The Accessible Culture & Training (ACT), a European project which aims at promoting equal opportunities and accessibility to cultural events across countries and a wealth of languages, kicked off on the 26th-27th November in Barcelona. The project combines the expertise of a multisectorial team to establish and qualify the profile of accessibility expert and thus empower all citizens, and especially people with disabilities, to enjoy a shared access to culture and arts.
The project is led by the research group Transmedia Catalonia at UAB, coordinated by Pilar Orero and Anna Matamala and counts with the participation of Antwerp University (Belgium), Queen’s University Belfast (Northern Ireland), the University of Vienna (Austria), theatre companies Trànsit Projectes and NT Gent, the Department of Culture of the Government of Catalonia, Enter (Flemish Centre of Expertise on Accessibility) and the European Certification and Qualification Association (ECQA).
“Currently there is no well-defined and officially recognized professional profile of a Media Accessibility Expert/Manager for the Scenic Arts – explains Dr. Orero, the project’s coordinator – With this project we aim at defining and establishing the professional skills in order to develop the required training.”
The project will be developed through a series of activities starting with a study of the current and emerging needs in the field of performing arts in terms of accessibility. The definition of a professional profile, knowledge and skills will be the first step to further activities such as the design of innovative learning activities. These will be developed as both curriculum design and also as a MOOC. Model policy will be design with the cooperation of regional and local authorities. Finally, the members of the consortium will design and create an accessibility label for the scenic arts. The project will develop a unified European certification scheme for the new professional profile.
The ACT project will last three years and will involve fifteen experts from all participating institutions.
To read more about the project click here
To read about the Transmedia Research Group click here