Technology and Education as Elements in Museum Cultural Inclusion

Introduction

Cultural Heritage is our history, part of our culture, as a society, and to reflect its importance and to know its evolution it has to be accessible to all citizens, for this reason it is of vital importance to improve day by day the accessibility of our museums, cultural spaces, and artistic centers.

Art as a tool for social and cognitive inclusion has been used for a long time, but it is in these few decades that we have realized the importance of accessibility for all audiences, being not only a teaching tool, but also a tool for cultural awareness and development, as intercultural, inclusive, and intergenerational spaces, where we can find and create cultural content for all.

It is important to adapt the exhibition form, since it is not the same to explain to an intergenerational, school, inclusive group, etc. . . Although, we must always try to adapt the messages, we have to channel them in order to make possible the understanding and integration, in the case of diverse groups of visitors who are part of different groups, such as families, university students, and people with disabilities who can perfectly form a single visit, which is why it is essential to provide continuous training for the teaching teams and not to segregate them into groups of certain strips, in order to make the work of the cultural technicians easier.

Therefore, the way in which the information is transmitted is fundamental, having the tools, and knowledge necessary to adapt to the different types of visitors must be responded to and adapted to these pre-established scripts for museum visits, without falling into the error of segregating or compartmentalizing the public. For these reasons, the paradigm of Digital Cultural Heritage is a valid instrument for the social and cognitive inclusion of the people who visit the museum, which can solve those deficiencies that we find in the human team of the museum today. In this context, museums should be more than places where collections of works of art are conserved and exhibited: they should be witnesses of identities and cultures. They make culture accessible to the general public.

As technology advances, so do the tools and methods that help us achieve improvements in cultural access, not only in museums, but also in schools, universities, etc.

The main objective of this article is to provide the knowledge of the new tools used in the international context, in the cultural access and to facilitate the understanding, the use, and the suitable improvements with regard to the cultural access by means of the inclusive technology by means of the systematic theoretical review of all the available studies, proposing a theoretical frame that relates the technology used for the public with disability in the museum access, as well as the importance of the collaboration as much of professionals as of institutions in the configuration of technology that allows access to the information of a fast and intuitive way.

Methodology

The working method used to carry out this work consists of a systematic review of the scientific literature. It is a research project based on the recapitulation of information on a specific theme (with the objective of solving a research question). Thus, based on a question to be solved, the well-known PRISMA is used to synthesize the search that was made (Moher et al., 2009). A systematic review has been carried out of articles published in scientific journals on technological inclusion in museums in the international context, as well as the importance of digital tools in the adaptation and integration of available materials in the cultural offer. The selected articles range from 2000 to 2020. The search was carried out using 10 databases: 1Findr, Semantic Scholar, Scopus, Google Scholar, Microsoft Academi Search, Wos, IEEE Xplorer, Miar, Mendeley, Science Direct.

Using the Boolean values “and/y” and “or/o,” they were used to search for articles such as the following for Web of Science, Scopus, Miar, Google Scholar, 1Findr, and IEE Xplorer: TI = (“Blind” OR “Museum” OR “Inclusion” OR “Disability” OR “TIC”); AND TI = (“Blind” OR “Inclusive” OR “Impairment”). The following syntax was used for the Semantic Scholar, Google Scholar, Mendeley, Microsoft Academic Search, and Science Direct database: TI = (“Disability” OR “Museum” OR “TIC” OR “Education” OR “Technology” OR “Assistive” OR “Blind” OR “Impairment”) AND TI = (“Inclusive”).

The following inclusion criteria have been considered in the selection of studies:

The bibliographic manager Mendeley was used for this purpose. An inductive process was followed: first, each study was read; second, the text was marked where some of the variables related to technological inclusion through technology in people with disabilities were mentioned; third, groups were created according to the content (e.g., if the variable found had to do with the creation of technology, the improvement of web elements, the creation of inclusive didactic programs, and the use of technological tools to favor the approach to the works). Once the groupings were made, a second reading was made to verify and, if necessary, modify the final classification.

Sample of the Articles

In the 10 databases used, 410 studies were found. All were stored in the bibliographic manager Mendeley. Of the 410 studies of which 189 were eliminated by duplication and 221 were selected. After a first reading of the title of the articles, 108 were eliminated because they were not related to the educational work of museums and schools in blind students and the use of emotional pedagogy in these environments.

