Abstract
The aim of the work1 is to outline the contribution to nature-based solutions (NBS) of managerial paths regarding processes of social inclusion of cultural institutions. The article addresses particular aspects of heritage accessibility with respect to the community of a territory, making it more sensitive to disadvantaged people with special needs. Considering social inclusion as an important social challenge of NBS, the article examines a case study, the Tattile Polo (Tactile Centre), in which accessibility to culture plays a preeminent role, transferring the historical and artistic value of cultural products to visually impaired and blind people. Empirical study assesses the degree of social inclusion of this institution where the NBS approach helps develop inclusive pathways and improve the perception of the reality of these disadvantaged participants. The research defines a possible accountability model through the definition of indicators to measure the inclusive aspects of managerial action as a relevant challenge of the NBS approach.
Keywords
Introduction
Nature-based solutions (NBS) represents an idea that takes nature as a crucial element in evaluating and implementing processes. Everything revolves around nature; therefore, to study how human actions and choices interface with nature represents a way to interpret the impact of some managerial paths, considering nature as a resource that contributes to producing social benefits.
Solutions that consciously use nature can help satisfy different ethical and social aspects with reference to different contexts. NBS has been applied in a wide variety of sectors to address societal issues, such as developing green infrastructure in urban environments (Cohen-Shacham et al., 2016; Griffiths, 1999; Hall & Robertson, 2001; Sharp et al., 2005).
The motivations that have stimulated the present research derive from the importance of the theme of social inclusion, especially for those with disabilities. Access to artworks and places of historical and artistic interest is not always easy for these players. In cultural organizations, there are still barriers, especially regarding blind people, that limit the fruition of cultural products.
Therefore, it is necessary to activate paths of social inclusion to allow disadvantaged people to enjoy artistic heritage (Tan et al., 2019) and obtain social benefits. In this context, nature can take on an important role, as the redevelopment of some green areas and the urban context (Sharp et al., 2005) can allow solutions to be created for these purposes.
Starting from the scarce literature, which deals with the theme of cultural organizations that promote inclusion in interventions concerning nature and the urban context (Griffiths, 1999; Hall & Robertson, 2001; Sharp et al., 2005), we wish to analyze the role of tactile museums by presenting a case study, very unique in its kind also because it comes from a process of urban redevelopment. Moreover, nature on the inside of the structure, in a simple way but with a strategic intent, favors processes of social inclusion. To this end, we tried to consider the NBS approach in these organizations as a solution that management must devise and adopt to improve the condition of life of these people. In order to make these actions operationally measurable, we have to review the reporting and measurement system, according to the main scientific framework of social and environmental accountability, to consider NBS also as an economic element to be valued and social inclusion interventions, such as a societal challenge, to be achieved.
The present article, analyzing the cultural institutions that are mainly concerned with cultural heritage in museums (Bagdadli, 1997; Baldarelli, 2004; Dainelli, 2002; Donato & Visser Travagli, 2010; Magliacani, 2008; Senesi, 2002; Sibilio Parri, 2004; Zan, 1999, 2003), aims to adopt the NBS approach and the critical aspects of social inclusion in the context of tactile museums, intended for the blind and the visually impaired. NBS identify paths aimed at improving the living conditions of society, through solutions that can be found in nature or inspired by nature itself (Raymond et al., 2017). That could help improve the degree of socialization to achieve a more democratic use of natural resources and a better perception of the service environment (Wong et al., 2016).
In this context, tactile arts that use nature can be considered a particular nature-related solution providing social and environmental benefits to disadvantaged people. Problems regarding blind people are of great importance since the National Institute of Statistics indicates that there are 362,000 blind people in Italy; in addition, blind people have increased by approximately 30% in the last 20 years. The phenomenon has a very interesting consistency considering the data of the 2018 WHO.
An estimated 253 million people live with vision impairment: 36 million are blind and 217 million have moderate to severe vision impairment. 81% of people who are blind or have moderate or severe vision impairment are aged 50 years and above. (World Health Organization, 2018)
The analysis of how managerial behaviors and specific actions linked to NBS in cultural institutions (Han & Hyun, 2017) address the issue of social inclusion is less investigated in the literature and requires more scientific attention.
The research design is oriented toward answering the main research question: “How can NBS in tactile museums pursue a social inclusion challenge and integrate managerial action and accountability processes?”
The research design develops through a deductive and inductive approach (R. F. Franceschi, 1978; Naumes & Naumes, 2006). The deductive approach is based on the analysis of the literature contributions regarding the role of tactile arts as a solution inspired by nature to promote social inclusion as a societal challenge of NBS. Then a scientific approach that considers cultural institutions (museums) as social inclusion agent, according with the issues of social and environmental accountability, is presented (Belfiore, 2002; Coffee, 2008; Kotler, 2001; Sandell, 2000, 2002).
Under the methodological profile, the framework is used to analyze a research case study (Naumes & Naumes, 2006): the tactile multimedia Tactile Centre of Catania, that is hereafter called the “Tactile Pole” in this article. The survey examines the critical aspect of accessibility with regard to a category of disadvantaged players and highlights how the NBS approach contributes to developing paths of social inclusion for these subjects by creating a link among nature, culture, and historical heritage. The interpretative methodology is used to capture the managerial perspective of the museum in the realization of social inclusion pathways according to specific aspects of NBS that emphasize the individual, the community and the social and environmental context. The empirical research is based on the study and interpretation of accounting documents and quantitative and qualitative data and information obtained from the consultation of Tactile Pole websites, direct interviews (via questionnaire) to directors and managers, as well as reports analysis.
The present contribution wishes to define the role of tactile arts, which can be developed with managerial solutions inspired by nature and can affect social inclusion processes, activated to educate society to justice and social cohesion.
In order to realize the purpose of the present study and to enrich the literature on NBS with respect to the theme of social inclusion, the article involves the following steps of analysis.
The first section introduces the motivations and the main research question. The second one outlines NBS as a solution that responds to the societal challenge of social inclusion and cohesion. To evaluating the impact of social inclusion the Sandell’s model is described. It is useful to identify some areas of analysis to interpret the processes of social inclusion and to construct a set of indicators, which may be suitable to measure performances attained and to contribute to accountability in this field. In the third, to measuring social inclusion in cultural institutions as a societal challenge of NBS, an accountability model is defined.
To adopt the theoretical framework, a case study is presented (Sections 4-5). The model is implemented to evaluate social inclusion and analyze the accounting system of the organization with respect to the inclusion approach to measure the degree of inclusion in qualitative and quantitative terms (Section 6). Finally, the findings of the case study highlight comments and identify the contribution of NBS through managerial tools to emphasize the aspects of inclusive museums (Section 7).
The innovative contribution of the study is to enrich the literature on the possibilities for measuring the impact of NBS with respect to the challenge of social inclusion and cohesion, providing operational tools for managers wishing to implement solutions and to improve participation and social cohesion.
