Saltos no tempo - uma visita especial ao MCCB - Multiformat Book wih
The project is an initiative of the Municipal Community Museum (MCCB) – Portugal, an inclusive museum, prepared with accessibility resources for everyone.
The multiformat book is authored by Desirée Nobre, a 28-year-old Brazilian, researcher in cultural accessibility. It has both physical and digital support, using simple language, Braille, pictograms and illustrations, audiobook, audiodescriptions and Portuguese Sign Language.It was launched on the International Day of Persons with Disabilitie
Local
Portugal
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It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
2022-12-03
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Museu da Comunidade Concelhia da Batalha Type of organisation: Other public institution First name of representative: Ana Last name of representative: Moderno Gender: Female Nationality: Portugal Function: museum curator Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Largo Goa, Damão e Diu, n.º 4 Town: Batalha Postal code: 2440-901 Batalha Country: Portugal Direct Tel:+351 244 769 878 E-mail:geral@museubatalha.com Website:https://museubatalha.com/
Located next to one of the most visited monuments in the country – The Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória, a UNESCO heritage site-, the Museu da Comunidade Concelhia da Batalha (MCCB) was born from the demand of the local community to have a museum where people could learn about history of the territory and its traditions.
The Municipality of Batalha, entity that oversees the museum, also wanted this to be an inclusive museum accessible to everyone. The MCCB was planned and developed from the perspective of Universal Design, thus contemplating accessibility resources in communication, physical space, attitudes and programs developed by the Educational Service. Examples of accessibility resources at the Museum are: Guided paths / direction markers on the floor, Braille signs, Tactile experiences - replicas, models, objects to be touched pieces to touch (originals and replicas), Portuguese Sign Language, audio guides with audio description, ergonomic furniture, Multimedia with zoom and high contrast settings, among others.
The MCCB includes publics with functional diversity in its spaces and activities.
Our project pursues the mission of ensuring accessibility to more people.
The multiformat book is based on the creation of a book that tells the story of Matilde's visit to MCCB.
The project was developed in partnership with the Centre for Resources for Digital Inclusion (CRID) of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (Centro de Recursos para a Inclusão Digital do Instituto Politécnico de Leiria).The multiformat book includes: enlarged text, braille, embossed images (for blind or low vision children), pictograms (for children with disabilities or limitations of another nature), with a Quick Response (QR) code that refers to a website where the books are available in audiobook and videobook versions - Portuguese Sign Language - for deaf children. The presentation of the book took place on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the 3th of december,22.
Accessibility
Inclusive Communication
Multiformat
Education
Disability
Through an unprecedented and innovative book, the Museum intends to:
- Include audiences with and without disabilities;
- Explore alternative communication media;
-Raise awareness and educate for inclusion;
-Involve collaborators and partners, namely academic institutions, associations of people with disabilities and the community.
We understand that this project is exemplary in that it provides a new service to the public, promoting the museum's heritage in an inclusive, educational and attractive way.
The plurality of participations in this book is reinforced. As example of this, the illustrations were made by children from six to twelve years old from local schools and by children and young’s with intellectual disabilities in the course of collaborating with a local association: Casa do Mimo. The cover of the book was made by them.
The story, which is presented in simple and accessible language, was created by Desirée Nobre, a Brazilian researcher developing doctoral-level studies in the field of cultural accessibility.
The production of the book is due to the aforementioned CRID – a reference resource centre at national and international level, focused on accessible communication. This collaboration is fundamental in the structure and scientific support of the various accessibility resources that make up the publication.
We understand that it could be replicated insofar as it has several community participants, involving people and because it is also made for people, due to its multiple resources, both physical and digital. The book contributes to heritage education, reinforcing the importance of partnerships and contributing to a more inclusive society.
Knowledge can and should reach everyone and a book of this nature allows access to culture, with resources that can be used by everyone, according to their characteristics, needs and expectations.
Providing a publication with a creative work regarding narrative content, design and the multiformat resources are the main goals of this project.