The final selection consisted of 113 research articles, of which 79 were excluded by exclusion criteria such as: systematic examinations not focused on the subject of study, not focused on the study, or interpretation of the main subject. Thus, the selection of articles on which the present systematic review revolves is 34 research articles.

The content analysis of the abstract of the 34 articles was carried out, since they provided sufficient information to identify relevant information about technology developed for cultural access and media adaptation through the use of digital tools.

Accessibility Museums

Museums are living, active institutions in constant evolution; they must facilitate both learning and exploration of cultural elements.

Within the guidelines of the American Alliance of Museums, it states that a museum must not only be inclusive to comply with accessibility laws and offer biased or diverse participation, but must also show its commitment to society by facilitating access to information and exhibits (American Alliance of Museums [AAM], n.d.).

To learn more about inclusion, we will explain accessibility as defined in the Declaration of Human Rights.

“The problem of accessibility arises as a social need: to guarantee it for everyone, also to the disabled, the exercise of a universal right, the right to enjoy treasures culture and art, as enshrined in Article 27 of the Declaration of Rights Humans of 1948.” (Grassini et al., 2018, p. 21).

The increase in the number of visitors with autism in museums has led museums to consider their spaces to provide accessibility and to adapt their programs also to visitors with autism (Golden & Walsh, 2013).

Although it should be stated that, before any inclusive, adaptive, or didactic intervention, we should know that autism has a wide spectrum, and is characterized by different degrees of severity, ranging from mild to severe deficiencies in intellectual functioning, and adaptive behavior.

In the museum, interest in apps and facilitating access to information in museums has increased considerably in recent years (Proctor, 2011). Making it possible to project the catalog of works, it expands, and contextualizes historical moments by creating immersive experiences, as well as obtaining feedback from users in a direct way.

Regarding the museum actions of inclusion of people with autism, we will highlight the research of Magkafa and Newbutt (2018), in the action of co-designing an inclusive digital platform for the Museum of Bristol, developing an app adapted to the needs of visitors with autism with special interest in the school stage, adopting a participatory methodology that allows feedback from participants, while collaborating in educational actions.

Using the use of creative development, in the structuring of effective sessions, by means of drawings and prototypes with low technology for the stimulation of creativity, contributing suggestions for the improvement of the design, taking into account the characteristics, and preferences of the participants. From the results of the sessions, the importance of the consideration in the design of the different degrees of autism, the generation of associations and the collaborative role of the key teachers was obtained so that the participants could follow the tasks and have aids, the children felt more comfortable and safe.

Today we must be able to access culture on equal terms and opportunities and this is achieved through technology, bringing works closer to the public through digital media.

Approaching the Public through Technology

In the functions of the museum as a meeting place, culture and access to information and guidance in knowledge, technological actions are scarce or absent, a joint creation of the museums must be conformed that bets for sharing both knowledge and technological elements, as it happens with the practice extended in the time of the exchange of works of art by the museums above all international. Encourage public participation, create content with visitors, and promote creative talent in collaboration with art schools.

Culture and heritage are key elements in promoting social and cultural inclusion, contributing to the well-being of the diverse communities and groups in our cities. In the integrating role of interactive digital technologies to facilitate the participation of communities at risk of exclusion, the work of Giglitto et al. (2019) stands out, analyzing the use of ICT for integration, giving new channels to the use of technology as a means of both creation and integration with immigrant, intergenerational, or disabled groups. With regard to the conclusions of the study, two groups of professionals with museum profiles and social educators profiles were addressed, both suggesting the need for communication and adaptation of the information and media used, as well as the ease of exchange of information. Two different visions of tackling the use of ICT as elements of integration were pointed out. Firstly, museum professionals emphasize the removal of barriers, and the diversity of approaches specific to each group of the public attending, and secondly, by social educators is the use of the media to facilitate collaboration between institutions and the sharing of knowledge.

As entities for the development and use of technology, museums must value the value it implies in access to knowledge, but also in the creation of artistic content together with the visitors. Many museums only offer technology as an extension of information, advocating the need to facilitate access to culture for everyone, but without affecting the possibility of creating digital art, the capacity for teaching and learning and the creation of artistic proposals together with the visitors.

