A curious and inclusive society, in which anyone can dream, have opportunities to participate, and be the best they can. That is our vision at Acesso Cultura. It is to this vision that we always return when we need guidance and energy.

The year 2025 was a difficult year. The world, both within and beyond our borders, challenged us in multiple ways. We questioned once again: culture for what?

What marked our 2025 was collaboration, joining efforts with other organisations. A reminder:

• The debate “There are many ways to ban a book”, organised in April with BAD – the Portuguese Association of Librarians, Archivists, Information and Documentation Professionals, the National Reading Plan, and the Goethe-Institut.

• The design of pictograms for the creation of sensory maps with APPDA Lisboa, in an ongoing collaboration to make cultural spaces more accessible and inclusive for neurodivergent people.

• The meeting “Artistic Practices in a Prison Context”, in October, with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

• The debate “Access Denied? Deaf and disabled people in Higher Artistic Education”, in December, with Culturgest.

In 2025, we were also surprised by requests for training from cultural organisations in other countries, such as Romania and Sweden. Thanks also to invitations from European projects, such as Europe Beyond Access or Perform Europe, we had the opportunity to share our reflections and practices with colleagues from various countries and organisations. We feel that we are part of a much larger community.

As every year, there were many training sessions, consultancies, our annual conference, and the Acesso Cultura Award – Mickaella Dantas. Thank you to the people who collaborated with us, to the people who participated, to the entities that gave us their space. Thank you to the members of Acesso Cultura.

Closing one year, awaiting the arrival of the new year, we know what our answer is to the question “Culture for what?”.

Culture to re-learn how to care; culture to build solidarity; culture to create closeness; culture to imagine a brighter future, fairer and more humane.

Happy holidays, in the company of those you love and who love you! Here’s to 2026!