Social Inclusion and NBS in “Tactile” Cultural Institutions: Literature Review
NBS and Societal Challenges
In the context of scientific contributions regarding the NBS approach, an important issue is to evaluate the impact of NBS with regard to different social challenges. Raymond et al. (2017) propose a framework to identify how NBS can produce both synergies through ecosystem services and co-benefits deriving from different contexts. The framework includes four dimensions that are considered: when implementing NBS in urban areas: 1) co-benefits for human health and well-being; 2) integrated environmental performance (e.g., the provision of ecosystem services); 3) trade-offs and synergies to biodiversity, health or economy; and 4) potential for citizen’s involvement in governance and monitoring. (Raymond et al., 2017, p. 16)
The authors consider costs and benefits in different areas, such as climate and physical environment, socioeconomic and sociocultural systems, ecosystems, and biodiversity. They highlight 10 key societal challenges: “climate adaptation and mitigation, water management, coastal resilience, green space management, air quality, urban regeneration, participatory planning and governance, social justice and social cohesion, public health and well-being, economics opps. and green jobs” (Raymond et al., 2017, p. 17). For each challenge, the potential actions or expected impacts of specific objectives are analyzed. To this end, impact indicators and methods for evaluating the results achieved and impacts are proposed.
Among different dimensions proposed by Raymond et al. (2017, p. 16), the present study is mainly located in two dimensions: “1) co-benefits for human health and well-being” and 2) potential for citizen’s involvement in governance and monitoring.” The meaning of the two dimensions regard the active participatory involvement of stakeholders (Freeman, 1984; Matacena, 1984; Rusconi, 2018) finding alternative procedures and implementation of programs to ameliorate health and well-being. Another important aspect is developing the processes of cocreation (Cannas et al., 2018; Kim et al., 2019).
The article especially focuses on the area related to “socioeconomic and sociocultural systems.” Furthermore, in the socioeconomic and sociocultural systems topics, the issues that are addressed are linked to the following challenges: “Social justice and social cohesion” and “Participatory planning and governance.” Concerning these two, it is possible to consider some indicators of impact as (1) the Quality of Participants that measure aspects such as “Perceived level of trust, legitimacy, transparency and accountability of process” (Raymond et al., 2017, p. 18, Tables 1 and 2, accessibility to public green space based on social indicators of justice that is represented, for example, by “% of people living within a given distance from accessible, public green space” (Raymond et al., 2017, p. 18, Table 1).
Different Dimensions of Museum as Agent of Social Inclusion
Note: Adapted from Sandell’s (1998, p. 416).
The Inclusive Museum: Description and Accounting Performance Measurement System
Note: NBS = nature-based solutions.
Adopting solutions that use nature in a sustainable way to create particular museums, such as tactile ones, is an important opportunity. In these contexts, NBS may be important in redeveloping abandoned green areas, exploiting areas and green spaces to redesign specific routes for the disabled and also creating the conditions for improving the state of life of some categories of disadvantaged people.
NBS, Social Inclusion and the Accessible Museum: Moving to Managerial Paths
Tactile art is conceived as a solution that increases accessibility and social inclusion that represent social challenges to which the NBS approach tends.
The clarification of terms used in the NBS definitional framework indicates, “NBS explicitly address societal challenges. The solutions are not aimed at addressing only environmental challenges or minimizing only environmental impacts, although these may be part of what the NBS is targeting” (Cohen-Shacham et al., 2016, p. 6).
Among NBS principles (International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2014) considered, according to NBS definition, there is the assertion that NBS “produces societal benefits in a fair and equitable way, in a manner that promotes transparency and broad participation” (Cohen-Shacham et al., 2016, p. 6). Also tourism and hospitality consider NBS essential in activating sustainable management practices (Olya & Alipour, 2015).
Social inclusion is improved by accessibility. Not always is the green space designed to be easily accessible; in fact in many cases it is heterogeneous (Wolch et al., 2014), because for example green areas can have different ways of access, different recreational modes and paths of use. Then, NBS require planning approaches and governance architectures to support accessibility to green spaces or institutional spaces for dialogue and interactions of different stakeholders (Dennis & James, 2016; EKLIPSE Expert Working Group report, 2017). The concept of inclusion of disadvantaged subjects is considered in terms of social cohesion and inclusion as relevant challenges of NBS. Indeed, accessibility enhances social justice outcomes, welcoming “typically excluded social groups (e.g., migrants, women, persons with disabilities)” (EKLIPSE Expert Working Group report, 2017, p. 34). Impacting on environmental justice and social cohesion in urban areas and engaging excluded social groups, NBS “designed, delivered and monitored in ways that reflect the needs and interests of typically excluded social groups” (EKLIPSE Expert Working Group report, 2017, p. 34, Table 18), allowing participation and cohesion.
Several studies address the issue of social benefits that can generate solutions based on nature (Farrington & Farrington, 2005; Keniger et al., 2013). Accessing the green space may overcome certain social challenges and improve social cohesion (Kingsley & Townsend, 2006). Moreover, interaction with nature can facilitate interaction among subjects, reinforcing social participation. Nature therefore becomes a resource for creating a social context and a place for interaction and sharing (Briot et al., 2007; Coley et al., 1997).
In this sense, NBS activate paths of participation and promotes social inclusion. Indeed, it is highlighted that “green care and nature-based services can be a very important supplement to traditional health- and welfare services” (Kogstad et al., 2014, p. 6065), helping the community to have a more satisfying life and a more significant role in society.
The characteristics of the cultural institution move in the perspective of achieving inclusive action for certain disadvantaged subjects such as a societal challenge of NBS. On the one hand, the managerial action emerges through certain behaviors that can reinforce or discourage inclusive paths. On the other, the theme of exclusivity is tied to that of vulnerability (Pelligra, 2008).
From a managerial point of view, attention to stakeholders, even more in institutions that take on a particular social role (Chen et al., 2013), presupposes the moral and ethical consideration of interests and needs. This action should involve a closer link between individuals and their empowerment. At the same time, subjects need to realize that behavior, which translates into decision-making processes, is closely related to the benefit of others in order to prevent any damage from falling back on themselves (MacIntyre, 2001).
Sustainability development, too, becomes complete only when it is able to actively engage all the players in the socioeconomic processes, even those of different abilities (Nussbaum, 2007). Building an economic system where people are happy (Zamagni, 2007) requires the essential contribution of people with different abilities by making them acquire equal work dignity.
From the managerial perspective, these goals are pursued in relation to the behavior of management and those operating within the organization. The perspective adopted for the purpose of identifying the relationships between organization and stakeholders in value creation processes, is that of Carroll (1991), who highlights the principles of ethics and morality, which are even more essential in managing relationships with people with disabilities. The author points out several facets of social responsibility (Albus & Ro, 2013; Jones, 1980; Woo et al., 2016) including that related to philanthropic components, which are connected to various aspects such as the importance of acting on the basis of philanthropic expectations of society, the consideration that management and staff have to participate in the volunteering activities of their community and the opportunity of supporting all those projects that aim at improving the quality of life (Carroll, 1991).
To pursue inclusive objectives, it is necessary to evaluate the possible benefit to the excluded people and also to those who develop the “inclusive” paths (Fredette et al., 2015; F. Tang et al., 2009).
There is a link among vulnerability, dependency, trust, and responsibility. This link develops the need to take care of the other. It is an important approach to advance trust and to create interdependence among agents (Nussbaum, 2002).
A fundamental logical passage is, indeed, the realization of reciprocal satisfaction if, on the one hand, a specific need of the weak agent is achieved. On the other hand, the pleasure of the vulnerable agent attributes a sense to the action and life of the agent that offers its social responsibility toward the others. There is a moral and ethical duty that pushes people in the direction of taking care of people excluded from normal enjoyment of services and cultural activities and how to govern and to communicate them to the stakeholders. In this sense, the NBS can address the ethical challenge concerning social problems faced with the sustainable use of nature (Eggermont et al., 2015), trying to eliminate the barriers (Chan et al., 2015) that can limit the use and access to areas.