To reach them, the project was made in line with the existing empirical and scientific knowledge. The communication of this multiformat publication happens both in a sensorial and cognitive way. Communication to reach the greatest number of people, based on functional diversity must be structured on the first principle of Universal Design – equitable use -, presenting itself in multiple formats so that it fulfils its mission.
Some of the highlights of the multiformat book are:
Simple writing/clear language - information accessibility resource that ensures that people with a lesser command of the written language can have their reading enhanced. The texts they should be clear, short and concise.
Audio description - It is the art of translating, through descriptive narrative or other verbal techniques, visual messages not perceptible only through acoustic signals. This is a resource that is developed by professionals, with a team consisting of a writer, proofreader and consultant. The consultant's role is performed by a qualified visually impaired person.
Portuguese Sign Language (LGP) and Subtitling for the Deaf and Deafened (LSE) - a visual-spatial language used by the deaf community in Portugal. Although there is no universal sign language, as well as oral languages, sign languages also change from one country to another.
Alternative and Augmentative Communication - coordinated use of simple writing with a system of pictographic symbols composed of small coded drawings (pictograms) that refer to the main concepts to be conveyed. The pictograms that make up the book were created from the Museum's collection, constituting unprecedented elements in this type of communication.
Easy handling: the book covers are hard and resistant and are bound by rings, which allows the user to use them more easily.
By defining itself as an inclusive museum, the MCCB offers itself to all visitors, using a museum organisation which encourages unique, personalised experiences. Although it has elements which are clearly designed for visitors with special needs, the museum´s philosophy is to integrate everyone discretely and effectively, giving the same resources and services to everyone, whether they have disabilities or not.
Museum accessibility is a never-ending process. All the services provided can be improved, and better adapted to the needs of our visitors. No solution will be considered perfect or complete, or appropriate for all. As a living thing, the MCCB will continue to grow and add new solutions to those which it already has. It will aim to remove all barriers as it becomes aware of them, and will be creative in searching for solutions and alternatives. It will remain unsatisfied, as it knows that it still has a huge amount to do.
The integrating mission of the MCCB can be seen in a multi-modal communication strategy which provides access to knowledge through different types of communication and using different media. The multiformat book, based on these criteria, was produced by a reference institution in this area, with a vast background and experience in multiformat communication.
In the previous topic we referred some of the resources available in the book. We now indicate the audiences that may benefit from such resources:
PEOPLE WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS
High contrast
Large print information
Audio guide with audio description
Audiobook
BLIND PEOPLE
Braille
Audio guide with audio description
Audiobook
DEAF PEOPLE
Video guide in Portuguese sign language
Text-based video guide
Easy text
Ilustrations
Pictogrames
PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HANDICAPS
Easy text
Ilustrations
Pictogrames
Audiobook
PEOPLE WITH FISICAL HANDICAPS
Easy handling
Audiobook
CHILDREN
Easy text
Ilustrations
Pictogrames
Audiobook
Easy handing
We can consider the involvement of civil society in this project in several aspects. The participation of the school community is especially relevant, with children involved in the mission of this book and its inclusive character. The contest for the illustrations was a way to take this mission in the right direction. The Museum's team made publicity among the schools, having gone to the classrooms to talk about the project to the children and talk about issues of accessibility, multiple disabilities and sensory experiences. All illustrations that participated in the contest (winners and non-winners) were on display at the MCCB, so that the entire community could see them. We also highlight the involvement of Casa do Mimo, Institution that supports people with various types of disabilities in cultural and leisure activities. This participation was very relevant for this project. Children and young people and professionals from this institution also participated in this book, contributing with illustrations. The book becomes a resource available inside and outside the Museum's doors, with multiformats that provide people with visual, hearing, intellectual disabilities, among others, access to information and culture. The pedagogical character of this work also supports young and school-age children.
It is intended, therefore, that the work be enjoyed within the museum, in the educational dynamics that it provides. But also taking the book to institutions for people with disabilities, schools, libraries, etc. The project involved specialists in the field of accessibility, the experience of the aforementioned CRID in the creation of multiformat books, and the involvement of professionals in audio description and interpreters in sign language.
We also highlight the fact that, in the preparation of the audiobook, we had the participation of a girl who gives voice to the main character of the book: Matilde.
