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Castello Sforzesco museums – Guide in simplified language

Castello Sforzesco museums – Guide with the symbols of alternative augmentative communication

Milan, 3 December 2021 – Spread an inclusive culture and promote accessibility to the museums of the Castello Sforzesco. This is the objective of the "Museum for all" guide, created by the L'abilità non-profit association in collaboration with the Municipality of Milan and presented today, on the occasion of the International Day of People with Disabilities.

The project is part of an overall process of improving the accessibility of the Castle museums. Thanks to the work of over two years, carried out in synergy between L'abilità ONLUS and the office of educational services and accessibility of the Sforzesco Castle, a guide has been developed which includes the description of the Castle as a monumental area, the description of his six museums and a selection of thirty of his main works. It is a tool that allows visitors with intellectual disabilities to enjoy the visit to the museum independently or with their companion (parent, teacher, educator), with descriptive sheets and in-depth boxes.

The accessible guide is suitable for both children and adults with intellectual disabilities and is written in two versions that use different languages, with the aim of supporting visitors with different difficulties of use: the first version follows the easy-to-read rules , a simplified language regulated by the European Union, specifically for intellectual disabilities, which promotes concentration and communication. The second is drawn up with the symbols of alternative augmentative communication, i.e. an association of text and symbols/images/pictograms that allows communication through the visual tool, suitable for people who have difficulties in producing and understanding verbal language.

The guide will be available on the websites of Castello Sforzesco and the project "Museum for everyone" of the association L'abilità as a downloadable PDF file. In this way visitors will be able to use it as a tool to prepare their visit and to select the museums to visit.

"A city that makes art accessible to all – declare the councilors Tommaso Sacchi (Culture) and Lamberto Bertolé (Welfare and Health) – is a more civilized city, in which culture is considered an essential part of the citizens' lives and a driving force of growth of the entire community. The new Museum for All guide and the objective it proposes represent for us an important contribution towards the Milan we have in mind: open, inclusive and supportive. There is so much work to be done, but we want to be at the forefront on the issue of equal opportunities and we are ready to commit ourselves and do more for an increasingly accessible Milan".

"We are very happy that the Museum for All project has arrived at the Sforzesco Castle, one of the most famous symbols of Milan and its history – states Carlo Riva, director of L'abilità ONLUS and head of Museum for All –. Thanks to the work of the our team in collaboration with the educational service of the Castle was able to make accessible six of the civic museums and the entire monumental complex of the Castle and the possibility of carrying out the visit independently allows the visitor to explore more places, discover the history of the city and learn about different types of works of art, thus enriching his experience of social life".

"Museum for all. Museum accessibility for people with intellectual disabilities" is a project created in 2015 by the L'abilità association, in collaboration and with the support of the De Agostini Foundation. Born with the aim of improving the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities by offering them a new space for meeting and exchange in society, the project has a network of 28 museums and places of culture throughout the national territory, including the heritage of Italian Environment Fund. The Guide presented today is the most extensive ever produced within the project.

"We are happy and proud that the 'Museum for all' project has also arrived at the Sforzesco Castle and its museums – declares Chiara Boroli, president of the De Agostini Foundation – an important reference site for the cultural life of the metropolitan city of Milan. Also ensuring for people with intellectual disabilities the possibility of knowing and appreciating the tradition and beauty of the place they belong to facilitates their integration into the social fabric by making them feel part of the community and relational contexts where their identity is recognized. Since 2015 we have supported L skills and we will continue to support this project together with them with the aim of extending it to other cities throughout Italy."