The Role of Visual Communication in Implementing the Principles of Barrier-Free and Inclusivity in Ukrainian Museums
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32461/2226-3209.2.2026.362265Keywords:
barrier-free, visual communication, inclusiveness, cultural heritage, cultural values, museum, national identity, Ukrainian culture, digital technologiesAbstract
The purpose of the article is to identify the peculiarities of using visual communication in Ukrainian museums as a tool for supporting national identity through digital technologies in the context of the interaction between the principles of barrier-free and inclusiveness and the preservation of cultural heritage. The research methodology. Using an interdisciplinary approach and based on the principles of cultural studies and museology to determine the role of visual communication in implementing the principles of barrier-free and inclusiveness in Ukrainian museums, the article applies analytical and cultural research methods. The scientific novelty consists in determining the potential of visual communication as a tool for creating a barrier-free and inclusive environment and preserving cultural heritage in Ukrainian museums, which is an important factor in the formation and preservation of national identity. Conclusions. In order to implement the principles of inclusion and barrier-free in Ukrainian museums, it is necessary to develop projects that take into account the needs of different groups of people. For museum spaces, it is important to create modern exhibitions and organize specialised spaces. The information component also needs improvement, in particular, the development of digital resources (websites, mobile applications, media platforms) that should ensure equal access to cultural values for all visitors. With the use of digital technologies, visual communication becomes both a tool for the development of museums in terms of accessibility and a component of social integration and the building of an inclusive society where people with special needs have equal opportunities to participate in cultural processes. Inclusive practices in visual communication in Ukrainian museums will help overcome barriers and ensure equal access for all to the cultural values that shape our national identity.
References
Babich, O.V. (2024). Ensuring the creation of a barrier-free space in Ukraine. State building, 2 (36), 620–634. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26565/1992-2337-2024-2-42 [in Ukrainian].
Vezhbovska, L., & Kovalenko, M. (2024). Visual art for people with disability of sight: return to syncretism. Demiurge: ideas, technologies, design prospects, 7 (2), 215–233. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31866/2617-7951.7.2.2024.315447 [in Ukrainian].
Denysiuk, Zh. (2021). Museum communication in the conditions of digitalization. Library science. Record Studies. Informology, 3, 64–70 [in Ukrainian].
Zubchenko, S. O., Kaplan, Yu. B., & Tyshchenko, Yu. A. (2020). Creating a barrier-free environment and social inclusion: global experience for Ukraine: analytical report. NISD [in Ukrainian].
Some issues of communication support for the implementation of the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Environment in Ukraine for the Period until 2030 (2024, December 20). Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine №.1301-r. https://www.kmu.gov.ua/npas/deiaki-pytannia-komunikatsiinoi-pidtrymky-realizatsii-natsionalnoi-stratehii-iz-stvorennia-bezbariernoho-prostoru-v-ukraini-na-period-do-2030-roku-i201224-1301 [in Ukrainian].
Kurchenko, T. Ye. (2022). Formation of an inclusive space in institutions of social memory of Ukraine. Society. Document. Communication. Series “Social communications”, 17, 125–154 [in Ukrainian].
Kushnir, V. (2022). Interactivity, inclusion and participation as main lines of innovative practices of museum work. Ethnological notebooks, 1 (163), 16–30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15407/nz2022.01.016 [in Ukrainian].
Lytovchenko, V. (2025). The use of museum expositions in the educational process of medical institutions of higher education in compliance with accessibility norms. Education of persons with special needs: ways of development, 1 (26), 83–97. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33189/epsn.v1i26.278 [in Ukrainian].
Museum “Lviv ancient”. (n.d.). https://lvivancient.org.ua/ [in Ukrainian].
Nadolska, V., & Havryliuk, S. (2024). International experience of implementation of museum inclusion. Problems of humanities. History series, 15 (57), 151–187. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24919/2312-2595.15/57.17 [in Ukrainian].
Nalyvaiko, L. R., & Martseniuk, L. V. (2023). “Barrier-free Ukraine”: problems and prospects. New Ukrainian law, 4, 82–93 [in Ukrainian].
Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Art. (n.d.). https://khanenko.museum/ [in Ukrainian].
Prokhorenko, L. (2024). Inclusiveness and barrier-free educational space: children with special educational needs. Education of persons with special needs: ways of development, 2 (25), 203–219. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33189/epsn.v2i25.265 [in Ukrainian].
On the approval of the National Strategy for the Creation of a Barrier-Free Space in Ukraine for the period until 2030 (2021, April 14). Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine №.366-r. https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/366-2021-%D1%80#Text [in Ukrainian].
Oblasova, O., & Ryvlina, V. (2025). Visual communication of museum institutions: challenges of the times and modern technologies. Synopsis: text, context, media, 31 (4), 352–359. DOI: https://doi.org/10.28925/2311-259x.2025.4 [in Ukrainian].
Renovation of museums: architecture of accessibility and security. (n.d.). https://lnk.ua/geqr6GnV5 [in Ukrainian].
Romanchyshyn, V. H. (2025). Barrier-free and inclusive Ukrainian theaters: socio-cultural aspect. Scientific Bulletin of the Kyiv National University of Theater, Cinema and Television named after I. K. Karpenko-Karyi, 36, 25–29 [in Ukrainian].
Slobodian, L. Ya. (2024). The concept of “barrier-free” as an object of research. Problems of modern transformations. Series: Law, Public Administration and Administration, 11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54929/2786-5746-2024-11-02-05 [in Ukrainian].
Chubrei, O. S., Yavorska, V. V., & Chubrei, M.-A. Yu. (2024). Inclusiveness of museum spaces as an opportunity to develop excursion activities for persons with disabilities. Constructive geography and rational use of natural resources, 4 (special), 29–37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2786-4561.2024.4.special-4/19 [in Ukrainian].
Shvets, M. A. (2025). Inclusion in culture: European approaches and their implementation in Ukraine. Advanced discoveries of modern science: experience, approaches and innovations. Collection of scientific papers “SCIENTIA”. Amsterdam, The Netherlands. June 27, 163–165 [in Ukrainian].
Yasenovska, M., & Zinenko, O. (2020). Best practices of inclusion. http://fes.kiev.ua/n/cms/fileadmin/upload2/inclusion_booklet_zor-_21.10.2020.pdf [in Ukrainian].
ICOM. (2022). Museum Definition. International Council of Museums. https://icom.museum/en/resources/standards-guidelines/ museum-definition [in English].
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License International CC-BY that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).