In the research of Romanelli (2020), he explains how museums employ technology in the dissemination of co-creation among museum staff, guest artists, and the visiting public, providing through technology the generation of content, learning, and enhancement of the actions and works housed in cultural facilities.

Museums as social spaces are increasingly active in the social life of the diverse in habitants of cities, showing the richness of the diversity of our cities, although, when we speak of diversity we find that a large part of the museum professionals have little cultural diversity. An example of the situation, that is, developing in the USA is shown by the following sentence: “. . .museums have not fully understood the importance of a significant representation of minorities in their staffing” (Khadraoui, 2019, p. 3).

Museums have to be a reflection of society, to do so they must have a multicultural diversity and people with disabilities, cultural professionals who are diverse, to achieve real accessibility, and knowledge of the improvements that must be implemented in the cultural panorama of museums.

In relation to this, we must be aware of the contribution of having multicultural professionals, trained in various fields and also with disabilities, enriching the exhibition diversity in museums, betting on co-creation with the public, and museum professionals in both physical and virtual environments.

Inclusive Cultural Projects

The cultural project CIVITAS (Chain for excellence of reflective societies to exploit digital cultural heritage and museums) by the researchers Clini et al. (2020) from the Polytechnic University Delle Marche, Italy, should be highlighted, developing augmented and virtual digital environments, through the multisensorial interrelationship with the works of art, expanding not only the information but also the tools used to adapt the exhibition messages for all audiences. With the aim of improving current methodologies regarding the use of technology in cultural heritage, in this case focusing on subjects with cognitive disabilities, cultural access, and interaction with culture, developing actions that encourage cognitive development, social inclusion, and visibility in the promotion of cultural actions.

Using 3D/4D models, both architectural and sculptural or to extend from the historical point of view, placing the spectators in the context, allowing the public access to inaccessible places, to be able to interact with the perishable objects, and to evidence the work of restoration in art to preserve our historical cultural legacy, often unknown by the general public the forms and actions of cultural preservation.

In terms of accessible resources for cultural heritage ecosystems, we find the project ARCHES (Garcia et al., 2019), a European project of international reference in the field of accessibility, culture, and technology through cooperation, designed to break down barriers by bringing together disabled people, technology companies, universities, and museums. Together they have developed technological solutions, such as tactile reliefs made with the latest 3D modeling techniques, barrier-free applications, games, along with avatars in sign language are the cutting edge technologies. The technologies have been co-designed and tested by over 200 disabled people in Spain, Austria and the UK.

Prior to the ARCHES project, the precedent was set exclusively in terms of 3D printing to provide accessibility to museums in the European area, the Project AMBAVis (2017) “Access to Museums for Blind and Visually Impaired people through 3D technology,” which sought to recreate the pieces through 3D printing, to obtain both tactile copies and to better preserve the originals, so that the countries that benefited from this project were the United Kingdom, Austria, and Germany.

Inclusive International Actions in the Museum

In the international field, we would like to highlight Mexico, Romania, Iceland, Netherlands, Germany, France, and USA in the field of assistive technology for the blind.

In the Mexican context, in San Luis de Potosí, is the Interactive Museum of Transmedia Audiovisual Production (MIIPAT, 2020), under the precepts of Espinosa and Castillo (2014) and Espinosa and Medellín (2020), apply technological advances in the blind to the museum: Firstly, using the Interactive Film System for Blind People (Espinosa & Medellín, 2017), this CIGI system aims to create virtual realities for blind people, with narration and sound settings. It allows the manipulation of three dimensional tools of 3D environments in the process of teaching and learning geometry in blind people by using virtual tactile perception as a way of communicating meanings through the sense of touch, allowing them to feel and acquire notions of space, shapes, and geometry of virtual three-dimensional objects.

In addition, the use of the Audio description system (AuDesc) adding a description of actions, expressions, scenes, costumes, characters, and relevant visual aspects between dialogues in audiovisual materials, without interfering with the original audio (Vásquez, 2013). Seven inclusive productions were developed in collaboration with the museum: Toymaker, The Colors of Flowers, Out of Sight, The Gift of Jacob Frey, and Super Missile.

