Alessia Brischetto

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) are key principles used today to innovate the Higher Education system in Europe, particularly Design programmes, where components of socially responsible and innovative Design Education are considered strategic. Within this framework, the EDIDesK Project (Open Access Contents on Design for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion for Higher Education Programmes, Erasmus+ KA220-HED) aims to seek to propose innovative pathways to improve the teaching of Design for EDI at the level of European Higher Education system. The article, which introduces this Special Issue, examines the integration of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) principles into higher education Design programmes in Europe. The study proposes the methodological setting used to map existing teaching practices, identify systemic challenges, and outline directions for embedding EDI more comprehensively within design curricula. The work, along with the collection of articles composing the Special Issue, argues for the need for structural reforms in Design Education. An emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary teaching, closer collaboration with stakeholders, and the recognition of EDI as a core competence for present students. Such measures are essential for preparing students to engage in inclusive, socially responsive, and future-oriented design practice.

The theme of inclusion is a central aspect of the vision and mission of contemporary museums. The general objective of this work is the development and testing of a scientific and operational process for inclusive design in the context of free access to cultural heritage. The methodological approach and results of the research project “XAll – A Whole Different Guide” are presented from a critical perspective. The project was funded by the TIM Foundation, with partners including the University of Florence, the Politecnico di Milano, and three Florentine museums: Museo di Palazzo Vecchio, Museo Bardini, and Museo del Bargello. The project involved the creation of an interactive, customizable support tool integrated with the tangible context of the museum visit, aimed at enhancing the accessibility and inclusivity of the visitor experience.

The contribution 'Design for Inclusion: Strategies and Design Experiments for Inclusive Museums' explores the role of design in museum accessibility and inclusion, focusing on strategies and design experiments aimed at removing physical and cognitive barriers. Through the 'XAll – A Whole Different Guide' project and the subsequent collaboration with the Museo di Palazzo Vecchio, innovative solutions are presented, such as multisensory stations, tactile tablets, and interactive digital technologies, to foster a visiting experience open to all. The essay highlights how inclusive design and Human-Centred Design can enhance the enjoyment of cultural heritage, making museums accessible, participatory, and stimulating spaces for diverse audiences.

Equal access to culture and the opportunity to experience and learn about art in museums are rights that should be guaranteed to all. Enjoyment in museums is cha- racterized by interaction with different artifacts, including tablets and smartphones, and with different services/interfaces (e.g., applications, Augmented Reality, video- /audio guides, etc.). From an inclusion perspective, major operating systems provide for the integration of increasingly advanced Assistive Technologies by default. Howe- ver, audio guides, although a popular tool, make knowledge inaccessible to the deaf audience. The research presented aims to contribute to access to culture for all in the museum setting, through the analysis of critical issues and identification of the mar- gins of implementation of the artifacts with which visitors interact and through which the experience of the visit itself is defined.

The museum experience is characterized by interaction with many different artifacts, including tablets and smartphones, which support the visit by providing access to purpose-built audio guides, site-specific apps designed for the particular museum to visit, etc. They may integrate Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) to enrich the visit or otherwise provide for different levels of interaction with the aim of engaging (engagement) people. In terms of inclusivity, major operating systems include built-in Assistive Technologies by default, which are becoming increasingly advanced. In fact, Assistive Technologies now feature most smartphones and have also become pervasive due to the optimization of Vocal User Interfaces and Artificial Intelligence. In particular, in terms of pervasiveness, features such as IOS's "Accessibility settings" (Android also offers similar functionality) in recent years enhanced the modality of access and enjoyment of technology and actually enable millions of people to communicate and practice their right to autonomy as never before (these kinds of features required the installation of accessory plug-ins or the purchase of external peripherals until a few years ago). Audio-guides, although a popular tool, still make knowledge inaccessible to the deaf public. In fact, audio-guides, unlike video-guides, allow visitors only access to audio and exclude other forms of communication support such as text, graphics, route maps, and/or video. To overcome this issue and guarantee access to the widest possible number of people, many museums are adopting customized solutions for the specific category of disability. For example, they use LIS audio guide and video guide on their own tablet devices or provide for their integration within museum apps. This research aims to contribute to inclusive access to culture for all people in museums. This goal is being achieved through the analysis of critical issues and the identification of implementation opportunities for the artifacts with which visitors interact and through which the very experience of visiting is shaped.This paper presents a state-of-the-art study of the main artifacts that are part of the museum visit, with a focus on accessibility. The study includes museum Apps at international level, web accessibility plugins, and the different standard accessibility features offered by the main operating systems (iOS and Android). The results of the research show a lack of tools that provide museum accessibility in terms of full inclusion, i.e., taking into account several disabilities at the same time, including long-term physical, mental, cognitive or sensory impairments, which are often unseen. In fact, apps and artifacts for museum tours have a tendency to divide functions according to disability category (focusing, for example, only on the deaf or only on the blind), thus accentuating the stigmatizing and divisive effect. Moreover, the research highlights that only a few virtuous examples, among those selected, succeed in offering a museum experience according to an inclusive approach, despite the integration of technologies and the support of applications and websites.Lastly, the purpose of this paper is to stimulate a reflection on the topic of accessibility in terms of both technology and design, in order to go beyond mere conformity to standards rather to integrate it with the many qualitative and quantitative tools offered by research in design, so as to disseminate devices and artifacts that make culture fully accessible in the museum setting.

