Accessibility as a Shared Cultural Responsibility: The Entre Luces Project at the Pablo Gargallo Museum

Abstract

In the context of museums’ transformation into active social agents, the Entre Luces (Between Lights) project, developed at the Pablo Gargallo Museum in Zaragoza, serves as a compelling example of accessibility understood as a shared cultural responsibility. Implemented within a listed heritage building, where structural modifications were not possible, the project deliberately shifted the focus from architectural accessibility to communicative, cognitive, and sensory dimensions, placing the quality of the cultural experience at the centre. The study employed a qualitative case study design based on document analysis, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews with museum staff, educators, and members of disability organisations. Through a participatory and iterative co-design process, curators, educators, vocational students, and disability organisations collaborated to develop inclusive solutions. People with disabilities were not regarded as passive users but as co-authors of the process: they contributed to the creation of tactile replicas, audio descriptions, sign language resources, braille, pictograms, and motion-activated audio systems. The project generated three main outcomes. It expanded cultural participation among people with diverse disabilities, enriched the sensory and emotional experience of all visitors, and initiated an institutional transformation that reshaped staff training, interpretive approaches, and the museum’s mission towards inclusivity. Entre Luces demonstrates that even small and medium-sized museums can overcome heritage constraints and promote cultural equity and social innovation through inclusive and sensory-based approaches.

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