Making Culture Accessible: Challenges and Solutions for Inclusion
Inclusion has become an increasingly prominent topic in recent years, particularly in cultural and creative sectors. Across the European Union (EU), initiatives promoting diversity and accessibility have gained priority, reinforcing the idea that cultural participation should be accessible to everyone. Despite these efforts, there are still significant groups of people who do not have the chance to freely access cultural institutions and their programmes because of significant barriers that are still present. This particularly relates to people with disabilities (PWD) and marginalized communities, including those marginalized based on age, gender, race as well as socioeconomic factors, etc. The European Commission (EC) has established clear diversity and inclusion standards, emphasizing equal opportunities for all citizens. The EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 seeks to ensure full participation in society and the economy. Additionally, “Erasmus+” has made inclusion and diversity a core priority, further demonstrating the EU’s commitment to accessible culture. Still, cultural institutions struggle to implement inclusive practices effectively, often due to financial and structural limitations as well as a general lack of education on the topic.
Challenges in fostering inclusive culture
The cultural sector is commonly viewed as an area that frequently operates under financial constraints, with institutions focused primarily on sustaining their programmes. This economic pressure often results in a lack of investment in accessibility, as inclusive adaptations are perceived as costly and time-consuming, with an additional fear of making mistakes in an area with which we are unfamiliar. Historically, cultural organizations have been structured in a way that overlooks the needs of people with disabilities and other marginalized groups. The result is an exclusionary system where cultural programs cater primarily to able-bodied and economically privileged audiences, therefore unintentionally excluding PWDs as well as other marginalized groups. This trend is being seen across all forms of cultural production, from state-funded public media to commercial entertainment.
One of the biggest issues slowing down progress in this area is the lack of communication between cultural organizers and underrepresented audiences. Without direct engagement, institutions fail to understand the needs of diverse audiences, leading to ineffective or superficial inclusion efforts, creating programmes that are labor intensive for the institutions but do not actually cater to and reach their target audiences. This demotivates the organizers as well as alienates the audiences, furthering the creation of the aforementioned communication gap. Additionally, there is a misconception that inclusion in culture requires an overwhelming amount of resources, deterring often already overworked organizations from attempting to become more inclusive.
Another challenge is that marginalized groups are often reluctant to engage in culture altogether due to a lifelong lack of access. If individuals with disabilities have never had the opportunity to experience inclusive cultural programming, they may not seek it out, reinforcing a cycle of exclusion. This is another reason why it has become increasingly important to enforce the creation of consistent inclusionary practices in culture despite possible low visitation. By providing consistency, the organizers of cultural events and programmes are granting marginalized groups their basic human rights as well as including them in their programmes in a way they can access them, but most importantly, inviting them to explore their interests in culture itself while providing education according to their needs.
Possible changes and solutions: “Culture to everyone everywhere” as an example of good practice
While inclusive practices may seem like an additional burden for cultural institutions, there is a growing movement to integrate accessibility into cultural programming, which is actively being enforced by the aforementioned programmes funded by the EU. One of the results of these programmes is the newly founded non-profit organization from Rijeka (Croatia), Culture to everyone everywhere (KSS, Kultura svima svugdje in Croatian). The decision to establish this organization stemmed from a group of young people, including young PWD, gathered through an Erasmus+ project with a focus on creating an Inclusive culture council of young people (IKVM, Inkluzivno kulturno vijeće mladih) with a task of analyzing local cultural institutions. The project resulted in a public conference and a media campaign in an effort to raise awareness of the topic as well as propose possible solutions. The project’s success led to a follow-up Impact4Values project (Zaklada Solidarna, Slagalica i CNVOS) funded by the EU through the CERV programme. This project focused on the informal education of cultural workers in different areas of inclusive practices addressing different groups of PWD and marginalized groups.
The current organization is focused on building inclusive communities and cultural practices, raising awareness for inclusive practices, building capacities of cultural workers to include inclusive practices in their work by recognizing the different needs of their audiences as well as providing support in the process of adapting their programmes and activities, for instance via “Guidelines for Inclusive Cultural Practices” KSS developed recently. To include PWDs and other marginalized groups in their projects in a way that is accessible to them, KSS is dedicated to communicating with each of these groups as directly as possible in order to get better acquainted with their needs and wants. Prioritizing communication leads to the creation of higher quality programmes that serve different audiences as well as creating consistent relationships, ensuring interested audiences.
KSS’s work aligns with several key EU policies aimed at increasing cultural accessibility: “The European Disability Strategy 2021-2030”, which emphasizes cultural participation as a fundamental right, “Creative Europe” which is the EU’s framework for supporting culture, which now prioritizes inclusion and accessibility as well as the aforementioned “Erasmus+“ which funds inclusive cultural projects across Europe. By positioning itself within these frameworks, KSS not only strengthens its impact but also ensures that its initiatives contribute to broader EU goals.
Conclusion
Inclusion in culture is not just a moral responsibility nor a goal to satisfy donors, it is a necessity for publicly funded institutions. While financial constraints and systemic barriers have historically hindered accessibility efforts, organizations like the aforementioned KSS are proving that meaningful change is possible. It is possible with a slow and warm approach, focusing on honest communication and creating communities around culture, connecting institutions and their audiences by fostering collaboration and encouraging joint action towards the common goal of an inclusive society. By fostering direct communication with marginalized groups, providing training for cultural workers, and implementing tangible accessibility solutions, groups like KSS are actively working towards a more inclusive cultural sector. Their efforts align with the EU’s commitment to diversity, making them an example of good practice as a community-organized group in the ongoing movement toward accessible culture. To achieve true cultural inclusion, institutions must recognize that accessibility is not an optional add-on but a fundamental component of cultural participation. Through collaboration, education, and advocacy, we can create a cultural landscape that truly serves everyone.