Moreover, literature examined the processes of creating and measuring the value of museums and historical–artistic heritage (Ecchia, 1998; Magliacani, 2008; Sibilio Parri, 2004) also with reference to managerial profile (Donato & Visser Travagli, 2010; Zan, 1999). In this context, the importance of social value related to cultural products is emphasized. Value is associated with the “social” utility that derives from the enjoyment of such products. It is important to extend this perspective not only to cultural goods of public museums but also to cultural institutions of the private sector; that, in any case, should not limit the realization of a social objective. The value created by the museum or the cultural product comes from a variety of tangible and intangible activities (Magliacani, 2008).
The museum constitutes an entity of service to society and its development, in its essential and general role of transferring culture and historical and artistic meanings of the artistic heritage contained therein. The process of knowledge transfer and value creation plays a more complex role in museums or cultural products destined, for example, to blind and visually impaired people (Scichilone, 1997). Accessible museums and cultural products create value for the community when accessibility to heritage and the physical and cultural modalities with which it is realized become essential prerogatives in the pursuit of their goals, comprising inclusion in relationship-based activities phenomena for the weaker categories of society (Baldarelli & Cardillo, 2012).
From these statements, it emerges that the mission and the distinctive trait that make cultural products “accessible” have the aim of transferring the culture and the historical–artistic meanings contained therein considering the beneficiaries of the cultural institution as key stakeholders (Freeman, 1984; Freeman et al., 2010; Mitchell et al., 1997; Roberts, 1992).
A relevant consideration, regarding cultural institutions and cultural products in general, is to understand the nature of the museum’s action toward such categories. Specifically, cultural institutions can generate exclusion processes or activate inclusion mechanisms.
With reference to the action of the museum, the literature highlights the role of the museum as a social inclusion agent (Belfiore, 2002; Coffee, 2008; Sandell, 2000, 2002, 2003; Sandell & Janes, 2007).
Within the U.K. government, particularly the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, social inclusion work should: “promote the involvement in culture and leisure activities of those at risk of social disadvantage or marginalisation, particularly by virtue of the theatre they live in; their disability, poverty, age, racial or ethnic origin” (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1999). Though, to understand social inclusion, social exclusion aspects must be defined (Bradshaw et al., 2004). “Inclusion may be derived by combining both a functional and a social approach to creating inclusive groups” (Fredette et al., 2015, p. 31).
As explained by Sandell, the cultural institutions and museums have been usually considered as an exclusive environment as they are “products of the establishment and authenticate the established or official values and image of a society in several ways, directly, by promoting and affirming the dominant values, and indirectly, by subordinating or rejecting alternate values” (Sandell, 1998, pp. 407-408).
The Author indicates three fundamental topics to consider cultural institutions and museums agents of social exclusion: access, representation, and participation. The problem of access to cultural institutions is crucial, as it is not only a question of physical access, but to be able to enjoy the products.
The issue of representation relies on their history and collections and sometimes the museum presents itself as an exclusive institution, which is not entirely open.
Participation in the process of creating cultural production may generate social exclusion when the product is not accessible to the different abilities of the public. However, if the action of the museum or cultural institutions is activated to curb these barriers, the museum becomes social inclusion agent and activator of a new culture of social inclusion.
The contribution of Sandell (1998) suggests a possible framework in which the museum expresses its potential with recourse to social inclusion, exploring the relevance and managerial implications for the museum sector. In this sense, culture might possess the potential to improve social cohesion or to reduce social inequalities.
The author creates a framework for assessing the extent to which the museum addresses exclusion and how it handles the symptoms of social exclusion even with respect to their role in society. In the model, the Museum is “inclusive” when it pursues such a goal and activates actions aimed at participation and access of those excluded. This requires developing a cultural dimension to avoid exclusion and thus indirectly to reduce other social problems. The Museum is also an Agent of Social Regeneration to improve the quality of life of the users and their self-esteem. It requires activating initiatives that can alleviate those disadvantaged and stimulate personal development. The museum is also a Vehicle for Broad Social Change, as it can influence a positive social change by promoting greater tolerance toward the most disadvantaged people. It becomes important to create a forum for educational debate and persuasion. These approaches are influenced by the social dimension with which exclusion phenomena are limited and the problems associated with exclusion are reduced.
Starting with Sandell’s contribution, it is possible to define different dimensions of museum as agent of social inclusion (Table 1).
Measuring Social Inclusion in Cultural Institutions as A Societal Challenge of NBS: An Accountability Model
Social inclusion is a challenge in the field of solutions based on nature. The theoretical framework adopted aims to link the relevance of the NBS approach in cultural organizations and the challenge of social inclusion. In order to measure social inclusion, the Sandell model has been adopted to define some dimensions of analysis that formed the basis for creating a model of accountability.
The theory applied to create a link between these different theoretical approaches is social and environmental accountability (Deegan, 2002; Parker, 2005). The NBS idea supports social cohesion and inclusion; the sustainable use of nature is a crucial factor in social growth and accountability systems can become tools to measure benefits and impact of NBS.
In this sense, the analysis of accounting data and reporting systems and the study of critical managerial aspects of cultural organizations can help construct a set of quantitative and qualitative indicators that evaluate the degree of accountability with respect to social inclusion, according to the inclusive characteristics identified by Sandell. The NBS adopted in the context of the tactile museum, as an association between tactile arts and nature, stimulate social inclusion and therefore the related defined indicators to evaluate it become possible measures of the impact of the NBS answers (C.-H. Tang & Jang, 2010).
To monitor the final benefits of NBS implementation processes targeted indicators are needed. The indicators can be financial, nonfinancial and linked to administrative budget or cost/benefits of inclusive actions according to different dynamic of the systems at a variety of geographic and temporal scales (Raymond et al., 2017).
The definition of indicators is a necessity to evaluate the impact of NBS on the various challenges it proposes. Defining a measurement system using indicators allows managers to obtain information to improve decisions and spread the idea of NBS also within the economic field, considering it an important item in the estimated expenditure of any entity (Kabisch et al., 2016).
The logic of interpretation of the case study is represented in Figure 1.
Social inclusion dimensions and accountability model
Considering social inclusion as a challenge of the NBS approach in cultural organizations, different dimensions of analysis are defined on the basis of the Sandell’s model. In order to measure social inclusion, we highlight the contribution of accounting systems to evaluate some relevant aspects of social inclusion from the perspective of social accountability. A set of indicators is thus defined that can measure the inclusion processes and the ability to implement solutions based on nature for these purposes.
The Tactile Pole of Catania: Methodology and Research Design
The research methodology in applying the NBS approach and Sandell’s perspective to the Tactile Pole, is an interpretative case study (Chiucchi, 2009; Corbetta, 2015; Hyett et al., 2014; Stake, 1995; Yin, 1984). The approach is consistent with the research undertaken (Grand et al., 2015) that includes participation and orientation to others involved in the research context. The choice of this methodological approach is also considered useful for the position of the case study with respect to the research question (Darke et al., 1998). Some studies on this topic adopt the methodology of the case study to interpret and describe specific impacts in the context of natural urban parks (Briot et al., 2007) or the conservation of biodiversity and social inclusion (Baur et al., 2013).
Moreover, the choice of this methodology lies in the need to understand certain managerial aspects by “listening” to the viewpoints of the respondents in order to understand certain behavioral profiles and ways of thinking that are relevant in the particular institution observed. We see the interpretive approach as a very useful one for understanding the person’s perceptions, assuming their points of view. In doing so, the theoretical lenses presented above are used to explain the specifics of the practices within the organization rather than providing generalizations (Scapens, 2004).