The use of virtual reality tools evaluated through the “Sound of vision” project (Jóhannesson et al., 2016) in blind people is the basis of all current research in this field, which we will highlight below (Bălan et al., 2018; Caraiman et al., 2019; Dascalu et al., 2017; Hoffmann, 2018).

Developed at the University of Bucharest, Romania, the project “Sound of vision” Jóhannesson et al. (2016), using the sound of images as a browser for the blind, allowing safe and autonomous mobility. The system includes several 3D cameras that continuously scan the environment, associating objects to sounds generated by 3D computers; these vibrations are transmitted through a belt in the abdomen.

In the following study “Usability assessment of assistive technology for blind and visually impaired” by Dascalu et al. (2017) developed in Sinaia Romania, they combined the tactile and auditory system, usability assessment of a system designed to help blind and visually impaired people to navigate and perceive the environment. Assist the development of the sensory replacement device (SSD) by understanding how different coding and representation options of environmental information affect the perception and user experience while using the system. Among the results obtained, it was evident that simultaneous haptic and auditory elements are necessary, as well as the training of the devices to obtain an accepted functionality both in cultural environments and outside the preset travel zones, they obtained better elevation scores through audio coding, on the other hand, in the case of perception of different heights, better information was obtained through haptic elements.

Subsequently, under the use of “Sound of Vision” technology we find the study of Bălan et al. (2018), in the analysis of brain activation in virtual and real mobility of tasks through haptic, auditory, and multimodal (audio and haptic) material through the evaluation of the “Sound of Vision” navigation system. Two types of scenes are used, firstly the identification of objects in the room, nearby, wider, and the navigation between them, according to different starting points. The study sample had three blind participants. From the results obtained, it is evident that the system is efficient, both in the virtual and real environment, since the participants easily adapted to the tools, experiencing activation in the occipital areas and with low levels of stress. The conclusion is that the dual mode audio and haptic elements facilitate navigation.

Later, we find the research of Hoffmann (2018), in Iceland whose project using the Sound of Vision (SoV) system in navigation tasks, continuously encodes the visual elements of the environment in audio-happic signals. Six participants (two women and four men) between the ages of 29 and 46 were evaluated, with 8 hours of training in the system. Evaluations and questionnaires were carried out in a museum space environment, differentiating the use of the technology if it was used individually, the combination of this and the cane or the use of both. By means of this device for detecting obstacles, the participants successfully carried out a complex navigation within a few hours of its use, although, at the beginning, they used it as a complement to the cane. From the results, it should be noted that the use of the system allows blind people to determine the obstacle-free spaces between objects and to identify dynamic and elevated obstacles, which considerably increases spatial awareness. They can adapt to a haptic-auditory representation of their environment and achieve experience in use through well-defined training in appropriate time frames, unlike the white cane.

Finally, in the case of technology assessment using Sound of Vision (SoV) in open spaces, a continuation of the previous study, also carried out in Romania, the research of Caraiman et al. (2019) stands out evaluating orientation and navigation through sensory substitution in blind people, through a comprehensive approach, the analysis of artificial vision in blind people, using multimodal representations of the environment (sound and haptic) with a fusion of stereo depth maps in a 3D model (point cloud). The sound of vision is a concept that goes beyond the state of the art of visual sensory replacement systems and has the potential to become an essential inclusive device in cultural access. This is done by bringing together computer vision techniques with sensors that describe scenes by touch and sound.

As a point of improvement, we see the implementation not only of exteriors, but also of interiors as is the case of cultural spaces, in addition to being able to extend the use of accessible tools in this area is the incorporation of elements such as taste or smell, to provide an authentic immersive and inclusive experience. As well as the development of a semantic layer and the use of artificial intelligence with a virtual assistant that can resolve doubts and facilitate interaction and sound descriptions.

Emphasizing the relevance in the emotional generation and perception by blind people from the technological field, we will cite the research of Buimer et al. (2018), at the University of Twente, Netherlands, seeking to transmit facial expressions to blind and visually impaired people through a vibro-tactile device that can be worn. With a sample of twenty participants with both congenital and acquired blindness aged 38 to 44, the exclusion criteria being other cognitive deficiencies in addition to visual impairment. From the results of the study pointing out that the device was placed on the waist, the participants quickly learned the interpretation of the device’s signals by combining them with the various information obtained from other senses during the exercise. However, for the technology to have greater acceptance and better usability in all moments of daily life, a lighter and more aesthetic design would be required, evaluating not only the museum spaces with this technology, but also any action in the daily lives of blind people to be able to see the benefits of using it.

