International conference in Helsinki ponders accessibility

Making Cultural Heritage Truly Inclusive – Prospects of Accessibility in Nordic Museums 11–12 October 2007, the National Museum of Finland.This article focuses on questions that emerged at the ”Making Cultural Heritage Truly Inclusive” conference, which was held in Helsinki on 11–12 October 2007. The theme of the conference was the Nordic principle of equality as seen in relation to the cultural heritage sector. The participants numbered about 140 cultural heritage workers from the Nordic countries and elsewhere in Europe. In addition to representatives of the museum sector, the invited speakers included future researchers and policy makers. At the conference, museums were seen as exerting a social influence. The first part of the conference examined accessibility strategies and the challenges and expectations they engendered in the projected Nordic future. The second part dealt with the potential of the shared Nordic cultural heritage for reflecting a multicultural society. The third part of the conference focused on future challenges, which were identified as including virtual communities for young people, and the importance of considering an ageing population. The conference was part of the Tillgänglig- hetsnätverk för museer i Norden (Accessibility networks for museums in the Nord- ic countries) project, which, over the past few years, has been creating a cooperation network to enable Nordic culture sector organisations that are interested in accessibility issues to exchange experiences.