Specific factors related to the inclusion processes have been investigated and interpreted according to the theoretical framework described above.
The data were collected, over different periods: from March to July 2016 and from June to February 2018, through document analysis and interviews.
Documentary data was gathered from newspaper articles, accounting documents, the Tactile Pole’s web site, as well as the recognized projects and several other initiatives.
Various tools have been used for this purpose, including providing a semistructured questionnaire to certain key actors working in the museum, obtaining qualitative and quantitative information on governance arrangements, accounting aspects and fruition logic, documents containing the description of specific activities within the museum, and data useful in evaluating them. Some links have also been established between the role of the Tactile Pole and the work of the Braille Stamperia, which has been the driving force for the realization of most of the tactile products contained in the Tactile Pole, both in terms of financial and human resources. Those interviewed are those who deal with the overall management of the Tactile Pole. Semistructured questionnaire interviews were conducted with the Director General of the Stamperia and the Tactile Pole, the Administrative Director of the Stamperia, the Manager of the Tactile Pole, the Manager of the Tactile Showroom, who is a blind person and who also has the function of works supervisor, and the manager of company visits as well.
The aim of such interviews was to stimulate an informal talk to assemble, through the several experiences reported, the profile and the goal of managerial action. Specifically, the interview with the administrative director highlighted significant aspects of the accounting system and organizational processes. The main information was obtained from the questionnaire and document data, which have been summarized in the Supplement Table 1 (available online) and reflect the general information of the institution, the accounting and budgetary system and aspects of the inclusive museum.
The themes of the interviews tried to encapsulate the aspects of inclusion in its various articulations and, specifically, in its internal dimension, as a managerial way of structuring the offer and, in its external dimension, as an action to raise the awareness of society. Some interviews were conducted simultaneously with various other subjects; indeed, some particularly significant aspects emerged from the interviews carried out simultaneously with the manager of the Tactile Pole and the manager of the showroom. On such occasions, to specific questions on the subject of inclusion, the two players, one visually healthy and the other blind, communicated different points of view, and it was evident that the different physical condition implies a different perception of events and a different approach in giving meaning to words, actions, and concepts.
The Tactile Pole of Catania: Mission and Governance
The case study of the Tactile Pole of Catania (Italy) is conceived for blind and/or visually impaired people but its impacts in terms of transfer of values and meanings influence the whole community generally. The Tactile Pole is undoubtedly a cultural institution of high social value, enabling the use of significant works of art and special structures. The choice of the case study derives, on the one hand, from the interest of studying a distinctive reality in Europe in order to integrate into a single structure not only the tactile museum but also other structures, such as the Sensory garden, an NBS to stimulate the participation of people. The Pole, such as the tactile museum, derives from a process of urban redevelopment and also nature plays an important role within the structure.
The tactile museum takes on a particular connotation combining tactile art and nature, through this link an information exchange is realized, essential to transfer to the blind person a conception of the world and of himself.
In fact, these museums are often built and designed redeveloping abandoned green areas or green structures or in any case adopting solutions inspired by nature (Raymond et al., 2017), improving the perception of the natural environment (Line & Costen, 2014). Indeed, the experience of the sensory path implies, in some structures, the immersion of the person into nature, through sensory gardens, with the presence of hundreds of different species of plants that are accompanied by a plate in Braille, in which the name, the species and the type of vegetation are indicated. The garden located in the tactile museum is a meeting point between sighted, visually impaired and blind with the ecological construction of a pathway that allows them to immerse with nature without particular dangers for the blind.
The garden has different species of plants, many types of flowers and perfumed essences. The sensory garden and the “musical” fountain are the innovative elements based on NBS as will be specified in this section. The redevelopment of the green space represents a central part linked to other structures such as the bar in the dark, the Internet café, and the tactile arts museum. The context of the Tactile Pole is of low environmental impact and is structured without architectural barriers that can prevent fruition.
The Pole is conceived as an integrated structure inspired by nature from the awareness that the Tactile Pole, stimulating the touch of vulnerable people, is an example of knowledge transfer that wants to overcome prejudices and marginalization phenomena which improve human health.
The objective was, therefore, to investigate the Tactile Pole managerial and governance processes that favor the social inclusion of vulnerable people and the social cohesion of the community as a societal challenge of NBS, adopting the Sandell (1998) framework. A significant element is the fact that the stimulus and the realization of the structure come from the will of the private sector on the basis of a strong interest in people with visual issues and the will to answer their needs. The visual problems consider the need to perceive the value of works of high historical–artistic significance, even without seeing them, overcoming “the prejudice that wanted to relegate the blind to marginalization and darkness, even to ignorance” (President of the Braille Stamperia).
Another important aspect to consider is that the Tactile Pole, as stated in 2008, is the first polyfunctional Tactile Pole in Europe devoted to the integration of blind and visually impaired people, promoted and realized by the “Regional Braille Stamperia,” 2 located in Catania.
In Italy, there are several structures that offer services to the blind, including the tactile museum of Ancona (Omero Museum), but the Tactile Pole, proposed as a case per se, is the only one in Italy that offers, in the same structure, various types of services including cultural services through tactile “museum” path and playful services such as the “Sensory Garden” and the “Dark Café.” These elements attract a certain number of visitors annually, not just blind people, especially from schools for the socioeducational goals that the Tactile Pole stimulates.
Starting from the Sandell approach, it is possible to identify the elements of social inclusion carried out by the museum relating to three areas: The Inclusive Museum, The Museum as Agent of Social Regeneration, and The Museum as Vehicle for Broad Social Change.
Each dimension is represented on the basis of various information related to the mission and the tools that are used to activate virtuous cycles. The way in which the action can limit the exclusion and finally the modes by which the museum is able to manage some issues that are associated with exclusion.
This contribution, adapting the framework to the study of a cultural institution, seeks to identify some areas and themes of analysis to assess the management action with respect to social exclusion.
The study of the managerial aspects implies the consideration of the modalities of inclusion and the contribution of the managerial tools to realize the inclusive actions.
Based on the theoretical reflections aforementioned, we interpret the case study.
The Tactile Pole offers various visiting supports: the Tactile Museum, the Sensory Garden, the Internet Braille Café, and the Bar in the Dark.
The cultural institution we are dealing with is aimed at the blind and all people who are intent on experiencing a new way of appreciating art by touching it. Moreover, they become enriched by the profound message and meaning that the structure offers. The museum offers copies of original art works and historical and artistic monuments and, for this reason, it is not considered a museum in the usual sense. However, it tends to be considered a “special museum” as it makes accessible and enjoyable cultural products of which historical and artistic value is acquired, trying to transfer it to partially and/or totally incapable people who are therefore vulnerable.
Among the people involved in the realization of the works, one is blind and tries to test reproductions, while three people have a contract funded by the Province of Catania. To achieve the goal of the Tactile Pole, the Directors of the Museum and the Stamperia seek to increase the financial resources in order to be able to better develop design and implementation activities that absorb much in terms of human and financial resources. 3
The museum is free for all disabled people, but it requires the payment of a fee (€ 2.50 per person) for visitors with no disabilities and receives a flow of visitors which, when compared with the opening year, is constantly growing (Supplement Table 2, available online).
As shown in Supplement Table 2 (available online), the number of visitors grew steadily. The strong growth in 2016 is due to two reasons: the first, to the expansion of the Tactile Pole, and the other, to a greater promotion and publicity of the Pole not only as a center for the blind but also as center for all those who wish to experience a moment of significance.
