Objectives

The In-VisIBLe project aims at answering to the growing need for inclusion in Higher Education, by using and implementing innovative tools for communication and fruition of cultural contents. It is focused on visual disability, as there are about 30 million people with visual impairment in the EU countries. A real access to culture for visually impaired and blind (VIB) is thus an important issue, particularly in that field that excludes them without remedy, the so-called “visual” arts. Among the disciplines related to visual arts, the project is focused on History of Architecture, because it is a cross- sectorial discipline which is present in almost all the bachelor/master degrees in this field.

The main objectives of In-VisIBLe are: 

• build inclusive Higher Education systems for visually impaired and blind students, by equipping HE courses in History of Architecture with advanced technological solutions, interactive pedagogical methods and innovative didactic tools, that make them accessible also to students with visual disabilities (i.e. tactile 3D models and plates, artificial intelligence modules relying on visual information to recognize the objects and images surrounding the user, educational tools that can substitute the visual display, text to speech modules). 
• foster innovation in learning and teaching practices: both the Inclusive Didactic Modules and the Massive Open Online Courses in History of Architecture actually use advanced technological solutions, interactive pedagogical methods and innovative didactic tools, which are specifically designed to meet the needs of students/users with visual disabilities but can also enrich learning practice and ICT skills and competences of all potential students/users. 
• promote collaboration between Higher Education Institutions and a broader cross-section of society on the issue of inclusion of visually impaired and blind people. HEIs will collaborate with museums and cultural institutions, organizations for the blind, relevant stakeholders and policy makers in the areas of education and inclusion: this collaboration will be for the mutual benefit of HEIs and their students, on one side, and for the larger community of stakeholders - who are also represented in the project consortium - on the other side.