The Conference on “Towards a Multisensory and Inclusive Museum for Individuals with Sensory Disabilities” was held by Istanbul Medeniyet University in partnership with Turkish State Railways (TCDD) 1st Regional Directorate to discuss the activities aiming to create inclusive museums that serve people from all social strata and to identify potential contribution of universities to this goal.
The conference was organized as a multiplier event to inform the stakeholders and the general public about the work done within the scope of the EU Erasmus KA2 project named ‘Towards a Multisensory and Inclusive Museum for Individuals with Sensory Disabilities (ToMiMEUs)’ (code 2019-1-RO01-KA202-063245), which was designed for individuals with special needs. Hosted by Istanbul Medeniyet University, the event was held in Göztepe South Campus Aşık Paşa Conference Hall from 09:30 to 13:30 on March 26th, 2022.
The opening ceremony for the conference was attended by Vice-Rector of Istanbul Medeniyet University and legal delegate of the project Prof. Dr. Yaşar BÜLBÜL, Dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences Prof. Dr. Ahmet AKIN, TCDD 1st Deputy Director Mr. Ali BAŞPINAR, İstanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education Special Education and Guidance Services Branch Manager Mrs. Gülşen ÖZER, and 22nd Term İstanbul Deputy and President of the Turkish White Crescent Association Mr. Lokman AYVA to deliver their opening remarks. Istanbul Medeniyet University and TCDD employees, as well as people from the museums in Istanbul, different universities, various NGOs, and other organizations interested in the subject attended the event. Simultaneous sign language translation was provided throughout the conference.
First, as the project coordinator of our university, Asst. Prof. Dr. Emine AYYILDIZ talked about the purpose of the ToMiMEUs project, the activities carried out with partner countries, and the project outputs, while Asst. Prof. Dr. Işık KAMARAJ of Marmara University Atatürk Education Faculty delivered a speech titled “Museums as Learning Environments” accompanied by a hands-on activity to assess museums’ contribution to local art and heritage.
Next, Ruhan ÇELEBİ, retired director of Istanbul Railway Museum, provided information about the adjustments made to ensure the accessibility of Istanbul Railway Museum and to maximize the benefits gained by all visitors from the museum and also about the building designs and their impact of inclusiveness. She was followed by Res. Asst. H. Sümeyra BİLİCİ ALBAYRAK, who introduced the activities carried out in museums for individuals with visual and hearing impairment in particular and individuals with special needs in general andpresented the basic concepts with relevant examples.
Finally, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özcan Erkan AKGÜN and Asst. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Tuğba ÖNER delivered a speech titled ‘Design of Learning Activities at the Museum and Learning Activities’, in which they introduced the inclusive events carried out in Istanbul Railway Museum for the project, the first of which was held on January 16, 2022, to join together children aged 6-16 with visual and hearing impairment and typical development at Istanbul Railway Museum.
