Joanna Molek

In the context of museums’ transformation into active social agents, the Entre Luces (Between Lights) project, developed at the Pablo Gargallo Museum in Zaragoza, serves as a compelling example of accessibility understood as a shared cultural responsibility. Implemented within a listed heritage building, where structural modifications were not possible, the project deliberately shifted the focus from architectural accessibility to communicative, cognitive, and sensory dimensions, placing the quality of the cultural experience at the centre. The study employed a qualitative case study design based on document analysis, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews with museum staff, educators, and members of disability organisations. Through a participatory and iterative co-design process, curators, educators, vocational students, and disability organisations collaborated to develop inclusive solutions. People with disabilities were not regarded as passive users but as co-authors of the process: they contributed to the creation of tactile replicas, audio descriptions, sign language resources, braille, pictograms, and motion-activated audio systems. The project generated three main outcomes. It expanded cultural participation among people with diverse disabilities, enriched the sensory and emotional experience of all visitors, and initiated an institutional transformation that reshaped staff training, interpretive approaches, and the museum’s mission towards inclusivity. Entre Luces demonstrates that even small and medium-sized museums can overcome heritage constraints and promote cultural equity and social innovation through inclusive and sensory-based approaches.

In the context of the evolving role of museums as social agents, the Entre Luces project, developed at the Pablo Gargallo Museum in Zaragoza, stands out as a notable example of accessibility conceived as a shared cultural responsibility. This study investigates the co-design of a multisensory space within a listed historic building, aimed at fostering the inclusion of people with disabilities. Adopting a qualitative and participatory research approach inspired by bottom-up methodologies, the study combines document analysis, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews with museum professionals, technicians, educators, and users. Central to the process was the active involvement of individuals with disabilities, who were engaged not merely as beneficiaries but as co-authors of the design process. The findings highlight a significant transformation in museum practices and the implementation of inclusive educational pathways, enabled also through collaboration with vocational craft students. Despite operating on a small to medium scale, the museum has developed strategic indicators to assess the social and cultural impact of the project. Entre Luces is proposed as a transferable model for cultural institutions seeking to embed inclusive design within their institutional identity.

This paper investigates how foreign nationals living and working in Poland evaluate Polish colleagues’ communication in English and its effectiveness in international business. It identifies features of linguistic behaviour attributed to Polish business interactions. Five dimensions of cultural variability (directness, emotionality, power distance, confrontation, critical evaluation) are used as benchmarks and offer an observational framework for examining Polish communication patterns. The attitudes that foreign business professionals expressed towards their Polish colleagues’ style of interaction are measured using a Likert scale and interpreted based on the results of qualitative interviews and secondary research. The article highlights the pragmatic dangers of misunderstanding or underestimating culturally-driven behaviours in the global setting.