Balkan Museums Connect Communities

(Patria) - During 2021 and 2022, the National Museum in Kikinda (Republic of Serbia), the Heritage Museum Knjaževac (Republic of Serbia), the Holocaust Memorial Center of the Macedonians from the Holocaust (North Macedonia), and the Heritage Museum Visoko (Bosnia and Herzegovina) will be included in a regional project designed to improve the accessibility of museum programs and activities for persons with disabilities.

This regional initiative was launched by Milena Milošević Micić, museum advisor and art historian from the Heritage Museum Knjaževac, in cooperation with colleagues from Bitola and Sarajevo.

The project will be realized through a series of activities, and the first step in improving museum accessibility is identifying existing barriers that hinder the inclusion of persons with disabilities in museum programs and activities. In addition to developing an accessibility study for each of the four museums, the project includes training and exchange of experiences, development of digital elements such as QR codes, creation of audio-video materials with interpretations in the native, English, and sign languages, development of tactile elements for the visually impaired and blind, creation of materials in Braille for the interpretation of parts of the museum collections, procurement of didactic aids and toys, preparation and development of a website with an interactive map of museums in the Balkans, creation of 3D models of objects from museum collections, and procurement of equipment (two tablets with headphones for each participating museum), organization of an international training (webinar).

All project activities will be carried out in cooperation with experts from the four partner museums and representatives of associations of persons with disabilities. The project team consists of four museums, members of the Balkan Museum Network: Aida Vežić, Aida Mia Brülisauer, Irena Ružin, and Milena Milošević Micić.

"I am very happy that through this project I will have the opportunity to share my experience and knowledge that I gained as a member of the Balkan Museum Accessibility Group. For five years, I have been conducting accessibility audits of museums throughout the region and have had the privilege of learning from the best in this field," said team member Irena Ruzin from Bitola.

For more information about the project and realized activities, you can contact Milena Milošević Micić via e-mail: [email protected]

The project "Making Balkans Museums More Accessible to Persons With Disabilities" is funded by the Embassy of the United States of America in Belgrade through the Alumni Small Grants Program.

The project is implemented in partnership with the Balkan Museum Network.