Natural history museums often develop information technologies for visitor access, given that their permanent collections are usually more numerous and the exchange of pieces with other museums is usually rare and very specific, to narrate a specific time frame, to differences from other types of museums.

For this reason, more and more museums in Germany are offering their own applications to interact with the works. A report from 2017 places the 477 German museums, 265 offered visitors their own application, while 214 museums provided a multimedia guide or a guided tour with tables (Institut für Museums Forschung, 2018, p. 62).

In the research on accessible technologies in Germany, Riethus (2020) tackled the analysis of technological inclusion in museums of prehistoric archaeology, under the NMsee project, using a directed narrative in an adventure through a purely auditory and touchable game world within the Museum of the Neanderthal, creating an inclusive and informative museum experience within the exhibition.

In the French case, the inclusive project in collaboration with the Museum of Arts of Nantes, in the research of Le Trout (2018), in the digital development of the app “My Visit,” where visitors can select a tour based on their nationality, personal profile and preferences.

Previously, the Museum of Nantes within the inclusion plans without digital elements had visits with French sign language, audio description, touch tours, and touch screen tables with the website “Work in Focus,” with information on the documentation. The development of the “My visit” project aims to provide independent access to content both in the museum and at a distance through the digital environment.

On the other hand, the common feature at international level of blind visitors in museums is the fact that they cannot visit the museums without being accompanied. The “My Visit” project would like to integrate proximity alert features to objects through commentaries, in order to empower the visitors, but at present they are still working on this, besides, another limitation is the language only in English, Spanish, and French.

In the case of the USA at the Andy Warhol Museum, Out Loud (Gonzalez, 2017) was developed, an inclusive audio guide designed especially for blind people. At the heart of the process was a user-centered approach to design and development that went beyond mere observation of the technology and instead touched on every point of a visitor’s journey. Through, conversation, joint co-design with visitors seeking dialogue for improved functionality. In the configuration of the product’s usability, the bone conducting earphones contacted by Bluetooth were tested, conducting the sound to the inner ear through the bones of the skull and therefore not covering the ear canal. Bone conduction transmission can be used by individuals with certain types of hearing loss, with cochlear problems. It was designed for both deaf and deafblind visitors, although despite the good reception of the users it was discarded because of the maintenance it processed.

The final design consisted of a chapter sequence player on a screen, with a progress bar. When users are not on the current story screen, touching the story title and chapter within the audio controls takes the user back to the full view of the learning story player.

From this project, it is concluded that it starts from good initiatives but the costs and functionalities were not fully studied, which resulted in bouncing the idea several times and losing the objective that something innovative was being sought in the use of cultural access technology for people with disabilities, predominating simplicity and usability and costs, as opposed to technological improvement and innovation.

All new technology requires learning or instruction, if we want to give autonomy to the visits of the public with disabilities, we must know the functioning and characteristics of these groups, so it is necessary to work together with education and disability professionals in the implementation of these technologies.

Educational Environment

In the binomial between students and teachers, it has to be taken into consideration on the one hand that not all students learn at the same pace and that some do not have the skills in kinesic-proximal, haptic, or reading-writing. On the other hand, in the case of teachers, they have to have continuous improvement in their educational skills and abilities, allowing a higher educational quality and integration with the knowledge of new inclusive technologies and their adaptation or creation.

At the school level, Dynarski et al. (2007) argue that technology not only provides assistive devices to help gifted students and those with disabilities learn concepts and skills, but also to help all students learn difficult or challenging concepts that would not be feasible with textbooks or classes.

The use of technology by schools and museums is becoming more and more evident, which is why it is so important that we know about the various tools that are available for accessing information.

Wearables Technologies

Today, cultural audiences face many challenges in familiarizing themselves with the functionalities of digital tools. The training process is essential for both museums and disability organizations, especially when we have varying degrees of disability and intergenerational population. In relation to work in biomedicine, various user-friendly assistive technology elements have been developed for travel or reading in blind or visually impaired subjects. With the passage of time and technological improvements there have been various functions and elements to address the problem, placing various elements in different parts of the body (Figure 1.).

