TÜBA-Training Program on Access to Cultural Heritage for Persons with Disabilities
TÜBA's iNCLUSION ERASMUS+ KA220 HED Project, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate for European Union (EU), Turkish National Agency as part of the Erasmus+ program, was held in Sarajevo between 22-25 October 2024.
TÜBA President Prof. Muzaffer Şeker, President Advisor Assoc. Prof. Kevser Çınar and Asst. Prof. Mürsel Doğrul attended the project meetings hosted by the Balkan Museum Network (BMN), which aims to improve access to culture and heritage for people with disabilities and brings together experts and institutions across five European countries.
On the first day of the program, Prof. İbrahim Diken, Director of the Research Institute for the Disabled, Research Assistants Uğur Onur Günden and Tezcan Çavuşoğlu from Anadolu University, Dr. Ümit Savaş Taşkesen, representing the Association for Education and Development Support for Individuals with Autism (Otizmli Bireyler İçin Eğitim ve Gelişim Desteği Derneği, SOBE for short), Teacher Şerife Küçükşantürk and Teacher Cemre Gürel made presentations on the project's education programs. In addition to institutions such as Stichting for Education on Agility Liberating Structures - SEALS (Netherlands) and ARTIFACTORY (Greece), as members of the Balkan Museum Network, Bosnia and Herzegovina Art Gallery, Bosnia and Herzegovina History Museum, Zenica City Museum and Bitola Institute and Museum from North Macedonia participated in the trainings. Students from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Sarajevo also shared their knowledge and experience on accessibility in museums and galleries. The participants had the opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience, focusing on different aspects of accessibility and to continue the implementation of the iNCLUSION project “Training HED Students to Create Transformative Cultural Experiences for Audiences with Disabilities”, a 24-month initiative that will end in April 2026.
BMN Director Aida Vežić pointed out that the collaboration between heritage guardians from cultural institutions and students and staff from higher education institutions is the highlight of the iNCLUSION project: “This collaboration focuses on the common goal of ensuring the participation of people with disabilities in cultural life. At BMN, we have been working for more than 10 years to help museums become more accessible for everyone.”
TÜBA President Prof. Muzaffer Şeker emphasized that accessibility is not a privilege, but a basic human right, and expressed his happiness to share this comprehensive experience with the project partners. He also said that the knowledge gained during the trainings will be applied in their own institutions to ensure wider access to cultural content for individuals with various disabilities.
