Last December, as part of the European REACT project, co-funded under the Erasmus+ programme, we organised a training activity dedicated to cultural accessibility. Over three days, we immersed ourselves with our partners in a series of visits and discussions on inclusive practices in Paris museums.
We had the pleasure of visiting the Rodin Museum with Clara Marzal (Cultural Outreach Officer), the Maritime Museum with Mathilde Teissier (Accessibility Coordinator) and Chloé Chaspoul (Digital Accessibility Coordinator), and the Panthéon with Delphine Harmel (Accessibility Project Officer – Centre des Monuments Nationaux). We also had the chance to speak with Thomas Planchais from Langue Turquoise, a sign language translation agency.
These venues and professionals are united by the same goal: making culture more accessible to all.
Rodin Museum: seeing and touching
At the Rodin Museum, accessibility is reflected in a series of tools designed for blind and partially sighted visitors: tactile booklets in Braille, touchable sculptures, and a guided tour in French Sign Language (FSL) led by a mediator specially trained for the occasion.
However, budgetary and staffing constraints limit spontaneous accessibility: tactile tours must be planned well in advance, temporary exhibitions are not always adapted, and there is currently nothing in place for visitors with cognitive disabilities. The team is now considering relaunching a project in Easy-to-Read and Understand French (FALC), which was suspended following a staff departure.
Another topic raised: digital and sensory accessibility along the visit route, particularly for people on the autism spectrum or with invisible disabilities. Clara Marzal highlighted the importance of designing the visit experience from the entrance onwards, including the preparation phase: accessible website, intuitive signage, trained front-of-house staff…
Maritime Museum: sensory immersion and co-creation
Reopened in 2023 after six years of renovation, the Maritime Museum has integrated universal accessibility principles from the design stage. Thanks to close collaboration with user committees, the permanent exhibition includes:
- multisensory interactive kiosks (Braille, audio, touchable objects, dyslexia-friendly texts),
- quiet hours twice a week,
- videos in French Sign Language with optional subtitles,
- a web app called “Boussole” offering tailored visit routes (for children, learners, pop culture fans…),
- a Snoezelen room (“La Bulle”) designed for neurodivergent visitors, as well as for children, seniors, or people with cognitive disabilities.
The museum has embraced an inclusive mediation approach designed for everyone, where each visitor can choose their own path according to their preferences, needs, and pace.
Panthéon: heritage accessibility and structural limitations
At the Panthéon, the visit was an opportunity to exchange with Delphine Harmel from the Centre des Monuments Nationaux on the specific challenges of accessibility in historic sites. Despite the installation of ramps, tactile maps, and audio-described tours, obstacles remain: heavy doors, hard-to-read signage, absence of FALC routes, and wayfinding difficulties for unaccompanied visitors.
Delphine Harmel stressed the importance of avoiding the segmentation of audiences by type of disability on websites (“deaf visitor,” “wheelchair user,” etc.), and instead offering clear, simple, and universal information, based on user experience.
Towards more sustainable and replicable practices
This training activity concluded at the Rodin Museum with a collective debriefing, where participants shared concrete recommendations:
- involve audiences in the design of resources from the outset,
- design signage and materials with a universal design approach (plain language, pictograms, strong contrasts…),
- provide self-guided accessible tours (via QR codes, FSL videos, FALC factsheets),
- train professionals in inclusive mediation that can be adapted to visitor needs.
What’s next?
The REACT project will continue building on this momentum by working with other museums, cultural institutions, and tourist sites across Europe to co-develop accessible resources and support capacity-building for cultural mediation professionals.
A series of workshops, practical guides, and training modules will be published by the end of 2025. In the meantime, follow us to stay updated on the next steps of the project—and let’s get inspired together to ensure that culture is a real right for all.