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Figure 1.

Wearable assistive devices for the blind.

Figure 1 shows the areas of the body involved in assistive devices that can be worn: the fingers, hands, wrists, abdomen, chest, feet, tongue, ears, etc. have been studied to transmit visual information to the blind. All the devices presented are the basis of current research to improve access to public spaces or navigation in our cities.

All of the above devices seek the multisensory experience of the visually impaired public, as can be seen in the research analyzed. There is still no study that groups two or more technologies together, they always use one of the above or adapt and improve only one. We believe that multisensory experiences are essential, as we can see in the field of education with snoezelen experiences in multisensory spaces aimed at improving the learning of people with disabilities.

Multisensory Experiences

Technologies are being used to create different forms of multisensory experiences and researchers are using the possibilities offered by AR to go beyond mere access and make new multisensory exploratory experiences enjoyable for people with disabilities possible.

Within the use of technologies in the museum and the potential of virtual reality, we will highlight the role of the organization Curated × Kai (Khadraoui, 2019) using the use of virtual reality to create representative and inclusive excursions for multicultural students, giving visibility to ethnic diversity. The platform redesigns the purpose and definition of a museum and what that space means in the contemporary sense. The platform uses technology to provide inclusive opportunities and greater accessibility in cultural institutions.

In the study of AR technology favors the inclusion of people with cognitive and sensory disabilities; we will cite the research of Sheehy et al. (2019) the project was developed jointly between disabled people and non-disabled architecture students. The findings suggest that AR can positively transform aspects of the experiences of disabled users in museums. However, the participation of disabled people in AR research, which is intended to be used by them, seems to be problematic.

In public participation and virtual reality, painting software has emerged using Google’s Tilt Brush software, a graphic design tool that anyone can use, because it is very simple to operate. Using a virtual palette with different types of strokes and painting effects, you can draw naturally, painting strokes in the air. Another software tool is Kingspray, by using Oculus Rift it allows to create graffiti or Quill, application designed by Oculus for artists, generating animated works of immersive character (Chittenden, 2018).

Rethinking the functions of the museum and using technology to provide new content has to be one of the priorities of the museum professionals, we believe that enhancing augmented reality, would improve access to information for the public with low vision who have trouble seeing the shapes and distant contours, if we bring these shapes closer to them through technology we will manage to improve communication and teaching by cultural institutions.

Inclusive Digital Environment

However, research focused on the examination of social networks in the museum, both in Spain (Ayala et al., 2019; Martínez, 2019) and internationally (De Bernadi & Gilli, 2019; Waller & Waller, 2019) is unanimous in concluding that there are limitations with respect to the integration of Web 2.0 principles in the communication policies of museums, therefore, they are still far from developing dynamics of socialization and cultural exchange as visitors claim.

As pointed out by the researchers Ayala et al. (2019), the current challenges facing museums in Spain and also on the international scene are the following: links with the community, communication and marketing of museums, the use of technology as a support, accessibility, sustainability, and the search for alternative sources of funding, and the training of museum professionals.

The website of a museum has to be oriented to all kinds of public as it is in the guided visits, but within the interaction with the public and the facility of cultural information there are many centers that still have this subject pending, without videos adapted to sign language or without images that can be narrated for the blind public.

An advance in the contact with the public and the digital elements, we found it in the investigation in the Italy, by Kostoska et al. (2013), in the creation and analysis of the digital brochure, designed for people with cognitive, physical, or logistical limitations who cannot visit museums, or for whom it is very difficult to do so. With a sample of 30 older adults: 21 participants (10 with significant cognitive impairment, and 9 without degenerative health problems). Among the results they showed that the use of the brochure reduces the gap between elderly people and adults with cognitive impairment. Even, the digital booklets as a support of narration in the family groups meant a greater participation in the different activities when knowing the narration of the museum stories, however, the group work is essential for the evaluation of other metaphors promoting the intergenerational communication, evaluating the process and the effectiveness of its design.

