Accessibility and Inclusion in Ireland: Connecting Cross-Border Partners
From 13 to 15 October, an exchange of good practices and experiences in promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities in social and community life took place in Leitrim, Ireland.
The meeting was organised as part of the “GET-IN” – GETing persons with disabilities INcluded in civil society and democratic life project, co-funded by the European Union through the CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values) programme. At the invitation of the Sopotniki Institute, the meeting was attended by representatives of the Municipality of Sežana and Dom na Krasu, as well as a representative of the Maritime Museum of Piran.
Our museum also places particular emphasis on ensuring that its programmes are accessible to persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups. Among other initiatives, it has contributed to the development of a handbook on organising exhibitions that are more accessible to persons with disabilities, as well as a training handbook for museum managers. The museum also offers tactile exhibits and makes its collections accessible to a wide audience through digitisation and online access.
Accessibility in its broadest sense was the central theme of the visit to Ireland. The event organiser, Leitrim Development Agency, successfully demonstrated how individuals and social groups can realise their full potential, including their potential to contribute to society. Examples ranged from a local community that transformed a disused factory into a business centre providing 200 jobs to persons with disabilities who, with appropriate support, successfully complete education and training programmes, acquire vocational skills and enter the labour market.
Through visits to local organisations, personal testimonies and direct conversations with participants, we gained a deeper understanding of the importance of an individualised approach, a supportive environment and equal opportunities for active participation in society.
Access to the right information is equally important. To ensure that meaning was not lost amid the mix of languages, the SopotnikiAST application was used at the events to provide real-time speech transcription and translation. In less than two seconds, a speaker’s words appear as subtitles in the language selected by each participant. The application was developed by the Slovenian Sopotniki Institute.
We will also carry this focus on language accessibility into the MARE SUPERUM project. As part of the project, we plan to use the SopotnikiAST application during cross-border exchange visits to workshops and boatyards where traditional vessels are being restored. These visits will bring together traditional boatbuilding masters, craftspeople and students from technical schools in Slovenia and Italy. While learning about traditional techniques and exchanging knowledge, participants will also be able to overcome language barriers.
In this way, we will contribute to improved access to information, greater mutual understanding and more inclusive cross-border cooperation.
