Accessible Archival Cultural Heritage in Slovenia

The Archives of the Republic of Slovenia have taken significant steps towards making Slovenia’s archival cultural heritage accessible to blind and visually impaired individuals. Through the e-ARH.si project, the government has digitised key historical records and adapted them to be fully accessible using screen readers and voice-based navigation.

This initiative addresses a critical gap in cultural inclusion, ensuring that persons with visual impairments can access and explore Slovenia’s historical documents independently and equally. The digital archive now includes:

• Screen-reader-friendly formats, allowing users to listen to text-based historical documents.
• Audio descriptions of visual materials, such as maps and photographs.
• Digitally structured documents, ensuring smooth navigation for assistive technologies.
• Text-to-speech functionality, enabling users to engage with historical narratives more interactively.

The project was developed in close cooperation with organisations representing blind and visually impaired persons, ensuring that accessibility measures are user-driven and practical. By using advanced optical character recognition (OCR) and artificial intelligence-based text processing, thousands of historical documents have been converted into accessible digital formats, bridging the gap between cultural heritage and digital inclusion.

This initiative aligns with Slovenian and European accessibility legislation, positioning Slovenia as a leader in culturally inclusive digital transformation.

Accessible Archival Cultural Heritage in Slovenia.

Disclaimer:
Accessible EU is not responsible for the accessibility of content provided by third parties.