This paper presents a part of the project “XAll - Tutta un’altra guida” (XAll - A whole other guide), funded by the TIM Foundation, which partners the University of Florence, the Polytechnic University of Milan, and the referents of 3 Florentine museums: Museo di Palazzo Vecchio, Museo Bardini and Museo Bargello. The overall objective of the project is to create an interactive, customizable and inclusive visit support, aimed at the overall population and designed to encourage a multisensory visit experience, rea- lized by inserting tactile, sound and olfactory stimuli in the visit path of the 3 Museums involved and enhanced by the use of augmented reality. Specific objectives of the pro- ject are: to make cultural heritage accessible to visitors with all types of disability; to improve the quality of independent visitation in terms of engagement and customiza- tion of the experience; to encourage the dissemination of free applications in museum accessibility projects; and to provide an integrated framework and a set of open source tools for the development of applications in the same area.

The theme of inclusion is one of the key elements of the vision and mission of contemporary museums. The overall aim of this work is to develop and test a scientific and operational process for inclusive design within the context of free access to cultural heritage. This paper presents a critical analysis of the methodological approach and results of the research project “XAll – A Whole New Guide”, funded by the TIM Foundation, in partnership with the University of Florence, the Polytechnic University of Milan and three Florentine museums: the Palazzo Vecchio Museum, the Bardini Museum and the Bargello Museum. The project involved the creation of an interactive, customisable visitor guide integrated into the physical context of the visitor route.

Made-in-Italy companies, capable of producing products of the highest quality and of imposing themselves on markets at the international level, have always strived to transfer into design innovation a non-reproducible cultural and productive heritage. A distinctive feature of a production system based on “know-how” is the strong connection between different companies within the same territory and the presence of excellent workmanship and established production traditions, impossible to recon- stitute in contexts other than the original one. Like many Italian regions, Tuscany is characterized by craft excellencies that have contributed significantly to the cultural and economic growth of the region. Many of these, however, fail, due to economic size and cultural background, to keep up to date with the ever-changing demands of a market that wants new products, access to new technologies and attention to sustainability and the life cycle of each product. On this basis, we outline the key role of design as a tool and driver for innova- tion, capable of guiding the company’s strategic choices, including in relation to the sustainability of products and processes. This paper presents the research project “Art, Design and Enterprise for New Young Talents” aimed at proposing and developing new training and production patterns and processes through the placement of young talents, designers and artists, within companies in the Tuscan territory. In fact, putting young creatives in contact with companies can help companies in the path of research and innovation and allows young artists to translate the theoretical framework acquired into a finalized design.

Nowadays society, increasingly oriented towards actions to enhance its urban contexts, tries to promote better lifestyles and increasingly inclusive social practices. The work proposed in this article presents the results of the research project: "Guidelines for the review of the park project aimed at social inclusion, sustainability and usability of the cultural and sporting activities of the Carpugnane area", funded by the Municipality of Calenzano and conducted by the Ergonomics & Design Laboratory of the University of Florence. The research used the methodological tools of Ergonomics for Design, Human-Centred Design and Inclusive Design and the collected data allowed the design of a people-centred park, suitable for citizens of all ages, which is sustainable and inclusive. The approach, adopted in this work, has provided an effective strategy in allowing the assessment and design of urban environments, ensuring safety, psycho-physical well-being and healthy lifestyles for all, taking into account human diversity and social inclusion factors.

Health and well-being, two concepts that are very similar but have different meanings, are well-known and debated topics, addressed with more or less specificity by all sectors (governments, public and private institutions, universities, SMEs), but they turn out to be, even today, as topical as ever. Issue 26 of the Rivista Italiana di Ergonomia, however, wishes to extend the concept of health not only to human beings, but to all living beings, to the planet in other words. If it is true that the health of humans and that of the planet today are more intertwined than ever, then the climate change and environmental crisis as a component of the Anthropocene, the current conflicts, and the new ones the Covid-19 global pandemic , the ageing and increasing world population, deaths in the workplace and finally the phenomenon of migration, represent a threat in the near future that could affect our health and well-being, and that of the planet on which we live. The scenario we have just described highlights upcoming and future challenges that need to be studied and addressed. The future is bound to hold many surprises in store for us, for which we must prepare ourselves from a social, cultural, and technological point of view. Thanks to technological progress to research in its most gen- eral sense, these challenges can be solved. Change is already taking place. The articles that follow, contained in this new issue of the Rivista Italiana di Ergonomia, focus on these themes, objects, technologies and the built environment, stimulating and fuelling debate, discussion and reflection on the role of ergonomics in promoting health, personal and social well-being, and the well-being of the entire ecosystem.