Special pedagogy in Innovative Ecosystems: a pilot project for museums accessibility

Cultural institutes and museums are crucial in fostering individual and collective identity through heritage. To achieve this, they need to actively engage with the social context in which they operate by catering to diverse social groups. Inclusion is a key aspect that museums should prioritize, aiming to address the complexities of society and ensure equal cultural opportunities for all (Vaz et al., 2020). Based on these considerations, the University of Macerata, with a vocation on humanistic knowledge, promotes highly multidisciplinary activities within the Ecosystem project (financed by PNRR), with the aims to develop and transfer innovation to make regional production systems more competitive, thus improving sustainability and quality of life (Schalock et al., 2002) in urban and rural areas, and living and working environments. In this direction, the University of Macerata is developing different actions intending to create sustainable solutions and educational programmes for fragility and inclusiveness. Specifically, in line with national and international frameworks (Mace 1985; ONU, 2006), the commitment of Special Pedagogy research group will be directed at creating accessible solutions and organizational models to support access to local cultural heritage. Specifically, the Special Pedagogy group focuses its aim of research on accessibility and sustainability of inclusive tourism for usability of museums, art galleries, ecc.