An articulated governance system characterizes the Tactile Pole, the Braille Stamperia 4 is the central core with the resources, which has contributed greatly to the creation of the Tactile Pole. Several organizations support and sustain such structures, like the UIC, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, the Sicily Region, and the Regional Province. 5
Within the Stamperia, research and design activities are carried out. Indeed, each work is a detailed study, in which experts evaluate its feasibility and the ways in which blind people can use it. From the description of this composite system it is noted that the Tactile Pole, critical to the territorial context, enjoys an absolutely important position becoming a point of reference for people with visual impairment and, at the same time, a place where creative and innovative action is generated. The framework outlined above highlights the relevant aspects of managerial action, which creates the integration of “vulnerable” people (Pelligra, 2008) through a specific role: art education for particularly disadvantaged individuals.
Undoubtedly, in the case examined, it is not possible to refer to the acquisition and display of original artistic works, but rather of “special” works, since it is not original goods but reproductions studied and produced to be enjoyed by visitors with disabilities. This entails a remarkable commitment from the museum and specifically of the Stamperia, which deals with the design and production phase, and the development of high-value social activities. Indeed, from the information obtained, human and instrumental resources are absorbed by over 50% of the activities aimed at the design, construction, and preservation of works. Managerial action is related to value-generation processes, in which the analysis of the relationship between the institution in question and the group of stakeholders involved in it is inseparable. To this end, it is essential to identify the main users as if “you do not understand how the museum is run, it is not even possible to orient the evaluation system in order to verify how it is managed” (Chirieleison, 1998, p. 473).
Given the fact that the philanthropic components of corporate social responsibility are of particular relevance, it is crucial to study the nature of the relationship between management and community and/or people who relate to the institution. Consistent with the concept of moral management (Carroll, 1991), various interviews with managers and directors of the Stamperia and the Tactile Pole revealed certain ethical principles and values that would justify the dedication, the deep respect and the desire to make the blind and visually impaired as an integral part of a community. These elements could not emerge from the aseptic reading of documents or the detached observation of economic and financial performance. The listening process of the people, which has been carried out by the present study, has created a close proximity to those people interviewed, succeeding in capturing essential values such as respect, ethics, and fairness of actions. The Manager of the Tactile Pole (June 2017) considers it a “place where together, with handicapped people and non, they can experience, share, know and touch with their hands . . . that it is possible to live like everyone in the world of everybody,” aiming toward “greater cultural literacy for the blind, the visually impaired and all citizens, enabling visitors to experience a unique experience, an experience of discovering a new way of integration.”
The Evaluation Model of Social Inclusion in The Tactile Pole as A Challenge of NBS
Adapting the theoretical framework regarding NBS dimensions, such as stakeholder active participation, trust, legitimacy, justice, social cohesion, and accountability (Raymond et al., 2017, Table 1) as well as Sandell’s approach (Table 1), the work identifies several actions and responses according to the three spheres, that is, inclusive cultural institution, social regeneration and social change as relevant challenges of NBS.
The dimensions change according to the areas of analysis and they have been extended in the present research work with respect to the characteristic of the Tactile Pole.
The first area focuses on Inclusion. Sandell’s framework assumes cultural inclusion as the relevant goal of an inclusive museum, which creates a positive and propulsive NBS background for co-benefit, justice, and social cohesion. The Tactile Pole expresses this goal in its specific mission: to offer blind and/or visually impaired people the opportunity to know the characteristics and value of historical and artistic heritage through the creation of works for them studied and designed in order to make them take part in an important moment for their human and social growth. (Interview with the General Director of the Tactile Pole, June 2017)
The Tactile Pole was founded in 2008, 30 years from the establishment of the Braille Stamperia, with the aim of completing the cultural offer, through a substantial urban redevelopment that has also incorporated a green area which today is part of the Pole and that has been equipped to allow the blind to meet with nature. In this sense, a solution based on nature allows the social participation of these people.
The mission is linked to the desire to appreciate and thus enhance local and Italian cultural heritage even to those who have a visual impairment through the production of three-dimensional works that allow contact and can be experienced by such people as well. The Tactile Pole Manager (July 2017) states, “The museum does not promote inclusion because inclusion is the reason for its existence . . . so the museum exists as it integrates, it includes; if it does not accomplish this purpose it does not exist.”
The ways in which this dimension is realized relate to all actions that enable representation, participation and access to categories that are usually excluded from certain processes (Sandell, 1998, 2000). Moreover, the exclusion diminishes the potential contribution of the inhabitants of the surrounding area in governance NBS processes (Raymond et al., 2017). The purpose of integration, for example, also supports the testing of plastics, made in the Stamperia by blind people who possess an average capacity to perceive both physical and historical aspects and artistic significance. Choosing the average tester’s capacity allows, in terms of the ability to enjoy and understand the work, covering a good part of the people with such disability. The works are built in scale and details are emphasized and the use of strong colors also serves to affect the visually impaired person to perceive certain characteristics of the work.
The facilities of the museum, in terms of accessibility are extraordinary. Behind them, there is a strong desire expressed by the General Manager, who is an expert in the study of the conditions and issues of the blind, to identify himself in the condition of the blind and/or visually impaired people, since this is his principal contact with the Tactile Pole. For this reason, accessibility is detailed at the entrance, there is a smart button that guides the blind visitor to access the museum describing his current location and access modes. The structure also features a yellow path designed with state-of-the-art elements and materials that allow a safe path for the blind visitor.
Another aim pursued is to involve the blind in political debate. An interesting example of it is the scale model of the Messina Bridge on which trains and cars are built to give the idea of road traffic. It is absolutely significant that a visually impaired person can “touch” the project and be involved in a current critical issue regarding the possible construction of the connection between the island of Sicily and the rest of Italy.
In this context, the factors that limit the exclusion take on a cultural connotation. First, the purpose is to limit the barriers that exclude the blind from the enjoyment of historical and artistic heritage, trying to create special services that make it possible to understand the relationship between those who have this disability and those who come into touch with them. In order to improve inclusive processes, the managerial actions have been and are currently focused on solutions that use nature linked to the fruition of artistic heritage.
Continuous enrichment of collections implies a management action aimed at obtaining funds to improve cultural offerings. In 2008, thanks to the Special Fund for publishing of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage, the Stamperia has made further projects for the creation of new editorial products for the blind and visually impaired, including a series of tactile polymath books called “Wonders Under the Fingers.” In addition, a convention with the Provincial Authority of Catania for the implementation of a project called “From the eyes to the hands,” has made it possible to realize many three-dimensional architectural plastics, which have enriched the Tactile Pole. Further funding from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage in 2014 has allowed the Tactile Pole to be expanded, creating another exhibition area and enhancing the realization of architectural works that from approximately 15 have become about 60.
Among the problematic elements that could become exclusion factors, there is that of the gratuity of the Tactile Pole. Indeed, such gratuity would be accepted in institutional museums where the blind do not pay because they cannot see and enjoy works, but it is less acceptable in such a structure that should treat subjects with visual impairment in a normal way. The resulting issue is strongly linked to the phenomenon of exclusion. These problems were dealt with by the General Director, who states that blind people should pay for entry and there is a willingness to foresee it in the future; the current choice of making it free lies in giving absolute space to a higher goal: “first to break the cultural and architectural barriers that limit the actions of the blind to the enjoyment of cultural heritage” (General Director of the Tactile Pole).