For the realization of this project, several partners were involved. The initiative came from the Museum, under the tutelage of Batalha City Council.
The first contact was made with the CRID – Resource Center for Digital Inclusion – of the Escola Superior de Educação - Instituto Politécnico de Leiria. This institution has developed several pioneering projects at national and international level, highlighting the multiformat books. Inserted in a university campus, it has several specialists, professors and higher education students.
For the preparation of the textual contents of this book, we had a specialist in cultural accessibility, from Brazil, who is responsible for the authorship of the book. The book is based on the contents of a museum that mirrors a community with a history spanning over 200 million years, highlighting major historical events, including the Battle of Aljubarrota which dictated the construction of the Monastery of Batalha, UNESCO heritage.
The project involves the school community, through collaboration with the Batalha School Group, which supported the promotion of a competition for drawing illustrations for the book, for children aged 6-12 years.
It also involved Casa do Mimo, a Private Social Solidarity Institution (IPSS) in Batalha that supports people with various types of disabilities, was invited to illustrate the cover of the book, as well as an illustration for the middle of the book.
The diversity of contents also involved the collaboration of specialists in audio description, interpreters in sign language, actors, and specialists in sound editing.
The project has a strong relevance in the Batalha community, as it contributes to the promotion and enhancement of the museum and its heritage, reinforcing its social and educational role. The book, available at the museum, has been distributed by local schools and libraries, as well as by other educational and cultural institutions nationwide.
The multiformat book marks multiple disciplines. The project, born from the initiative of a museum, based on the principles of sociomuseology, in line with the functions defined by ICOM – International Council of Museums UNESCO). Sociomuseology translates a considerable part of the effort to adapt museological structures to the constraints of contemporary society. It is thus constituted as a disciplinary area of teaching, research and action that supports the integration of museology in particular with the areas of knowledge of Human Sciences and Territorial Planning. Sociomuseology's multidisciplinary approach aims to consolidate the recognition of museology as a resource for the sustainable development of humanity, based on equal opportunities and social and economic inclusion.
The universal design is present in this project, crossing the knowledge of resources such as: the processing of information in Braille, the requirements of simple language, the interpretive techniques of sign language, the knowledge and mastery of audio description, as well as the application of systems such as the technology associated with the QR Code.
Education, a fundamental partner of museology, is a key discipline in this project. The book is based on the premise of valuing and disseminating culture and tangible and intangible heritage, taking them to audiences for whom there are few resources to access knowledge.
Since the beginning of the project, and throughout all stages, these different fields have been interacting with each other.
The involvement of a specialist in cultural accessibility, the involvement of the school and teachers in areas such as the Portuguese language and artistic expressions, the involvement of institutions and people with disabilities, the CRID's technical work, the involvement of specialists in audio description, sign language, sound and multimedia technicians, actors… were fundamental to fulfilling the mission of the project, in its differnt stages.
The MCCB was the first Portuguese museum to present a multiformat book, highlighting its role in the field of accessibility.
This multiformat book allows children and young people to learn more about its history and get to know the museum in different ways. It includes children with and without disabilities and also those who have not yet learned how to read or who are learning to read and write.
Furthermore, we emphasize the important awareness of the school community towards the illustrations in the book and towards issues related to disabilities. This awareness was extended to the families of the children participating in this project, expanding the reach of its mission and strengthening the connection between the museum and the community.
The success of the project led to the interest of a museum in a neighbouring municipality (Museu de Leiria) who expressed an interest in developing a similar project on the story of “Menino do Lapedo”, with particular relevance to the anthropological understanding of human evolution worldwide.
We understand that this project is an important path for reflection and research on accessibility in museums, bringing disciplines such as museology, education and inclusion as fundamental pillars.
This project has a very present human character. The formats available in the book take into account human diversity and the beauty it represents. Handling the book means exploring, interpreting, knowing, learning and raising awareness about the self and the other. The book benefits everyone, particularly children, people with visual, hearing or intellectual disabilities, allowing them to take the museum and the knowledge it transmits to them. It is an awareness-raising support that works inside and outside the museum and whose scope knows no borders.
