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Museums and disability

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lightbulbAbout this topic
The study of museums and disability examines the accessibility, representation, and inclusion of individuals with disabilities within museum spaces and practices. It explores how museums can accommodate diverse audiences, promote equitable participation, and challenge societal perceptions of disability through their exhibitions, programs, and institutional policies.
lightbulbAbout this topic
The study of museums and disability examines the accessibility, representation, and inclusion of individuals with disabilities within museum spaces and practices. It explores how museums can accommodate diverse audiences, promote equitable participation, and challenge societal perceptions of disability through their exhibitions, programs, and institutional policies.

Key research themes

1. How do museums legally accommodate physical disabilities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and develop inclusive programs beyond physical access?

This research theme centers on the legal framework established by the ADA and its amendments, focusing on how museums implement mandated physical accessibility and reasonable accommodations. It also explores beyond legal compliance to programmatic inclusivity for visitors with disabilities, emphasizing case studies from major institutions that illustrate how museums design activities and services to engage disabled audiences effectively.

Key finding: This paper systematically analyzes the ADA’s five Titles and their specific provisions impacting museums, especially Title III, which mandates accessibility and reasonable modifications in public accommodations. It presents... Read more
Key finding: This essay traces the historical development of disability rights in the U.S. and UK and connects it to evolving museum practices, highlighting the shift from minimal legal compliance to embracing universal design principles.... Read more
Key finding: Although this report focuses on Australian museums, it provides a comprehensive assessment of disability access policies in museums, emphasizing the need for systemic changes in physical and programmatic accessibility aligned... Read more

2. What are effective museum strategies and practices for engaging and including visitors with sensory and cognitive disabilities through participatory and technological approaches?

This theme investigates how museums can foster visitor-centered, inclusive experiences for individuals with sensory impairments and cognitive disabilities by leveraging participatory research, inclusive program design, and emerging technologies such as augmented reality (AR). Methods include collaborative storytelling, co-creation approaches, and designing assistive technology with end-user participation to enhance accessibility and engagement.

Key finding: The qualitative case study demonstrates that collaborative artmaking combined with interviews and observations can effectively incorporate adults with developmental disabilities along with their caregivers and museum staff in... Read more
Key finding: Through a systematized literature review, this paper identifies that assistive technologies developed for museum use by people with sensory impairments and learning disabilities must embed participation at multiple... Read more
Key finding: This research review finds that augmented reality (AR) technologies have promising affordances to support inclusive museum experiences for people with sensory and cognitive disabilities by overlaying multimodal information... Read more

3. How do museums develop multisensory and inclusive practices for visitors with visual and hearing impairments to enhance aesthetic, social, and educational experiences?

This theme explores museum approaches tailored to visitors who are blind, partially sighted, or d/Deaf, focusing on multisensory access strategies, language and communication accommodations, and the socio-cultural dimensions of disability identity. It examines how museums create affective aesthetic experiences beyond visual dependence, utilize sign language and Deaf-led tours for engagement, and negotiate cultural inclusion through educational and participatory programming.

Key finding: This study of a tour designed for blind and partially sighted people at the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum highlights that aesthetic access must go beyond conventional physical and communicative accommodations (e.g. replicas,... Read more
Key finding: The article presents a case study on tours for d/Deaf audiences conducted in sign language led by Deaf tour guides, showing that sign language use is central to effective engagement. It emphasizes the importance of cultural... Read more
Key finding: Through a case study involving multisensory educational materials that allowed people with visual impairments to ‘see’ three artworks by touch and other senses, this paper evidences that people with visual impairments... Read more

