The "Regina Elisabeta" Technological High School in Bucharest, in partnership with the Light into Europe Foundation, on Thursday inaugurated the "Regina Elisabeta" Museum of the Blind Community and Education, the first museum space in Romania dedicated to the history, culture and contributions of blind people.
According to the Light into Europe, the museum celebrates more than a century of history, education and creativity of the blind community in Romania. It is a space that makes visible the voices of students, teachers, artists and social innovators who, despite barriers, have made an essential contribution to the cultural and human heritage of Romanian society, the foundation said.
Inspired by the vision of Queen Elisabeth of Romania, who as early as 1907 supported access to education and social recognition for blind people, the museum goes beyond the role of a collection of objects and becomes an educational and civic tool, the organisers highlighted.
"Access to culture, education and collective memory is a fundamental right. This museum shows that inclusion is not a symbolic gesture, but an investment in dignity, citizenship and our shared future," Vice-President of the European Parliament Nicu Stefanuta said, as quoted in a release of the Light into Europe Foundation.
The opening of the "Regina Elisabeta" Museum is a tribute to the leaders who built the foundations of education and inclusion for the blind community, District 2 Mayor Rares Hopinca also underlined.
"This museum does not speak about disability as a limitation, but about potential, creativity and contribution. It is an example of how education and culture can dismantle the attitudinal barriers that still persist in Europe," MEP Katrin Langensiepen conveyed.
Designed in line with the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the museum offers an experience open to all visitors, regardless of ability. The exhibits combine historical and contemporary perspectives through tactile art and objects that can be explored by touch, audio and interactive narratives and participatory experiences that encourage empathy and understanding.
According to the creators, the "Regina Elisabeta" Museum of the Blind Community and Education is also conceived as a living space for learning, dialogue and connection between generations and is addressed to students, teachers, families, decision-makers and the general public, inviting them to discover a heritage that becomes a starting point for conversations about identity, belonging and equal rights.
"The 'Regina Elisabeta' Museum is, above all, the voice of the blind community, not as an object of observation, but as a community that speaks for itself. It is a space of education, pride and shared humanity, where inclusion is both pedagogy and practice. At this first stage, we are pleased to have the support of donors and investors who believe in inclusion and equity and we plan to develop the museum into a fully immersive space of blind identity, with thematic exhibitions, international partnerships with blind artists and collaborations with similar museums around the world," Museum's Curator and CEO of the Light into Europe Camelia Platt explained.
The project is supported by the British Embassy in Bucharest.
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