iNCLUSION Project in Amsterdam
As part of the Erasmus+ program, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, the European Union (EU) Presidency, and the Turkish National Agency, and coordinated by TÜBA, the Erasmus project titled "Training Higher Education Students to Create Transformative Cultural Experiences for Individuals with Special Needs" (KA220-HED-382D6902) brought together the project team, the project partner SEALS Foundation, and the Yunus Emre Institute in Amsterdam for a series of meetings and training sessions.
Among the events attended by TÜBA President Prof. Muzaffer Şeker, the focus was placed on adapting to various types of disabilities, such as hearing, vision, autism, intellectual disabilities, and mobility restrictions, as well as improving sensory accessibility. Additionally, TÜBA’s Project Coordinator Assoc. Prof. Kevser Çınar, Project Advisor Dr. Mürsel Doğrul, and Researcher Muhammet Furkan Akbaş participated in the meetings. During the Amsterdam program, a meeting was also held with Maarif Europe Director Sabri Yıldırım.
Within the scope of the event, sessions were held on how individuals with special needs can experience more interactive, meaningful, and inclusive experiences in cultural spaces. During the meetings, with contributions from project partners, discussions were held on how digital stories for 40 cultural heritage artifacts to be selected in partner countries could be adapted according to different disability groups. The project aims to develop subtitled and sign language-supported narratives for individuals with hearing impairments; audio descriptions for individuals with visual impairments; simplified, visually supported texts for individuals on the autism spectrum; and simplified, structured content for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
After the meetings, draft digital stories tailored to each group will be prepared and supported by international collaborations, ensuring the widespread dissemination of project outputs to different countries and enabling the developed educational model to reach a broader target audience. In the later stages of the project, events will be organized to share the experiences gained, aiming to develop sustainable solutions to increase the access of individuals with special needs to cultural heritage.