We consider it basic that museums know more digital tools and easy to use and implement when it comes to the digital tracking of their visitors apart from the respective analytics of social networks. Therefore, in order to measure the digital impact on museums, we will highlight the research conducted in Croatia by researchers Komarac et al. (2019) using Media tool kit media analysis and monitoring tool that collects information from millions of Internet sources (including the web and all social network platforms) in the celebration of “Museum Night.” From the results obtained in the analysis of the mentions on the web and social networks show an increase in the mention of the event “Museum Night” during the days of the event. They point out the importance of special events such as this one, increasing the number of visitors and visitor participation, as well as the dissemination of the activities carried out by the museum.

In the use of technological resources and the autonomy they favor, we would like to end by quoting Hattersley’s words Hattersley (1988 cit. Wright, 2000).

“Unless we are able to act, the right to act loses its value. The relationship between liberty and resources is exact. The greater the resources possessed, the greater the freedom enjoyed” (Hattersley, 1988 cit. Wright, 2000, p. 119).

Analysis of the Results

To carry out the analysis of the results, the coding of the variables was performed.

The selected studies are characterized by their international scope, in the case of digital creation apps, virtual environments, and AR. They show the importance in the international context of developing more research on the inclusion of people with disabilities in cultural environments. In the 34 studies selected, several variables affecting the cultural access of museums and the use of technology have been found (Figure 2). This section presents the grouped variables included in each factor and the possibilities of cultural inclusion from the museum environment. Within the criteria for exclusion, those articles which focused on accessibility centered solely on architecture were later discarded (n = 32), followed by the studies which dealt with technology in the museum but without showing use for disability (n = 39), concluding with the articles which pointed to innovation in the museum but without an inclusive approach (n = 37). Subsequently, among those selected, those that focused on museum actions in relation to pedagogy and technology but without showing disability were discarded (n = 28), as were research that analyzed the relationship between school and museum and the use of new technologies without addressing disability (n = 24) and to conclude, research on technology in the museum in relation to the artist, not the visiting public with disability (n = 27).

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Figure 2.

Own preparation based on the model of Moher et al. (2009).

In the analysis of the studies all have a small sample of participants, the absence of comparisons with international studies in the same field and the lack of comparison of results with other studies, only exemplified in the background, which could give a desirable variety and innovation for the state of the art.

Conclusion

At present, progress is being made toward the incorporation of persons with disabilities into the different strata of society, and it is essential to continue addressing inclusive issues in order to achieve egalitarian and democratic cities. This requires a greater social commitment and knowledge of digital tools, globally we are connected through networks, but not everyone can use them, or they are provided with the appropriate information or access. Many museums are abandoning old models such as audio guides in favor of technologies and applications which are more present and easier to use by all types of public, although the creation of specific apps for each museum does not resolve the issue of access to information in a total way, since many people who cannot physically visit the museum cannot interact with the contents and/or the websites are not accessible.

For this reason, it is essential that institutions, museums and cultural bodies, as well as disability professionals, work together, favoring multi-sensorial environments with snoezelen models.

It is fundamental to understand that the union in the investigation or in the improvement in the cultural access, is necessary for all, so much for the professionals as for the visitors of the museums, if we want to improve the current conditions we have to be able to collaborate, so much with other museums, organizations, as with the own public, as a result of this need the European project Arches is a reference of collaboration of Museums, although still they are scarce, but it is based on the premise presented in this investigation to achieve the collaboration and the joint advance.

On the other hand, in the research of Romanelli (2020), he deals with the collaboration of co-creation, although he focuses on the public, the artists, and the museum professionals. Although it is undeniable that he is one of the few researchers that exposes the importance of the joint cultural creation, we believe with those exposed before that we have to go a step further, with the collaboration of the museum professionals themselves and the international museums.

If one thing we want to do with this research is to make known the most outstanding achievements in the field of inclusive museum technology, but also to give a point of inflection to the focus of the centers on the creation of technology which is only useful for those specific centers, it would be positive to develop shared technology, apart from communication between the centers and this is shown in the digital tools used.

We consider that for future research the potentialities offered by synesthesia and snoezelen methodology in the blind public should be analyzed, since it can shed light on new lines of research to better understand the configuration of the human mind. Its evaluation in totally blind and low vision students, as well as the comparison with the non-disabled population In addition to analyzing other languages such as Portuguese and Russian, since there are publications that are only developed in these languages.