All papers in Museums and disability

This article aims to investigate the conditions of accessibility of Tomorrow the Museum; located in the Harbor Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro. To this end, we performed a case study where we observe the interaction of a student with... more
This article aims to act as an important and politically grounded counternarrative to the dominant discourse of disability, having the potential to unravel the myth of normalcy that undergirds so many of the exclusionary practices today.... more
The representation of disabled individuals in museum spaces worldwide has sparked substantial debate in recent decades. It has become increasingly evident that disabled people’s lives and experiences have been overlooked,... more
Dissertação apresentada a provas públicas para a obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Museologia, orientada pela Professora Doutora Patricia Silva Dorneles e Co-orientada pelo Professor Doutor Mário Caneva de Magalhães Moutinho.
• This is a paper about how we researched learning disability history together. • We used material in a digital archive as well as creative methods to do our research. • Working this way helped us learn about ourselves, and each other's... more
This article addresses ways that museums can strengthen programming for audiences who are blind or partially sighted. Through the development and study of a tour for people who are blind or partially sighted conducted at the Calouste... more
1 Assignment co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the COMPETE 2020-Operational Programme Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI) and national funds by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia... more
This article addresses ways that museums can strengthen programming for d/Deaf audiences. Through the development and study of a tour for a d/Deaf audience conducted through signing and oral translation at the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum... more
The basis of this chapter is the post-doctorate research «The Representation of Disability in DGPC Museum Collections: Discourse, Identities and Sense of Belonging» being conducted at the Department of Heritage Studies of the Faculty of... more
While discussing how government, charities and companies can work together, this chapter particularly describes how researchers can work with people with disabilities and disability organisations to create more inclusive research. It... more
The va lua ble role of ris ky his tories : exhibiting dis a bility, ra ce a nd reproduction in medica l mus eums Publis hed in Cura ting Medicine, Is s ue 14 Article
Although the potential of arts to promote social inclusion is recognised, barriers to social inclusion for disabled people in the arts is under-researched. Based on 34 semi-structured interviews with disabled people and those without... more
Supplemental material, BJVI_Authors_version_Appendix_1_Procedure_for_research_team_meetings_and_focus_group_sessions for Improved access to museum collections without vision: How museum visitors with very low or no vision perceive and... more
The following paper is based on the experiences gathered during the European participatory research project ARCHES (Accessible Resources for Cultural Heritage EcyoSystems). The project was 3-years long during which participants with... more
conserva un buen número de libros de texto, revistas pedagógicas y cuadernos escolares. Algunos de ellos han servido para preparar tesis de grado, ponencias, artículos y capítulos de libros, con temas tan variados como la formación del... more
This article addresses ways that museums can strengthen programming for audiences who are blind or partially sighted. Through the development and study of a tour for people who are blind or partially sighted conducted at the Calouste... more
In world, millions of people still seek the full inclusion in society: they have difficulty getting around on the streets, shopping, and using public transport. For the visually impaired, the greatest difficulty to integrate society and... more
O texto pretende esclarecer um pouco a relação entre anarquismo e o conceito de utopia. Se a ausência de Estados pode ser considerada o ideal máximo do anarquismo, deve haver a necessidade de declinar os degraus que poderiam levar à... more
Este trabalho de conclusão de Curso propõe compreender a experiência dos visitantes em uma exposição fotográfica acessibilizada. Busca identificar em que medida a experiência auxilia na construção ou reconstrução do olhar sobre as... more
Enquadrada num Quadro Estratégico Europeu, a Cultura é uma das áreas de importância nas políticas de futuro do país, contribuindo para a competitividade e internacionalização da economia, para o aumento do emprego e para o seu... more
Mexican and Portuguese young students facing disability. A comparative study using social representations Jóvenes estudiantes mexicanos y portugueses frente a la discapacidad; un estudio comparativo de sus representaciones sociales Carlos... more
Mexican and Portuguese young students facing disability. A comparative study using social representations Jóvenes estudiantes mexicanos y portugueses frente a la discapacidad; un estudio comparativo de sus representaciones sociales Carlos... more
