KUL Project in the Final of the European Commission Competition

The project "Invisible Heritage – Niewidzialne Dziedzictwo," implemented by KUL, is one of the three Polish initiatives that have reached the final stage of the European Commission's REGIOSTARS competition. The competition features projects co-funded by the European Union, contributing to the improvement of economic, social, and territorial cohesion while demonstrating innovative approaches to regional development. The winners of the competition will be announced on November 16, 2023, with online voting concluding two days earlier.

The project, "Invisible Heritage: Sharing and Implementing Best Practices for Blind People's Access to Cultural Resources and Their Participation in Cultural Life," was carried out by KUL in collaboration with the Ukrainian Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University in Ivano-Frankivsk as part of the Cross-border Cooperation Programme Poland-Belarus-Ukraine 2014-2020. Both Poland and Ukraine boast rich cultural heritage, but many museums, art galleries, and historic sites are inaccessible to individuals with visual impairments. Modern technology now provides the opportunity to make art more accessible to blind and visually impaired individuals.

Museums participating in the project (including the  National Museum in Lublin, Lublin Open Air Village Museum, Ivano-Frankivsk Landscape Museum, and Art Museum of Prykarpattia) were equipped with adaptations of selected exhibits, including tactile drawings, adaptations of selected paintings (with tangible lines and textures highlighting key elements), 3D-printed models, Braille alphabet, and audio descriptions. Blind and visually impaired people were able to participate in training sessions to learn how to use these adaptations created as part of the project. Guides in Polish and Ukrainian, illustrated with tactile graphics, showcasing the landmarks of Lublin and Ivano-Frankivsk, were also developed in Braille and large print. Tour guides and museum staff received training in communicating with individuals with visual impairments.

One of the competition categories is "Social and Inclusive Europe," and among the five projects qualified for the final in this category, "Invisible Heritage - Niewidzialne Dziedzictwo" is the only Polish entry. On October 11th in Brussels, during the EU Regions Week, the final round of project presentations will take place. The framer and coordinator of "Invisible Heritage," Professor Bogusław Marek, will present the project.

You can cast your vote for "Invisible Heritage - Niewidzialne Dziedzictwo" on the REGIOSTARS competition website, and here is the voting instructions. The project with the highest number of votes will receive the Audience Award during the REGIOSTARS award ceremony, which will be held in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

REGIOSTARS is an annual competition organized by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy since 2008. Projects participating in it must be co-financed by one of the EU funds: the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Social Fund, the Just Transition Fund, or under any component of the Interreg programs.