سه شنبه ۲۷ شهریور ۰۳ | ۲۰:۵۱ ۷ بازديد
Equality was established by
the Ministry of Culture in 2021. It will be dedicated to the survey, study and dissemination of data on gender
gaps, which play a fundamental role in influencing social awareness.
To encourage private subjects to pay more attention to gender issues, a possible tool is to condition public
funding to transparency in the “gender-policy” (overall workforce, top positions, salaries, etc.) of the requesting
organizations. A measure of this type is contained in the Audiovisual Law promoted by the Minister of Culture
Franceschini (Law 220/2016) through specific incentives to producers who contract female directors and authors.
Some best practices, implemented by public and private subjects in the cultural field, are also worth mentioning:
The campaign #8marzoalmuseo, launched in 2016 by the MiC, aimed at celebrating women artists and
historic characters as well as promoting women’s cultural participation trough free entrance in state owned
museums on the 8th of March;
The Female Toponymy Association since 2012 puts pressure on local administrations so that street names
also remember women in history (at the moment they are only 5% of the total) and invests in school
projects;
The Association Amleta, an inter-sectoral feminist collective that focuses on the presence of women in the
world of performing arts, on the representation of women in classical and contemporary drama, and acts
as a vigilant and constant watchdog to identify and combat violence and harassment in the workplace.
2.5.6. DISABILITY
The normative framework for addressing disability issues has been broadly outlined in chapter 2.2., and may be
defined as the most comprehensive by far in terms of promoting accessibility for audiences “with special needs”.
Efforts to provide a broad overview of an often fragmented cultural offer have also been made in the past few
years, as shown by the following two examples:
The A.D. Arte portal, funded by the Ministry of Culture - DG Museums, provides information on the
accessibility features of national museums and archaeological areas[1];
36
The MAPS project, launched in 2018 by ENS - Ente Nazionale Sordi (National Agency for the Deaf) and co-
financed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy[2], aims to create an online platform for showcasing
museums/cultural sites with accessibility services for deaf people[3], to organise training courses on
museum accessibility across Italy for deaf young people (aged 18-35), and to build a network for effective
cooperation between public administrations, arts institutions and non-profit organisations.
Both in terms of policies and practices, however, the focus is still predominantly on removing barriers – whether
they be physical, sensory or cognitive – rather than on promoting the creative potential of persons with
disabilities. As a matter of fact, the increasing claim of the latter to be engaged as cultural actors and decision-
makers, rather than as passive “users” of mainstream services and tools (e.g. sign language / tactile tours, Braille
labels, easy-to-read guides), is by far the most interesting development of the past few years in the heritage
sector.
A couple of examples in line with this audience-led shift in perspectives:
MAXXI – National Museum of 21st century Arts launched a participatory project called “Mixt”[4] in
collaboration with ENS, the Italian Union of Blind and Visually Impaired People, and the National Federation
of Pro-Blind Institutions. A team of deaf and visually impaired people with different educational
backgrounds, museum professionals and IT experts developed narrative trails to help all visitors discover
MAXXI’s architecture from new perspectives.
Another interesting interactive project, “Ocean Space”, addresses the difficult issue of sign language
glossaries through an unusual lens[5]. Curated by a museum accessibility expert in collaboration with ENS,
its goal is to create a shared glossary of signs relating to the oceans and climate emergency by actively
involving the Italian deaf community, and with the scientific support of the Institute of Marine Sciences.
The National Recovery and Resilience Plan recently presented by Italy is aimed to remove architectural, sensory
and cognitive barriers in museums, libraries and archives, as well as to promote a “culture of accessibility”
(Mission 1) also through the training of qualified personnel. This initiative is likely to have a significant impact on
the heritage sector and its ability to address the “special needs” of persons with disabilities, although a radical
shift in mentality is still needed to deal with the equally important issues of representation, new interpretive
perspectives and staff diversity.
In this respect, theatre has traditionally been far more groundbreaking and experimental.
[1] https://www.accessibilitamusei.beniculturali.it/en/site/index
[2] https://progettomaps.ens.it
[3] https://www.accessibitaly.it/en/
[4] https://www.mixt.it/
[5] https://www.ocean-space.org/it/education/abecedarium-lis
37
2.6. Culture and social inclusion
Social inclusion is a distinctive cultural policy issue in Italy. However, it is pursued through initiatives mostly
characterized by a fragmented, bottom-up approach, and it is still poorly investigated by social and statistical
surveys.
A few initiatives are indeed promoted by the State, like “Take part!”, a call by the Ministry of Culture in favor of
the marginal and peripheral areas of the country[1]. Another example is Theatre in prison programs, which are
strongly supported by the Ministry of Justice.
A growing number of individual initiatives, carried out separately or jointly by Regional and local authorities,
associations of the Third Sector, public, and private cultural organizations, pursue social inclusion via cultural
participation and engagement. In some instances, they are supported by UE funding programs (such as Creative
Europe or Structural Funds)[2]. On the other hand, private foundations, like Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione
Cariplo, Fondazione Unipol, and others, support both financially and technically many initiatives[3].
Museums, libraries, and theatre companies are particularly active in this direction. As also described in other
sections of the report (eg. see chapter 2.5.6), they typically address disadvantaged groups, such as the targets
listed below, to which specific projects are dedicated.
Children, adolescents, and young people in conditions of educational poverty[4].
People with moderate to severe physical, sensorial, or cognitive limitations[5].