Another problematic aspect is the absence of equipment for other forms of disability and therefore sometimes it is likely to exclude disabled nonblind people, who would like to visit it.
The second area, that is examined, considers “regeneration” (social, ecological, integrated). If a cultural institution assumes the goal of improving quality of life and the growth of self-esteem, then it assumes the features of an inclusive museum and is more easily able to activate innovative NBS approaches (Wong et al., 2016). Such actions must be geared toward alleviating the disadvantage of blind people. However, could some of the efforts alleviate the disadvantage or increase it? How can you achieve inclusion without risking exclusion? In this regard, the Manager of the Tactile Pole states that, meanwhile, they can never include enough, affirming: “inclusion is a process of continuous improvement. Actions should be studied first with respect to the objective that is intended. This is to avoid the failure of inclusion.” There are several initiatives that aim to alleviate the disadvantage and increase self-esteem. For example, in the Braille Café Internet Room, there are Internet-connected PCs, equipped with a Braille bar and screen readers, which are made available to the blind and visually impaired. Voice synthesis installed on PCs converts what appears on the screen in voice form. The goal of this area is that the Internet is perceived, as a socialization and integration tool and the blind must have access to this tool. The blind and the visually impaired can contact the Tactile Pole for this service whenever they wish. The urge to make use of the Internet for the visually impaired was born with the constitution, by the UIC, of the Observatory of the Internet, which assesses the degree of Internet accessibility for the disabled with visual rights, whose right to surf the web and access the information was dictated by the Stanca Act (4/2004), which obliges public bodies to render their sites accessible.
The “Fragments of Light” area, which is a particular showroom, experiments and produces, in its workshop, specific didactic and technical material for blind people and exhibits technological material, which allows the blind to reach a certain degree of autonomy. This helps make the life of a visually disabled person more normal and comfortable: mappings, tactile compasses, meter and speech scales, children’s fairy tales, geographic maps, text reading devices, Braille writing boards, subsidies for mathematics and instructional games for children’s perception, blind watches, and color-matching devices.
The Tactile Pole, therefore, assumes an inclusive dimension when it manages to improve the lives of such disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Among the main actions to reduce vulnerability, there are those based on NBS and those, integrated with the former, relating to the creation of tactile pieces.
On the issue of vulnerability, during the interviews, the Managers of the Tactile Pole and of the showroom have defined the vulnerability differently. While the Tactile Pole Manager has correlated vulnerability to physical disadvantage that can indeed create situations of weakness and impotence in responding to the person, the Showroom Manager, who is a blind person, has expressed a different idea, affirming that vulnerability does not necessarily derive from external agents but it is a mental setting.
Vulnerability is linked to our mind, it is not related to physicality. We can be healthy and very vulnerable, but also disabled and not easily vulnerable. People or actions can condition vulnerability but it always depends on our minds. It is also not stable, it can be momentary or linked to a specific moment of life. (Showroom Manager)
The issue of vulnerability takes on a peculiar connotation within the Tactile Pole. The structure is also intended for nonblind people, who can experience blindness through specific areas (i.e., Bar in the Dark). It often happens that the nonblind person increases his or her vulnerability, such as getting himself or herself into such and such a situation that he or she increases his or her level of awareness and anxiety.
Exclusion is therefore limited if the person finds in the museum a dimension of growth and valorization of his or her existence, giving himself or herself part of the life of the other peoples and feeling part of a moment of growth. The development of tactile works, thanks to the financial and political commitment of management, is tied to the desire to expand the opportunities for the blind to discover historical and artistic works. So the initiatives promoted are designed to make blind people subject of a world that thinks of their specific needs. These considerations point out that any parameter or method used to measure value and managerial action cannot disregard the addressee’s preoccupation and the activities that are being carried out in an attempt to make an improvement.
The third area, which is analyzed, focus on Broad social change. Indeed, one goal of the Tactile Pole’s managerial processes is to influence society, raising awareness not just of understanding the status of certain categories but also of enhancing the sharing of values and ethical principles. The Tactile Pole play a very important social role and NBS potential innovation background creation to be a vehicle for community change and well-being improving. An essential aspect of this change is consciousness. The visit to the Pole is, indeed, a formative experience perhaps even more for nonblind people (about 40% of annual visitors are blind). Initially, the coming of the nonblind visitor is characterized by curiosity, from the interest of observing a place created for those who cannot see; afterward, the trip triggers the visually impaired sensation.
This visitor immerses themselves into the condition of those who do not see and, in that case, the blind person becomes the guide, the reference for nonblind people. From this path, it is easy to experience deep emotion, inner growth, and to understand better and be more aware of the condition of people with such disabilities. The structure that is stimulating in this sense, especially for the nonblind, is the “Bar in the dark,” undoubtedly a successful experiment for the integration of the blind and nonblind through a reversal of roles. It consists of a tour of the bar and the furniture is also shown, for example, by touching the visitor with the relief paintings hanging on the wall in the dark. The nonblind person, after an initially uncomfortable situation, becomes captivated and gets used to the darkness and begins to experience “with a different eye.” For these people, this is a living experience that leads to profound reflections on the value of light and on the way of life in the blind world.
Another aspect of managerial action to strengthen social change is socialization. An example of a structure devoted to this objective is the Sensory garden, which is the main idea in the museum based on NBS, favoring the inclusion of disadvantaged subjects as well as stimulating emotions through direct contact with nature (Raymond et al., 2017).
The Sensory Garden of Catania’s multimedia tactile pole shows specific characteristics. The first is the variety of plants and the type of essences; the second is given by the way the garden is used.
The Garden has 250 different species of plants including olive, almond, orange, lemon, carob and palm trees, and laurel bushes, as well as different varieties of aromatic essences and flowers like mint, sage, thyme, and the Melissa plant. Each plant is easily identified by a braille tag, which also includes information about species and types. Furthermore, the path is specially designed by the experts of the tactile pole and is made of tactile-plantar tiles that trace a path to guide the person. Moreover, the blind person can leave the tactile path, and go onto the lawn, because the garden has been specially equipped with some suitable signs that allow walking on the grass.
The Tactile Pole has also adopted another idea based on NBS, which is the “musical” fountain. Water games and movements are produced and these create sounds so that blind people can perceive the type of water movement.
The experience of the sensory path implies the immersion of the person into nature, with the presence of hundreds of different species of plants that are accompanied by a plate in Braille, in which the name, the species and the type of vegetation are indicated. The garden with the ecological construction of a pathway and the “musical” fountain, that allows people to immerse themselves in nature without any particular danger for the blind, represents a meeting point between sighted, visually impaired and blind, improving the perception of the natural environment (Line & Costen, 2014).
Education is an essential effect of the managerial action of the tactile museum. Related activities are connected to the creation of evaluation processes, meetings, and initiatives to educate society, families, school children, and youth. At the end of the tour, the respondents provide a questionnaire to the visitors in order to try to detect the feelings experienced during the visit and what sense was most stimulated in the absence of sight. This is also an important moment to guide future actions by the Tactile Pole. The main initiatives to begin a process of limitation of exclusion phenomena involving a social change are linked to external value assets that, under a management profile, absorb less human and financial resources, than the ones linked to internal-value assets.
