Workshop Making Culture Accessible to All
19/02/2026
The City of Pula – Pola hosted the workshop “Making Culture Accessible to All” at the Coworking Pula space, as part of the FORTIC project. The event brought together representatives of public institutions, local authorities, cultural organisations, various associations of vulnerable groups and architects.
Roundtable on Accessibility, Participation and Inclusion
Moderated by Vanja Marković, pedagogy expert, the roundtable addressed key barriers faced by groups at risk of social exclusion, including persons with disabilities, older citizens and people with limited financial or educational resources.
It was emphasized that accessibility is not limited to adapting physical infrastructure, but also includes affordable pricing, clear and inclusive communication, and designing programmes that acknowledge the diverse needs of audiences. Marković also highlighted the crucial distinction between equality, equity, and fairness — while equality offers the same access to everyone, equity ensures that those who need more or different support receive exactly that, creating the foundation for social fairness.
To showcase good practices and inspire new initiatives, the roundtable featured cultural professionals who are already actively removing accessibility barriers in their work:
Đeni Gobić-Bravar – Assistant Director, Archaeological Museum of Istria
Marino Jurcan– President, Metamedij Association
Luka Mihovilović – Actor & Head of the Drama and Dance Studio, Istrian National Theatre
Nataša Šimunov – Head of Cinema Valli
Practical Session: Implementing Horizontal Principles
In the second part of the programme, Boris Iharoš, architect and expert in inclusive design, led a hands-on session focused on applying accessibility principles in the planning and design of public projects.
It was highlighted that in Croatia, as many as 17% of the population are persons with various types of disabilities, with around 80% of disabilities being invisible, which further underscores the need to raise awareness among professionals involved in design and decision-making processes.
For this reason, it is essential to follow the principle “Nothing about us without us”, meaning that persons with disabilities must be equally included in the planning, design and evaluation of spaces, services and programmes intended for them. Through practical tasks and the exchange of experiences, participants discussed tools and methods which ensure that accessibility and availability become indispensable elements of every public project.
With this workshop, project FORTIC reaffirmed its commitment to an inclusive cultural environment, raising awareness of accessibility while fostering dialogue on how cultural institutions can promote equality and social cohesion.