The multiformat book concept was pioneered by CRID – Resource Center for Digital Inclusion. In cultural contexts, only Castle of São Jorge, in, Lisbon, had produced such a book. Our project is a pioneer in applying this model to a museum.
The book, in addition to its playful and inclusive character, can be used for different purposes, inside and outside the museum, working with the issue of education for heritage, diversity and inclusion;
This project is also a way of updating the inclusive communication resources and expands the possibilities of access to the content worked on in the museum;
By bringing together several formats in a single copy, it is the materialization of the concept of Universal Design for Learning, since the same copy can be used by children with different functionalities, as well as the resources available in the museum itself.
The project went through several fundamental phases. The first one, consisted of rewriting a story about the museum, following the Ekarv Method of simple writing. The text was reviewed translated and adapted to the pictographic system for communication (SPC).
At the same time, a Municipal Contest was launched for children aged 6 to 12 to draw illustrations for the book, based on the following themes:
1. Matilde looks at the Origins showcase
2. Matilde talks to Stegosaurus
3. Matilde talks to Homo erectus who makes fire with the stones
4. Archaeological excavation from Roman times
5. Battle of Aljubarrota
6. Matilde and the Archangel Michael in front of the Monastery of Batalha
7. Matilde touches on the System of Weights and Measures of King D. Manuel I
8. Matilde takes a selfie with Homo erectus, the Magistrate and São Miguel Archangel
9. Leo plays in a Museum piece while listening with headphones
10. Matilde says goodbye in front of the Museum
The contest had six jurors representing the Municipality, the Museum, the CRID, Casa do Mimo and the Batalha School Group, as well as the author for the selection of the winning illustrations.
Casa do Mimo, a Private Social Solidarity Institution in Batalha that supports people with various types of disabilities, has illustrated the cover of the book.
After all the illustrations were ready, the process of creating the audio description (AD) script began, with the advice of an expert.
With the AD text and script finalized, the audio-visual versions of the book were recorded in the studio: audiobook, AD and videobook in Portuguese Sign Language.
Afterwards, the twelve QR Codes were created, as well as item on the museum's website entitled "multiformat book" (https://museubatalha.com/pt/recursos-de-acessibilidade-livro-multiformato).
After these stages were completed and approved, the book was printed both in ink and in the book was printed both in ink and in Braille and its setting.
All elements can be replicated and adapted for different contexts. In addition to the cultural and museological context, which we have been addressing, areas such as education, citizenship, literature, science, arts, could also be considered in projects like this one.Examples of this are the other multiformat books developed by CRID. To this end, it is necessary to have a specialized team that meets the methodological and technical specificities that a book of this nature requires. As mentioned, the application of this project in cultural and educational contexts allows for training and raises awareness in the community on issues of accessibility and inclusion. On the other hand, making available a book with these characteristics is to expand the horizon to different perspectives and forms of interpretation, respecting the differences of each one. We understand, therefore, that a book that contains Braille, simple language, audio description, sign language and that reports to multimedia platforms aggregates in the same object a complexity of elements where research, knowledge, technology take place, crossing with the social sciences and human. A complexity that, for those who use it, becomes a simple, beautiful, personalized piece, with simple content, but capable of enhancing an enriching experience on a physical, intellectual and emotional level.
Although this book model is thought of as a way to bring inclusivo solutions to people with disabilities, it can also be enjoyed by people without disabilities, being particularly attractive for children and young people, but also of interest to adults and seniors.
We can venture that a multiformat book is a project that allows the democratization of knowledge for everyone, valuing and respecting each human being.
To carry out a project of this nature, it is essential to have a specialized team that masters the different communication accessibility resources (audio description, braille, pictographic system for communication, simple language and Portuguese sign language).
It is also essential to have specific equipment and resources, such as printing in Braille or a license to use the alternative and augmentative communication program.
The project also requires the existence of a good quality voice and video recording studio, as well as a professional to edit these contents.
To respond to these needs and ensure quality work, we consider partnerships with public and private institutions to be fundamental.
