OAKE Europe :: Current Projects

eCAM

The project idea is founded on the data that in Italy, as in other European countries, some museums have become accessible to disabled. The demolition of the architectural barriers doesn't represent the only tool to guarantee a total accessibility. The enjoyment of the artistic beauties is an essential need of every man, also of sightless, hypo-sighted and in general for all disabled people.

The purpose of the accessible museums, is to translate in relief the pictorial works, by the technique of the perspective bas-relief, that consists of underlining its three dimensions. This technique regards the reproductions of the original arts exposed in the world museums. The hypo-sighted can also perceive the colors. Simultaneously to the accessible exploration of the works they can take theoretical lessons to deepen and to complete the acquired knowledges.

One of the objectives of the accessible museum is to guarantee through accessible runs a complete autonomy to the visitors, that can use both of the electronic baton and the audio-guides, that allow to know in what part of museum they are and they show to disabled the run.

If it is easy to think that the museums are ready to observe and to record the change of the modern times especially in terms of offered services, if we arrange on the fact that their purpose is that to make a service to the society, it is fundamental that they are in agreement with the society demands. The change has taken a particular direction: we are in a society of the information and knowledge.

Our search is based on the awareness of the unhomogeinity of information, publishing and cataloguing of accessible works of different kind present in the museums for the disabled. Beside there aren’t activities aimed to a benchmarking of best practices related to accessible reproduction of works located in accessible museum.

From the studies and researches realised has emerged that exist on web various museums that offer services for disabled but they don't furnish any information on the: accessible reproduction of the "works" exposed.
It misses therefore a cataloguing of the accessible works and of their location in the varied museums allowed the consumers through an unique access.
Through the use of the modern technology, the project intends to develop new models and tools to guarantee the access of disabled to the artistic heritage through the realization of a portal that offers as principals services:

On line Catalogue: freely accessible that gathers the data of all the accessible "works"

The normative on the accessibility

FAQ

Forum

News

Guide lines to make accessible a site addressed to all cultural operators

Project Objectives
The project propose the followings objectives:

to allow the access of the culture for disabled

to awaken the cultural operators

to collect on the web the accessible artistic heritage related to the accessible works of the involved European countries;

to elaborate a prototype of portal on line of the accessible " works " and the runs accessible presents in the museums of the countries participants;

to sensitize and to make accessible the artistic heritage of catalogue;

to build a model exportable in other thematic contexts; [best pratcices]

to facilitate the approach to the culture through an interactive dimension;

to create an interdisciplinary and international net of cultural operators that study the good practices that have foreseen the realization of accessible runs and services addressed to disabled;

the production of audio-guides, catalogues in Braille and multimedia supplies for the sightless and in enlarged print for the hypo-sighted.

Long term expected results
While the expected results regard the realization of the prototype of OPAC, long time term results are to put on a diet the portal prototype after an opportune phase of testing. The definition foresees, besides, the increase of the fruition and accessibility for disabled. The model can be taken as reference for other inherent initiatives the sharing of the artistic heritage of the European countries.
The phase of initial cataloguing will regard all the " works " accessible presents in the museums of countries participants, considering the necessity to make enjoyable and accessible the accessible works.
Portal finality is to be functional to the knowledge of the historical and artistic heritage from the disabled. Particularly in the news section will be indicated:

general information related to the accessible and accessible museums in which the individualized works are, ie: schedule of opening and closing, guided tour, didactic activity, etc.

shows and events related to the accessible runs,

modern applications of the accessible and other accessible reproductions,

new perceptive and interpretative methodologies adopted for sightless and hypo-sighted,

activities realized by accessible museums as: publication of catalogues, illustrative material of the services and the events, projects and collaborations.

An important aspect to be considered for creating new possibilities of fruition of accessible works is the new type of navigation that is realizing through internet: for example, there are computer tools that can convert a simple pulsation of the eyelashes in an input to the computer in order to elaborate data. This could be a really possibility offered by the new technologies for reflections and new perspectives of study and learning or to visit a museum on line.

The project partners are from Italy, Spain and UK.

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