People with degenerative conditions (like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s), and their
the Ministry of Culture in 2021. It will be dedicated to the survey, study and dissemination of data on gender
gaps, which play a fundamental role in influencing social awareness.
To encourage private subjects to pay more attention to gender issues, a possible tool is to condition public
funding to transparency in the “gender-policy” (overall workforce, top positions, salaries, etc.) of the requesting
organizations. A measure of this type is contained in the Audiovisual Law promoted by the Minister of Culture
Franceschini (Law 220/2016) through specific incentives to producers who contract female directors and authors.
Some best practices, implemented by public and private subjects in the cultural field, are also worth mentioning:
The campaign #8marzoalmuseo, launched in 2016 by the MiC, aimed at celebrating women artists and
historic characters as well as promoting women’s cultural participation trough free entrance in state owned
museums on the 8th of March;
The Female Toponymy Association since 2012 puts pressure on local administrations so that street names
also remember women in history (at the moment they are only 5% of the total) and invests in school
projects;
The Association Amleta, an inter-sectoral feminist collective that focuses on the presence of women in the
world of performing arts, on the representation of women in classical and contemporary drama, and acts
as a vigilant and constant watchdog to identify and combat violence and harassment in the workplace.
2.5.6. DISABILITY
The normative framework for addressing disability issues has been broadly outlined in chapter 2.2., and may be
defined as the most comprehensive by far in terms of promoting accessibility for audiences “with special needs”.
Efforts to provide a broad overview of an often fragmented cultural offer have also been made in the past few
years, as shown by the following two examples:
The A.D. Arte portal, funded by the Ministry of Culture - DG Museums, provides information on the
accessibility features of national museums and archaeological areas[1];
The MAPS project, launched in 2018 by ENS - Ente Nazionale Sordi (National Agency for the Deaf) and co-
financed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy[2], aims to create an online platform for showcasing
museums/cultural sites with accessibility services for deaf people[3], to organise training courses on
museum accessibility across Italy for deaf young people (aged 18-35), and to build a network for effective
cooperation between public administrations, arts institutions and non-profit organisations.
Both in terms of policies and practices, however, the focus is still predominantly on removing barriers – whether
they be physical, sensory or cognitive – rather than on promoting the creative potential of persons with
disabilities. As a matter of fact, the increasing claim of the latter to be engaged as cultural actors and decision-
makers, rather than as passive “users” of mainstream services and tools (e.g. sign language / tactile tours, Braille
labels, easy-to-read guides), is by far the most interesting development of the past few years in the heritage
sector.
A couple of examples in line with this audience-led shift in perspectives:
MAXXI – National Museum of 21st century Arts launched a participatory project called “Mixt”[4] in
collaboration with ENS, the Italian Union of Blind and Visually Impaired People, and the National Federation
of Pro-Blind Institutions. A team of deaf and visually impaired people with different educational
backgrounds, museum professionals and IT experts developed narrative trails to help all visitors discover
MAXXI’s architecture from new perspectives.
Another interesting interactive project, “Ocean Space”, addresses the difficult issue of sign language
glossaries through an unusual lens[5]. Curated by a museum accessibility expert in collaboration with ENS,
its goal is to create a shared glossary of signs relating to the oceans and climate emergency by actively
involving the Italian deaf community, and with the scientific support of the Institute of Marine Sciences.
The National Recovery and Resilience Plan recently presented by Italy is aimed to remove architectural, sensory
and cognitive barriers in museums, libraries and archives, as well as to promote a “culture of accessibility”
(Mission 1) also through the training of qualified personnel. This initiative is likely to have a significant impact on
the heritage sector and its ability to address the “special needs” of persons with disabilities, although a radical
shift in mentality is still needed to deal with the equally important issues of representation, new interpretive
perspectives and staff diversity.
In this respect, theatre has traditionally been far more groundbreaking and experimental.
[1] https://www.accessibilitamusei.beniculturali.it/en/site/index
[2] https://progettomaps.ens.it
[3] https://www.accessibitaly.it/en/
[4] https://www.mixt.it/
[5] https://www.ocean-space.org/it/education/abecedarium-lis
2.6. Culture and social inclusion
Social inclusion is a distinctive cultural policy issue in Italy. However, it is pursued through initiatives mostly
characterized by a fragmented, bottom-up approach, and it is still poorly investigated by social and statistical
surveys.
A few initiatives are indeed promoted by the State, like “Take part!”, a call by the Ministry of Culture in favor of
the marginal and peripheral areas of the country[1]. Another example is Theatre in prison programs, which are
strongly supported by the Ministry of Justice.
A growing number of individual initiatives, carried out separately or jointly by Regional and local authorities,
associations of the Third Sector, public, and private cultural organizations, pursue social inclusion via cultural
participation and engagement. In some instances, they are supported by UE funding programs (such as Creative
Europe or Structural Funds)[2]. On the other hand, private foundations, like Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione
Cariplo, Fondazione Unipol, and others, support both financially and technically many initiatives[3].
Museums, libraries, and theatre companies are particularly active in this direction. As also described in other
sections of the report (eg. see chapter 2.5.6), they typically address disadvantaged groups, such as the targets
listed below, to which specific projects are dedicated.
Children, adolescents, and young people in conditions of educational poverty[4].
People with moderate to severe physical, sensorial, or cognitive limitations[5].
People with degenerative conditions (like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s), and their
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