Musepaths: Inclusive Museums Platform
December 2025 – November 2026
ANKARA, ONLINE
Affiliates: TED University, Ostim Technical University, Wikimedia Türkiye
Musepaths is an open-source digital platform that enables museums to assess their levels of inclusivity and accessibility, allows visitors to share their experiences, and makes inclusive museums visible. This platform views museums not only as spaces of exhibition, but as public hubs of knowledge where different groups within society can participate on equal terms.
The project is being developed in three phases. In the first phase (2024), with the support of the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye’s Sivil Düşün Programme and in collaboration with TED University and Wikimedia Türkiye, an accessibility survey was conducted at 100 museums in Türkiye; at the same time a Museum Accessibility Guide was prepared with the contribution of 14 civil society organisations. In the second phase (2025), with the support of the Borusan Holding Sustainable Benefit Programme, the scope of the work was expanded to include 200 national and 200 international museums; and, with the contribution of Ostim Technical University, the first digital infrastructure comprising mapping, self-assessment and statistics modules was established.
In the third phase, to be carried out with the support of CultureCIVIC, the aim is to transform Musepaths into a professional, accessible, and sustainable digital platform. As part of this phase, the platform’s interfaces will be redesigned to comply with WCAG 2.1 standards, the accessibility scale will be gamified, integration with Wikipedia and Wikidata will be completed, and dynamic reporting systems will be developed.
Musepaths sees access to cultural heritage as a right. With the open data it generates, Musepaths is supporting the transformation of museums and enabling visitors to find museums that meet their specific needs. Starting in Türkiye, the project aims to create a lasting impact in the field of inclusive museology at both regional and international levels.
