In 2017, the Robert Hollman Foundation designed and produced the picture book “The Treasure of the Enchanted Maze” to introduce the educational workshop activities about inclusion that involved 1,500 Padua preschool and elementary school children.
During the 2018-2019 school year, teachers were trained by the Foundation in collaboration with pedagogists Enrica Polato and Stefani from the University of Padua; pupils then participated in the co-design of the inclusive Treasure Tree municipal park, creating thousands of inclusive and accessible ideas (drawings, models, prototypes…) after taking up the invitation included at the end of the book.
“The Treasure of the Enchanted Maze” is designed to be inclusive, so that everyone can read the same story together, using six different codes. They are the EasyReading font for readers with dyslexia; enlarged texts for children who are learning to read or with low vision; Braille for the blind; AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) for readers with communication difficulties; and an audio text that can be downloaded with a QR code at the beginning of the book, to which the Italian Sign Language (Lis) translation was added in 2021.
The illustrations have clearly marked outlines and contrasting colors to make them easily distinguishable, as well as full-length figures to facilitate readers with visual impairment.
Nicoletta Bertelle provided the illustrations for the text written by Elena Paccagnella; the publishing house is the Paduan Camelozampa, in collaboration with the Puntidivista publishing house for translations in braille and in AAC; Senti chi parla! Onlus made the audiobook.
The goal of the book is to accompany all children on their journey of discovering inclusion beyond physical differences with the help of the imagination. Pino, Red, Lola, Gaia, and Valentino are inseparable friends, although they all have strengths and weaknesses. In the park where they live, one day a mysterious maze appears hiding a treasure: will they be able to find it?
The volume was financed partly through contributions from the five Padua Rotary clubs; the leading partner was the Rotary club in Camposampiero.
At the conclusion of the workshop, more than 1,500 pupils and 80 teachers received the accessible book as a gift from the Robert Hollman Foundation, which helped bring its important message to their families.
In 2019, “The treasure of the enchanted maze” was also donated to 458 pupils and 50 teachers of kindergartens and elementary schools in the municipalities of Cannero, Vignone and Cannobio; they were also involved in workshops to make the existing public park, next to the Hapimag resort (on the shores of Lake Maggiore), inclusive and accessible.
The “Ravenna by Hand” project took up the format of the book to create the multi-code museum guides edited by professors Roberto Dainese and Chiara Panciroli of the University of Bologna. It is still possible to purchase the book online or by ordering it from bookstores: a part of the proceeds from the sale will support the purchase of an accessible ride to be installed in the inclusive park “The Treasure Tree”.