The Tactile Pole, in order to become a vehicle for educating society, tries to make its works and, consequently, the efforts made in their implementation known to the whole community. However, the dissemination should be further developed as stated by the museum director and the manager. Efforts have been made to increase communication channels, by the website and the Facebook page, and to activate initiatives and projects that showcase Tactile Pole activities, such as the National Day of Braille and the Dark Dinners. Among them, it is worth mentioning the travelling Tactile Pole, which provides for the display of some works and items for the visually impaired, on a specially equipped bus, for the purpose of disseminating its activities and services. As part of the awareness campaign, visits to the museum are particularly important by national and foreign schools, which may visit the museum many times during the year. The teaching staff of these structures feel that the visit to the museum is a moment of absolute human growth for youths. To this end, the Tactile Pole develops a number of external value activities linked, for example, to the activation of manipulation workshops for students and pupils in schools. All of these activities are a tool in limiting exclusion and related issues, improving social cohesion as NBS suggest (Raymond et al., 2017). The purpose of education covers various aspects, not only the inclusion of disadvantaged categories of people but also the dissemination of the NBS idea. First of all, private parties and public administrators are encouraged to carry out urban redevelopment projects, such as the Tactile Pole, also to create other museum structures for different categories of subjects or for the entire community. In addition, green spaces designed for tactile perception identify an idea of a solution based on nature that can be reproposed in other contexts and structures. This allows for spreading the idea that nature can also be a way to enhance cultural or recreational places.
The president of the Braille Stamperia states that society must grow “by giving spaces to everyone, without distinction, to affirm the value of the person per se.” In this sense, he considers the tactile museum “bright information and knowledge,” an example that can give everyone a better conscience, the awareness that people who for whatever reason have a disadvantage are the same as those who are more fortunate, and the fortune is neither capacity nor conquest, therefore consciousness must enrich with knowledge and values, the true greatness of each individual and of mankind.
From the information derived from the case study and based on the Sandell approach, we try to represent the characteristics of the museum inclusion activity and how managerial actions and tools, such as accounting systems, may contribute to explaining the processes of inclusion and the ability to experiment with NBS innovations. Different aspects of measurement concerning Inclusivity involve cultural aspects, the way of fruition, the activities that stimulate participation, and integration. The elements related to regeneration are mainly aimed at improving the quality of life, through specific actions including investments that improve the status of disadvantaged people and their perception of the benefit received. The area of social change is relevant because it represents the overall result of the inclusive action of the museum. Social change is aimed at stimulating greater social awareness of the status of disadvantaged people. This should create a cultural change in the community and, in public or private institutions, a greater propensity toward developing NBS projects.
Specifically, from the information on the accounting and governance system obtained by way of the questionnaire and the reading of the accounting documents (Supplement Table 1, available online), an accountability model (Tables 2, 3, and 4) has been attempted. It links the Sandell’s perspective with the specific indicators and information data deriving from the accounting system or performance measurements that can highlight the contribution of these tools in explaining the inclusive managerial action of the cultural institution. The indicators represent a possible measurement of social inclusion as a relevant impact of NBS, monitoring and evaluating costs, and benefits of organization.
The Museum as Agent of Social Regeneration: Description and Accounting Performance Measurement System
The Museum as Vehicle for Broad Social Change: Description and Accounting Performance Measurement System
The case study allowed us to draw some reflections on various managerial aspects of the inclusion activities in the cultural institution. Several elements useful for measuring the inclusion action of the museum have emerged. They are not systematically measured and monitored by the institution analyzed even though they could be useful, not only to improve performance compared with inclusive activities but also to assess the social impact of these activities. Such measures could explain the dimensions of inclusion. Each dimension is subdivided by nature and each specific nature can be linked to aspects of analysis measured by indicators. Measuring indicators requires a well-organized accounting and performance measurement system that can provide the required data. The same indicators are proposed for the measurement of the different roles of museum (Inclusivity, Museum as Agent of Social Regeneration, Museum as Vehicle for Broad Social Change), though in any case, they contribute to providing a different composition of the set of indicators that describes the different aspects of the dimension.
Discussion and Conclusions
In order to answer to the research question, “How can NBS in tactile museums pursue a social inclusion challenge and integrate managerial action and accountability processes?” This article investigates how the NBS (Cohen-Shacham et al., 2016; Raymond et al., 2017) in a tactile museum responds to the societal challenge of social inclusion for which it was implemented. Some managerial and governance aspects of cultural institutions are significant activating inclusive action. Starting from the Sandell’s (1998) model, which defines some responses to the inclusive museum for vulnerable people (Pelligra, 2008), different social spheres that assess social inclusion (Sandell, 1998) as the challenge of NBS (Raymond et al., 2017), are defined.
It is possible to identify certain characteristics of the museum which move in the perspective of achieving inclusive action for disadvantaged people. The accessible cultural product generates, in a wider context, a number of repercussions and impacts that are not limited to the simple enjoyment of goods and/or services, but stimulate a profound awareness and social integration action. Indeed, the development of managerial pathways, which strive to improve access to cultural products, may allow a virtuous process to be initiated. This virtuous process starts with the purpose not only of giving the opportunity of fruition to the disabled but also of developing a series of positive circuits for the human growth as well as for a greater sensitivity toward sustainable choices.
The case study attempted to frame a series of activities carried out by the Tactile Pole located in Sicily, which takes on a different connotation and is interpreted with reference to the various fields that characterize the inclusive action, regeneration, and wide social change. These value-creation processes are influenced by how management relies on its community of reference, which benefits from cultural services delivered and from NBS to improve active stakeholders’ participation, justice, trust, and well-being. The nature of relationships and the identification of subjects in the case examined are associated with the level of morality assumed by those who run the organization.
The adopted framework (Bradshaw et al., 2004; Cohen-Shacham et al., 2016; Olya & Alipour, 2015; Raymond et al., 2017; Sandell, 1998), in the scientific context of social and environmental accountability (Deegan, 2002; Parker, 2005), suggests that museums, and thus cultural institutions, can positively affect the lives of marginalized people, they can act as catalysts for social regeneration and can improve a specific community by creating a fairer society. This scientific approach allowed for developing of a possible model of representation and measurement of qualitative and quantitative aspects of inclusion that could be a first approach toward creating a managerial tool for assessing social inclusion aspects and the attitude toward implementing NBS.
