From 7 to 11 July 2021, the Team of the Erasmus + ACCEASY project – Easy to Read, Easy to Access – met in presence in Limassol (Cyprus), where it was able to carry out the workshops aimed at professionals (3 for each partner), specialized in the field of intellectual disabilities and cognitive development. The participants, who took part in the course, are the same ones who will train professionals in the cultural heritage sector, as regards the use of Easy to Read and cognitive accessibility. EGInA, as project partner, participated in the training involving two professionals from “La Locomotiva” – Social Cooperative Society – based in Foligno, and the “Centro Atlas” of Perugia.
The workshop, organized by the partner IMS Research & Development, was organized by alternating theoretical moments and practical experiences. After presenting the two Intellectual Outputs of the Project (Database and Manual), the participants were offered case studies and group work in order to evaluate the quality of the products and understand the importance of the topics covered. The Cognitive Accessibility Training Course (MOOC) on cognitive accessibility, created by EGInA, was also presented here. The MOOC – Massive Open Online Courses – is based on both the Manual and the Database, and aims to offer guidelines and recommendations applicable in the daily activities of professionals in the heritage sector, to make it accessible.
The final moment of the workshop was the visit to the Archaeological Site of Amathus and the Castle of Limassol.
Precisely on this last site, an assessment was carried out on the accessibility of the Heritage, with a consequent analysis and discussion on the points of reflection that emerged, with respect to both cognitive and physical accessibility.
The next face-to-face appointment will be in September in Foligno (Italy), where the professionals visiting the training course in Cyprus will transfer the skills acquired to the experts in the Cultural Heritage sector. The course, coordinated by EGInA, will be held in conjunction with the Giostra della Quintana – a historical reenactment of the Baroque era – an important opportunity to involve the participants in the knowledge of one of the most famous historical events in Umbria, but also of how EGInA is working to make it more accessible. The three trainings provided by the project are moments of fundamental importance because, in addition to the acquisition of new skills, they also allow the creation of a network of professionals through which to raise awareness and promote the importance of European Cultural Heritage as a tool for inclusion.
ACCEASY website: https://www.acceasy.eu/
For info and MOOC registration: https://acceasy.eu/moodle/
