum professionals and aspiring museum professionals, the volume Il museo accogliente. Manuale di pratica museale by Daniele Jalla is available, published by the Scuola nazionale del patriomonio e delle attività culturali. Available in open access, in print format, and digital format.
The State Tactile Museo Omero
Established in 1993 and officially recognized by the Italian Parliament as a State Museum in 1999, the Museo Omero is an inclusive cultural space for everyone.
How does one train on accessibility?
In this article, Paolo Marabotto illustrates the initiatives launched by the Accademia di Belle Arti di Frosinone aimed at involving people with cognitive disabilities through functional training programs.
Experience at the Galleria Borghese with Vulnerable Audiences
Stefania Vannini describes the initiatives launched at the Galleria Borghese aimed at engaging vulnerable audiences: tactile maps, podcasts, education in Italian Sign Language (LIS) and in Visual Vernacular. With a distinct feature: the coexistence of different audiences, both to help break down prejudices against disability and, at the same time, to enrich the cultural and human experience of all participants.
What does GLAM mean?
The collaboration between museums, archives, and libraries (GLAM) is based on the assumption that these three types of organizations, sharing the mission of conserving and enhancing the cultural heritage they collect, address the same communities, offer similar services, and share working practices.
However, the disciplinary fields of the professionals involved are very different, and the operating models and management and enhancement practices of the organizations are not always compatible.

Marina Lo Blundo
Marina Lo Blundo is an archaeologist official at the Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica (Ministry of Culture) and an archaeology blogger. She has been involved in cultural heritage communication for about 20 years, managing her blog Generazione di archeologi for 17 years, founded in 2008, to which she added a Telegram channel in 2019 and a podcast channel on Loquis in 2022. She won the Zeus Prize of Ugento for Archaeology in 2023. Over the years, she has given several lectures and conferences on social and web communication in archaeology and museums, as well as Public Archaeology, within university master’s programs and international conferences.
As a scholar, she has studied the later phases of the Roman villas of Sanremo (IM) and the reconstruction of the Ligurian agricultural landscape in the post-antique period; the sacred area of the Roman city of Sentinum (Sassoferrato, AN) and the archaeology of destruction; Portus (Fiumicino) and its relationships with Ostia. She has taught museology at the School of Archival Science and Paleography at the State Archive of Parma. For the Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica, she is the scientific coordinator of the Archaeological Area of the Ports of Claudius and Trajan (Fiumicino), the Photographic Archive, and the Park’s Communication Office. She is the site representative for Ostia Antica within the framework of the European Heritage Label (Creative Europe).

Paolo Marabotto
Teacher of Pedagogy and Didactic of Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts of Frosinone, he is the author of art and children's fiction books and a workshop facilitator.

Redazione

Stefania Vannini
Monica Bernacchia
Monica Bernacchia, an expert in accessible and inclusive communication, has been collaborating for over twenty years with the Museo Tattile Statale Omero, leading the Communication Department. An expert on the ever-evolving relationship between technology and accessibility, she specializes in conveying cultural heritage using clear and inclusive language. She is an author of articles and a trainer.
Annalisa Trasatti
Graduated in Cultural Heritage with a thesis on museum education, Annalisa Trasatti is the principal curator at the Museo Tattile Statale Omero, where she also works as a trainer specialized in accessibility and cultural heritage education for people with visual impairments. She is the author of books and articles, and a tour guide.

Marta Atzeni
Graduated in Architecture from the University of Roma Tre, Marta Atzeni is currently a doctoral candidate at the School of Advanced Studies of the University of Camerino, where she investigates the contemporary evolution of the art-architecture relationship through the study of architecture exhibitions. Since 2013, she has been writing about architecture for both print and web. She lives in London.