The Inclusive Museum carries out all actions that enable representation, participation, and access to categories usually excluded from certain processes. The actions taken by the Tactile Pole management team are a fundamental objective, which is the pursuit of the social objective of integration. In pursuing regeneration, the organization assumes an inclusive dimension when it manages to improve the human lives of such disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Realizing a broad social change implies a series of managerial actions which, in the case considered, mainly refer to consciousness, socialization, and education. To define the role of management tools in measuring inclusive aspects, a link between each dimension of the Sandell model and different indicators deriving from the accounting and reporting system, has been achieved. The proposed accountability model aims to help define the contribution in representing and measuring inclusive activity, as the societal challenge as well as the final impact of NBS. The definition of indicators allows the measurement and evaluation of aspects that influence the inclusion activity of the museum. Different indicators have a direct connection with NBS choices, such as, for example, Investments in social inclusion through NBS (Table 2) or Measurement of the social benefit produced by investment in NBS (Tables 3, 4); other indicators, even if not directly connected to the NBS approach, may however indirectly consider the specific actions that can include NBS (e.g., Research activity of private and public funds, Table 4) or the measurement of the effects of the implementation of NBS choices (e.g., Measurement of effectiveness of integration initiatives, Tables 3, 4). Some indicators assume a certain degree of relevance in order to evaluate the inclusive processes related to NBS choices. The indicator Investment in social inclusion through NBS (Table 2) in the area of Inclusive Museum allows measuring how many investments, which promote social inclusion, involve the NBS approach. Stakeholder mapping and perception of NBS ideas (Table 2) in the motivational dimension of Inclusive museum are important in order to identify and classify the stakeholders and to perceive their idea of NBS. This involves evaluating, through interviews or questionnaires, how the community interprets NBS and whether some categories of stakeholders have greater awareness than others. The Measurement of the social benefit produced by investment in NBS (Tables 3, 4) in the area of Museum as Agent of Social Regeneration is an indicator that measures the social benefit that NBS investments can create. This can be measured, for example, by the level of satisfaction that disadvantaged categories express after having benefited from structures based on NBS. Another significant indicator is Training activities on knowledge of NBS to improve social inclusion (Table 3) in the instrumental dimension of the area “Museum as Agent of Social Regeneration.” This indicator identifies managerial actions aimed at informing the staff and stakeholder about the potential that NBS can produce with regard to improving inclusion activities. The indicator Public or private initiatives or funds to start NBS projects (Table 4) within the area of “Museum as Vehicle for broad social change” evaluates the quantity and quality of NBS projects activated by public institutions, companies or entrepreneurs. As noted in the survey (Supplement Table 1, “Accounting and control system,” available online), there is a questionnaire to gauge the satisfaction given to visitors at the end of the visit of the Tactile Pole, whose data are not processed for management purposes by the museum organization. These questionnaires, if further supplemented with even more specific information regarding the NBS approach, may constitute an additional management tool for assessing the perception of visitors on these issues, becoming an information base for the Stakeholder mapping and perception of the NBS idea indicator.
The Tactile Pole is a precious example of urban redevelopment where a green space has been reevaluated, cared for and used for a noble social purpose. The green space inside the Pole is considered a green oasis within the city. The choice of this entity has allowed us to interpret a reality and its ways of social inclusion as an effect of an urban redevelopment project that had a significant impact on the territory.
NBS represents the conceptualization of an idea that, perhaps even unknowingly, the subjects who created the Pole have carried on. The present research wanted to demonstrate the positive effects that an urban redevelopment project can produce in one area and to spread the idea that NBS, such as the Sensory Garden, can be an opportunity to the development of the territory.
From analysis of the case, it emerges that the creation of this structure assumes importance not only for the disadvantaged but also for the whole community. The educational profile is very relevant, as it demonstrates an original way of using nature. Through the sensory garden that is integrated into the structure complex, the concept of safeguarding plant species and the beauty of enjoying a green space is communicated, considering it an integral part of a museum. Conceiving nature as a possible expression of culture should be a message not only for blind people but also for all people.
The Garden is, indeed, designed to offer subjects the opportunity of immersing themselves in a green park, of learning about the different types of plants and of meeting other people. This idea stimulates socialization and therefore social inclusion.
Another important consideration is that the adoption of NBS, as analyzed in this case, is further enhanced by the context in which it originates. As noted in the case study, nature is part of a path where other solid structures also alternate (such as the museum of artistic works reproduced for the blind or the Bar in the dark). Therefore, NBS may also be implemented in harmony with other structures enhancing their impact. This happens, for example, in the case study where nature is not a simple delineation or a mere physical passage but a relevant element of the museum to be discovered and appreciated.
The tactile museum takes on a particular connotation combining tactile art and nature, through this link the perception of reality improves, essential to transfer a conception of the world and of himself to the blind person.
The NBS solution adopted in the tactile museum realizes a strong connection between nature and this type of disability. The analysis of this case has revealed that nature can be a tool to create a relationship between the world and the blind. The sensory garden and the “musical fountain” are winning examples of managerial choices in which nature, presented on the basis of a project idea shared by the managers, helps to reduce the perceptual gap of the blind. This approach can find further developments, for example, by placing tactile works within a natural setting where the blind can perceive not only the architectural style or the historical period of the work but also the nature that surrounds it (rivers, trees, plants). The implementation of these projects involves the use of more extensive green areas based on the NBS approach, such as redeveloping abandoned green areas and redesigning green spaces according to specific solutions.
Adopting solutions that use nature in a sustainable way to create particular museums, such as tactile ones, is an important opportunity.
To stimulate these processes, a greater awareness of the actions and choices produced by organizations is needed. Therefore, a model of accountability that measures social inclusion activities and the propensity toward NBS choices that may improve this inclusion could be a useful step in order to consider nature as an element not only to be protected, according to environmental sustainability factors, but also a solution for growth, sharing, and social education.
The study tried to contribute to enriching the paucity of literature on the possibilities of measuring the impact of NBS in a tactile museum with respect to the challenge of social inclusion, providing operational tools for managers to stimulate processes of inclusion of disadvantaged subjects, and improving participation and accessibility as challenges of NBS.
However, the work has the main limitation that regard the empirical approach based on managerial and governance paths of a single case, which hinders the generalization of results and requires a further research step aimed at considering more cases to submit to deeper investigation regarding these issues.
Limitations
The article investigated management solutions based on NBS approach in the context of tactile museums and how these solutions can influence social inclusion processes. The purpose of these activities is to educate society about justice and social cohesion and inclusion which represent challenges of NBS. The study analyses a case study through the use of green areas based on NBS approach, such as the redevelopment of abandoned green areas and the redesign of green spaces based on specific solutions. A limitation of the study is that it analyses only one organization. The tactile pole investigated, although it represents a unique entity in the territory, should be compared with other realities that offer the same type of service to evaluate and compare managerial choices and different solutions adopted. In addition, an interpretative case study is presented, aimed at evaluating aspects of inclusion, as a challenge of NBS approach. To this end, in the future research steps, a quantitative study could be carried out to measure and evaluate the impact of the specific characteristics of the NBS approach on the quality of services offered in the context of tactile museums.
Concluding Summary
The study sought to contribute to enriching the lack of literature on the possibilities of measuring the impact of NBS in a tactile museum with respect to the challenge of social inclusion, providing operational tools for managers to stimulate the processes of inclusion of disadvantaged people. The research investigates how the adoption of the NBS approach in a tactile museum responds to the social challenge of social inclusion, which represents the purpose for which this solution has been implemented. Sandell’s theoretical perspective that defines the characteristics of the inclusive museum outlines different areas and the actions of social inclusion as a challenge of NBS.
The results suggest that museums can positively influence the lives of marginalized people. This implies that certain managerial choices can favor social inclusion and regeneration by improving the behavior of a specific community. This scientific approach, through the definition of an accountability model, based on a set of indicators for representation and measurement of the qualitative and quantitative aspects of inclusion, represents a first approach toward the creation of a managerial tool to evaluate aspects of social inclusion and the effects of implementing NBS.
The present research aimed to demonstrate the positive effects of an urban redevelopment project by creating an opportunity for the social and cultural development of the territory.
From the analysis of the case study, which is a tactile pole, it emerges that the creation of this structure assumes importance not only for the disadvantaged but also for the whole community. The educational profile is relevant, as it demonstrates an original way of using nature, which represents not only an element to be protected but also a solution for the growth and social education of a community.
Supplemental Material
Supplemental_material – Supplemental material for Managerial Paths, Social Inclusion, and NBS in Tactile Cultural Products: Theory and Practice
Supplemental material, Supplemental_material for Managerial Paths, Social Inclusion, and NBS in Tactile Cultural Products: Theory and Practice by Maria-Gabriella Baldarelli and Eleonora Cardillo in Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research
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