"Don't Touch!": a new podcast on accessibility in cultural institutions

A podcast to rethink accessibility in cultural institutions

"Don't Touch!" is a new podcast curated by Giovanna Brambilla and promoted by the Ministry of Culture. It focuses on accessibility in museums, libraries and archives, aiming to guide both professionals and the public through practical and critical reflections on accessibility as a cultural concept, design process and civic right.

What the series covers

The podcast highlights that accessibility goes beyond technical devices (tactile maps, platform lifts, LIS videos, tactile-child paths) and embraces organisational practices, mediation, cultural design and imagination. Twelve professionals working in cultural sites share methods, experiences and questions to help institutions become more inclusive.

Episodes at a glance

• Episode 1 – Corsair Words: exploring "accessibility" as an open process, featuring Emanuela Daffra and Luca Dal Pozzolo.
• Episode 2 – Out of the Vase: discussion on collective heritage and sites such as botanical gardens and demo-ethno-anthropological museums, with Mario Turci and Mara Sugni.
• Episode 3 – Points of Oversight: perspectives that go beyond single tools to embrace space and viewpoints, with Stefania Vannini and Nicola Stilla.
• Episode 4 – Escape Room: the role of experiential design and mediation, with Irene Balzani and Melania Longo.
• Episode 5 – Don't Open That Door: practices for more open, relational institutions, with Cristiana Iommi and Luca Vitone.
• Episode 6 – Behind the Scenes: access to artistic training and visible/invisible barriers, with Laura Barreca and Chiara Bersani.
• Special episode – Fairy Tales Are True: the accessible future of museums: looks at the exhibition "Fairy Tales Are True… Italian Popular History" and solutions that can inspire museums' future, with Andrea Viliani and Maria Rosaria Lo Muzio, interviewed by Miriam Mandosi.

Availability and context

The series is part of the national training plan Personeper (PNRR Cultura 4.0), financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU and curated by the Scuola nazionale del patrimonio e delle attività culturali. "Don't Touch!" is available for free on major podcast platforms and is aimed at professionals, students and visitors interested in practical approaches to more inclusive cultural places.

Practical takeaway for museum staff: the episodes provide concrete ideas to review routes, signage, communication and reception policies. For the public, the podcast is an invitation to engage in shaping cultural spaces that are truly accessible.