ERASMUS+ Interpretation of an invisible heritage

Activities aimed at activating blind people in non-formal education are a popular trend related to the implementation of the tasks of accessibility of culture and public facilities. Using culture and its reception as an external stimulus, we involved blind and visually impaired people in activities related to the interpretation and accessibility of cultural heritage. These people, under the guidance of their mentors, acquired not only historical, but also spatial knowledge about the heritage site in question. These individuals then became “guides” for sighted audiences to show them a completely different perspective on how cultural heritage is viewed. This program is still a new item in the educational offer of the SWD, which is in the testing and improvement phase, also it is necessary to expand knowledge and learn about new tools and methodologies in this sphere.

Within the framework of the “Invisible Heritage…” program, there will be language courses and preparatory training, as well as trips, so-called job shadowing, which will be aimed at observing the work of foreign institutions that have knowledge and many years of experience in acting for the activation of blind and visually impaired people. Such trips will allow us to increase the quality, substantive value and influence the attractiveness of future programs implemented by SWD. To achieve all the intended goals, we will cooperate with three organizations:

• Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands – projects aimed at the blind, ways to make space accessible to the blind, heritage education;
• The National Institute for the Blind, Visually Impaired and Deafblind, Iceland – reception of art by blind people, blind senior citizens, educational tools, methods of working with blind people, institutional solutions;
• European Cultural Center of Delphi, Greece – activation of blind people to participate in culture and education in the broadest sense.

The above program involved the participation of a blind person who is a volunteer in the structures of the SWD. During the final visit to the foreign institution, she will participate in the development of new activities aimed at a mixed audience. The implementation of this program will not only improve the competence of SWD staff, but will also translate into real educational projects that will include people at risk of social exclusion due to visual impairment.