In this paper we will describe, justify and critique a participatory approach that we have developed in order to evaluate the success of a participatory research project that was exploring ways of making museum learning experiences more... more
Apresentação efectuada no Workshop "Inserção dos funcionários públicos com deficiência na sociedade de informação", a 29 de janeiro de 200
Mexican and Portuguese young students facing disability. A comparative study using social representations Jóvenes estudiantes mexicanos y portugueses frente a la discapacidad; un estudio comparativo de sus representaciones sociales Carlos... more
How to cite Complete issue More information about this article Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Scientific Information System Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Non-profit academic... more
In world, millions of people still seek the full inclusion in society: they have difficulty getting around on the streets, shopping, and using public transport. For the visually impaired, the greatest difficulty to integrate society and... more
Superior-CAPESpela concessão da bolsa de estudos, sem a qual não teria conseguido culminar meus estudos. À Secretaria, à equipe de professores, colegas e demais funcionários do PGDesign pelo apoio durante o tempo de formação. Ao Professor... more
Una vez terminado el periodo de guerra civil en México (1910-1917) se implementó una vasta campaña de educación higiénica que identificó la influencia de la escuela para difundir diferentes ideas sobre los beneficios de la vacunación y el... more
abstract: This paper outlines a series of projects bringing together disabled artists, architects and design students. Through collaborative work and debate, we have begun to develop new approaches and principles which aim... more
On a n early spring day in March 2015, I received the gift of song at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston Massachusetts. The gift was offered as part of Sonic Blossom, an exhibit created by internationally acclaimed artist Lee Mingwei . The... more
The purpose of this study is to examine how entering and exiting college students with learning disabilities (LD) understand and make meaning of themselves as learning disabled. The study is exploratory in that it attempts to identify,... more
Os agradecimentos são dos momentos mais difíceis no término de qualquer trabalho: há aqueles que foram fundamentais e aqueles que, mesmo menos visíveis, desempenharam um papel fulcral. Decerto que me esquecerei agora de alguém, mas na... more
El propósito de esta investigación teórico-práctica es destacar la importancia de la literatura infantil para motivar e involucrar a los niños con la lectura a fin de despertar la creatividad y el desarrollo de la imaginación. Para ello,... more
Los museos pedagógicos españoles han venido desarrollando desde su fundación una serie de prácticas educativas que han contribuido de manera determinante (con sus luces y sus sombras) a que hoy sean lo que son. Han emprendido múltiples y... more
Recientemente, se entendió que una de las mejores formas para divulgar a nivel internacional el trabajo de difusión del patrimonio educativo que se hace desde el Museo Pedagógico de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación de la... more
El patrimonio educativo tiene un importante valor histórico como fuente para el conocimiento del pasado y, tanto por esta condición, como por su capacidad para estimular el recuerdo y perpetuar la memoria de la educación, requiere y... more
El propósito de esta investigación teórico-práctica es destacar la importancia de la literatura infantil para motivar e involucrar a los niños con la lectura a fin de despertar la creatividad y el desarrollo de la imaginación. Para ello,... more
This article looks into the process of construction and deconstruction of identity in Helena Almeida's work, in light of Deleuze's understanding of "diagram". The artist appears to make use of three diagrammatic practices related to her... more
Ao Professor Doutor Jorge Rosa, muito agradeço a sua sempre presente e tão importante orientação, total disponibilidade, as opiniões, o apoio no esclarecimento de dúvidas que foram surgindo ao longo deste trabalho. À Dra. Isabel Cordeiro,... more
Este trabalho de conclusão de Curso propõe compreender a experiência dos visitantes em uma exposição fotográfica acessibilizada. Busca identificar em que medida a experiência auxilia na construção ou reconstrução do olhar sobre as... more
While discussing how government, charities and companies can work together, this chapter particularly describes how researchers can work with people with disabilities and disability organisations to create more inclusive research. It... more
This study examines the effect of using children as begging guides by people with sensory disabilities in Africa. It argues that in some African countries, visually impaired persons, especially parents and relatives, have devised the... more
As políticas de reabilitação têm evoluído no sentido da promoção da qualidade de vida dos cidadãos com deficiências e incapacidades pelo aumento do seu nível de autonomia (vida independente) e da capacidade de se representar a si próprio... more
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