Cultural accessibility, with "Museo per tutti" Fai expands the inclusion of Italian heritage

Design, listen, include: the multidimensional aspect of the initiative comes from the synergy of those who carry it out. "Access is fundamental to our mission of enabling people around the world to live healthier lives at every stage," underlines Fabio Torriglia, country manager of Viatris Italy. "We contribute to the creation of healthy and inclusive communities, where everyone has access to the same opportunities. Thanks to the joint commitment, today there are accessible Fai properties all over Italy: villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan; villa and Panza collection in Varese; Masino castle and park in Caravino (Turin); Olivetti shop in Venice; villa dei Vescovi in Luvigliano di Torreglia (Padua), Campatelli tower and house in San Gimignano (Siena); Villa Gregoriana park in Tivoli (Rome); Saint Francis forest in Assisi (Perugia); casa Noha in Matera, Santa Maria di Cerrate abbey in Lecce, Kolymbethra garden in Agrigento and palazzo Moroni in Bergamo. Four other properties have been added in the last year: Conti Vecchi saltworks in Assemini (Cagliari); the vegetable garden on the hill of the Infinito in Recanati (Macerata); Giganti della Sila and Casino Mollo in Spezzano della Sila (Cosenza); Villa Rezzola in Lerici (La Spezia).

Dedicated materials, staff and visitor routes - such as those already implemented in the 16 Fai properties - can help to break down the barriers that still hinder real inclusion: a priority for caregivers and operators who, in the IQVIA survey, consider access to culture fundamental for the growth of people with intellectual disabilities and clearly indicate the actions to be taken to make cultural places more and more inclusive and accessible. Staff training is one of the priority dimensions in which caregivers and operators ask to invest, together with the presence of facilitated information material and the creation of dedicated pathways.

Faced with a limited knowledge of intellectual disabilities - 54% of the population declares that they are not aware of them - projects aimed at inclusion and raising awareness of this type of disability acquire further importance: "When we talk about intellectual disability we are referring to a condition that affects the ability to understand complex information, to orient oneself in new contexts, to communicate needs and emotions. It is not a rare frailty, but a reality that involves many families and that, as the survey shows, more than half of the interviewees still do not know about,' explains Carlo Riva. 'This lack of awareness generates concrete obstacles: caregivers and operators tell of visits that are often tiring, lonely, lacking adequate tools. Yet, access to places of beauty and knowledge is essential for a full life for all'.

To include means first of all to know: Museum for All responds to concrete needs and priorities, starting from what emerged in the IQVIA survey. Taking into consideration the fundamental areas for well-being and quality of life - education, professional development, recreational, sporting, cultural and relational activities - the survey shows considerable differences in the perceptions of their importance among the different populations surveyed.

For the general population, education is the most relevant area for well-being (68%), followed by professional development (57%): only 31% consider cultural activities such as visiting exhibitions and museums to be central to a full and satisfying life. The figure changes considerably when the same question is put to carers and caregivers. Although they consider training and work to be fundamental, they also attach great value to cultural activities, with a figure double that of the general population (67% and 70% respectively). The importance of artistic and cultural heritage is recognised by all, but with different intensity: 85% of the general population considers it useful for personal well-being, but only 38% consider it very important. The gap widens when looking at its usability: if for 23% of the general population the heritage is little or not at all accessible, the share rises to 71% among carers and 74% among operators, who experience the difficulties of inclusion more closely. "The results of the research offer useful indications to better understand people's needs," says Fai general director Davide Usai, according to whom it is necessary to continue working to "guide the definition of materials, communication tools and the organisation of visits in an increasingly conscious manner". The numbers, recounting the everyday life of caregivers and operators, guide the action: necessary so that, as the UN Convention states, "the full participation of people in cultural life" can become a right that is concretely guaranteed and accessible to all.