APTOS: Innovative methods of access to the cultural reserve for visually impaired people

The uniqueness, value and "fragile" nature of museum exhibits are the main criteria for prohibiting the public from having tactile contact with them, as this could damage them and deprive the experts of valuable knowledge and interpretations. However, a number of our fellow citizens, the Visually Impaired (PWD), use the tactile perception of the morphology of an object as the main means of accessing relevant information, including those regarding the cultural reserve. Modern 3D digitization and printing technologies offer in recent years an alternative method of tangible approach to the cultural stock, through 3D printed copies. In the context of the APTOS project, an attempt was made to strengthen the possibilities of contact of the visually impaired with the cultural reserve, following an interdisciplinary approach with the aim of developing, standardizing and evaluating an innovative methodology, for the tactile exploration of intelligent replicas of exhibits in combination with audio descriptions. This announcement will present the approach followed, the participation of the visually impaired in the various stages of planning, implementation and evaluation of the project, as well as the final pilot systems implemented with exhibits of the Epigraphic Museum and with the tactile map of the permanent exhibition. Finally, a mention will be made to 3D printed smart replicas of cultural objects as a means of enhancing access to culture not only by the visually impaired but also by the general public, during and after the visit to a cultural space.